Celebration of the Motorcar kicks off next week

The sumptuous grounds of South Australia's Carrick Hill mansion will open its doors for the second annual running of the Celebration of the Motorcar on Sunday April 26.

Present by invitation only, the 130 cars on display will include examples from the early 1900s as well as current-generation exotics, interspersed with classics from the 1950s and 1960s.

The $20 million collection will include a 2005 Ford GT Coupe, a 1967 Maserati Sebring Series II, a 1959 Abarth 750GT Zagato, a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing and the Packard 840 Roadster that won the most stylish car award in 2014.

Equally fascinating is Carrick Hill itself, where visitors will be able to experience the expansive grounds, as well as the Real Things exhibition by South Australian artist Robert Hannaford.

This will all be complemented by classical music from members of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, as visitors partake of "fine food and family fare".

The Carrick Hill mansion is located in the Adelaide suburb of Springfield and is famous for its sprawling grounds and beautifully trended gardens. It contains a large art collection including drawings, sculptures, antiques and paintings and is notable for the fact that most of its original contents are intact.

It was completed in 1939 in the style of an English manor and is one of the few surviving period establishments of its kind in Australia.

Entry into the Celebration of the Motorcar, which covers access to the gardens and Carrick Hill mansion, costs $25 for adults, $10 for children between six and 16 years old, and free for children under six. A family ticket covering two adults and as many as three children is $60.

VIP passes priced at $95 include special parking, entrance to the event, a director's tour of Carrick Hill, a curator's tour of the Robert Hannaford exhibition and fine food and wine throughout the day.