#16 - Go To A Car Show

After a couple days of light rain, drizzle and a paltry 15 degrees celcius the weather was as effulgent as some of the chrome bumpers on display at MotorFest.  The age of the cars ranged from old to really old.  Meandering through the exhibition, the crowd was clearly and unanimously smitten with the cars that bore the most mystery and nostalgia, otherwise known as 'Veterans'. (Definitions for 'Veteran' varies, but is loosely defined as cars manufactured before the end of 1919).  There were a couple Model T Fords which, dating back to 1910, have outlived many of their previous owners, illustrating a combination of clever engineering and dedicated restoration.  If only these cars could speak, they'd have some stories no doubt.

Next stop was the British section.  My dad, who accompanied me for the day started explaining that British brands Wolseley, Morris and blah blah were bought out by British Motor Something - or - Other Whatever Dad Company and slowly went out of product - hey! look at those necklaces!  Thankfully the women at this shin dig were given a little break from the wall-to-wall testosterone with a little bit of bling... 


Next stop, French cars.  No berets and baguettes, just Peugeots and Citroens, old and new. 
Representing Germany, Volkswagens and Volvos, or 'Iced Vovos" as I like to call them, except more tasteful.  (The biscuits I mean, not the cars).


But, my sixth sense told me something was wrong.  Where was the Bogan section?  The whole place is a bogan section, but my point is, where were all the Typical Aussie Blokes and the Holden display, inparticular, where were the Toranas??  It was eerily quiet without them.  If they were to be excluded it would be a reprehensible crime.  I searched high and low - at the very least I turned a corner - and there in all their glory were the beloved, exquisite, stock-standard / standard-issue Bogan Mobile, the humble Torana.  I felt it necessary to gesticulate my deference by curtsying.  And posing for a photo. 

A 1977 model... and so is the car...

What drives a car enthusiast to care for and manicure an inanimate object?  In the news recently we've poked fun of the woman who's in love with the Eiffel Tower, but is the unconditional devotion to a car any different?  There was at least a few million dollars worth of automotive restoration on display today, and that's just the cost of parts, panels and paint.  That does not include the labour costs of such projects which for the most part, one can only guess is done out of love, determination and at times, frustration.  

You can not put a price on love.  Usually.  However we can put a price on the cost of search and rescue efforts.  MotorFest proudly donated all gate takings from their 2011 show to the RACQ Helicopter Rescue Network which provides lifesaving air medical and rescue services for Queenslanders.  For $2 it was an exceptional return on investment and a great day for father-daughter bonding.

My personal fave...

and its immaculate, pristine interior.  Remarkably impressive..

Red, black and old... and then there's the car...

Same model as a car dad owned in 1970... cost him $80