Yesterday was the first day of Spring! It was a beautiful Spring day, too. Being the first Sunday in September, it was also Father’s Day here in Australia.
The good weather brought out some cars that might have otherwise stayed tucked away, but I think Father’s Day kept a few away as we had a slightly quieter Classics By The Beach. It seemed to be an older crowd with more older cars rather than just classic cars. It was a slightly smaller crowd, too, but none of that means that things were less interesting.
There was a nice little contingent of Aussie muscle from the 1970’s – a triumvirate of Toranas.
The black and blue cars are A9X models of the muscular SLR 5000 Torana. The A9X was a racing package developed for the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1977 and A9X Toranas dominated both the 1978 and 1979 racing series.
The purple car on the end is a SS model hatchback. Consider it the more practical Aussie muscle car.
The black A9X was decorated with some of the original dealership notices, included with the car so that the new owner would know how to safely operate the car. A nice touch for the show.
This Jaguar XK140 is another special edition car.
Aside from simply looking exquisite, the car is also a replica of a speed record holder produced during the period. Certification came by way of a plaque fastened to the left side of the dashboard.
Zooming out for a moment, it’s worthwhile looking at the entire interior, resplendent in rich red leather.
Looking through my photos this month, I seem to have had a focus on interiors and dashboards. Some are certainly better than others. I don’t know about you, but I tend to favour the classic white-on-black with a dash of chrome. It looks classic, clean and elegant where some of the others look a little….. cheap.
Late model MGB – like.
Camaro – not so much.
This Ferrari 308 has some beautiful switchgear…..
And I like the octagonal gauges in this MG:
The most-beautiful interior award for this month has to go to this old Mercedes. I don’t think the photo does it justice, but it was magnificent:
It’s a stark contrast between the interior design of the Merc and that of this Ford Futura convertible (still a very nice car, by the way).
My personal favourite for this month was this Datsun 2000 convertible. It was just outstanding. The brightwork was beautiful, the paint was rich and the simple interior gave the car plenty of character and purpose. I could have stared at this car all day long.
Note the sideways-tilting radio. Love it.
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Here are all the images from this month. Click to enlarge.
Looks like a great way to spend a morning Swade. Wonderful to have that on your doorstep in such an informal and open environment. Well done Hobart.
Always entertaining. I think that you could certainly make the case for a Triumph like that on your bucket list, yes?
Cool cars , nice to see some from down under …… but not on the lift down under ……
What is that aqua roadster next to the 911 in the last shot? Speedster? Looks very nice. Can imagine James Dean or Steve McQueen coming by to drive off in it.
Correct, Pete. It’s a replica of a 550 Spyder (which James Dean did drive off in once). Has featured here before and is a regular at Classics. Very nice car.