After a stinking hot Saturday, Hobart turned on its best conditions on Sunday – 21 degrees and sunny – for the first Classics By The Beach for 2015. And the people and cars turned up accordingly. It was a bumper field today, with many of the best regulars plus a fantastic gathering of ‘occasionals’ too.
As is the case every month, I have to apologise to a few for talking too much and not taking enough photos! I missed a few great cars today.
Cobra
I didn’t get to catch the owner of this car, but it was the first car to draw my eye this morning, for obvious reasons. If it’s the real deal (which I assume it is) then what you’re looking at is a 1978 XC Ford Falcon Cobra hardtop coupe. The Cobra was a special edition created to clear out the remaining 400 hardtop bodies that Ford had in stock prior to an all-new Falcon model being launched in 1979.
The concept was created by Henry Ford’s grandson, Edsel Ford II, who was working in Australia at the time. The cars also celebrated Ford’s dominant Bathurst win in 1977. The 400 cars were mixed in terms of mechanical specification – some had 302 engines and some had Ford’s famous 351. Some were autos and some were manuals. 30 of them were special homologation spec cars and these are now the holy grail of Cobras.
You can read more about the Cobra here.
In the meantime, here’s the car…..
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Ford Falcon Futura
I know the Americans don’t rate their Ford Falcon that high, but the Falcon badge is part of the backbone of Australian motoring. The first Aussie Falcons were based on their American counterparts and all-Australian designs followed after that.
This Falcon’s a US model. I’m guessing it’s from the mid 1960’s, which makes this one dedicated owner given that there are Australian Falcons from this era available.
The matte-black won’t be to everyone’s tastes but I really liked it. The red interior was sensational.
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Rollin’
I’m not sure I’m recalling the correct year here, but I think someone told me this Rolls Royce is from 1924. Think on that while you consider how good you’re likely to look at 91 years of age 🙂
I’ve taken a few shots of this car before, but I thought I’d get some more detailed shots this month. Take a close look. My favourite has to be the leather covers protecting the leaf springs! But all the details on this car are beautifully finished. It’s a real credit to the owner.
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De Tomaso Panty Twister
Adrian had his De Tomaso Pantera at Classics again this month. It’s a breathtaking car. Pure Italian/American grunty goodness.
A few facts….
It’s a 1974 vintage in LHD with a mildly worked Ford 351 engine that sounds amazing. Not all Panteras look this aggressive. This one has a Group 5 body kit, which was added to the car in the mid-1980’s. Adrian imported the car from Washington state back in 2013 and had it repainted in ‘Colorado Red’ in 2013.
The wheels are 17’s with 335/35’s fitted at the rear and 245/35’s fitted at the front.
Pantera interiors are usually all black. The same owner who did the Group 5 body also did the timber and leather upgrade to the dash, doing all the work himself. The car has electrically controlled seats from a Corvette.
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Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV Coupe
This car sold for a very modest price around 18 months ago (and it was only a few miles from my place – why-o-why did I not know about this??). With prices rising for 105 series Alfas in the last year or so, I reckon the owner could probably book a value increase of around 100% in that time.
Why? Well, not only is it a 1750 – said to be the sweetest drive of all the 105 series cars – it’s also a Series 1 model with what looks to be mostly original paint and the beautiful ‘batwing’ seats.
A truly lovely classic Alfa.
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A Pair of Loti
The guy who owns this Series 2 Esprit has the sweetest car collection – and they’re all in beautiful condition. This is another car that I’m going to have to feature properly next time it appears at Classics.
As a side note: I just love that steering wheel. There’s something about two-spoke wheels that really works.
The engine’s a show-piece sitting proudly in the back for all the world to see……
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The engine’s a little less conspicuous in this Esprit V8…..
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The Rest Of The Field
With no disrespect intended – I wish I could do features on all of these – here are the rest of the cars I photographed today. Note the Alfetta with log interior 🙂 , the blue Berlina, the BMW 323i with Zender kit and Bruce’s superb, clean 911 Carrera.
Thanks for visiting.
Never fails to amaze the broad selection of cars that turn up for sale in Tasmania. I thought it didn’t get too hot over there in Hobart.
Well, it’s all relative, isn’t it? We got to 36 on Saturday and that’s hot for us.
Actually, the sun is so strong here that if you’re in full sun on a 21 degree day, it’ll feel much hotter than that.
Thanks Swade. The warm images are a nice respite from winter which is arriving here in Canada. The Lotus V8 features prominently in the recent Top Gear Patagonia Christmas special. Staggering off-roader, apparently 🙂
Nice day.
I’d say that you got the date of the RR about 10 years out. Acetylene lights are one clue.
BTW< am I the only person who wonders where ochre yellow cars from the 1970's went? It was a hugely popular colour, for Alfas, Renaults, Volvos and lots of other marques, but I rarely see them these days. The 1750GTV looks a dead-ringer for the one my dad had. I remember him driving me to Mt Buller as a tacker, reaching 120mph. And he wonders about MY driving habits!
That Alfa 105 is awesome. I’ve always loved those cars. Probably because my dad had three of them, all while I was growing up. I would sit on his lap and steer through the quiet streets near the house.