Motorclassica's mouth-watering selection
Yet another amazing collection of cars to draw the crowds to Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building for 2015The one certainty with the annual Motorclassica event is that there's always a new car you have never seen before. Or if you have, it was pictured in a book.
At Motorclassica in 2015, the car that stands out as a 'rarely-seen-in-reality' model is the Amphicar, an oddball amphibious vehicle powered by a Triumph Herald engine and built in Germany. The company building the car capped production at 3700 units, of which 3000 went to the USA. It was a classic example of a car that made a poor boat, and a boat that was a poor car, which is why it likely remains the only commercially mass-produced amphibious vehicle ever offered to private buyers. Its idiosyncratic design is unmistakeable.
Another car that is as rare as hen's teeth is the Bristol 406 Zagato also appearing at Motorclassica. A post-war product of an iconic name better known up to that time as the company that designed the RAAF's Beaufort bombers and Beaufighters for the war in the Pacific. Zagato was an Italian design studio that came to be known particularly well for its Aston Martin styling exercises. The studio's take on the 406 was a stunning outcome during a still austere period, in which Bristol's luxury tourers shone like a ray of light.
At the other end of the scale from the 406 Zagato is an example of the Peel P50, made famous by former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson driving one through the offices of the BBC. For fans of modern Americana, there's a mob of Shelby Mustangs there, as well as an early (C1) Corvette and a 1962 Chevy Impala.
Lust after European exotica? There are any number of Ferraris, Maseratis, Lamborghinis and Porsches – one of which is an actual Carrera GT. And there is an actual, honest-to-goodness Jaguar XJ220 as well.
Of the car companies supporting the event, Mercedes-Benz brought out a 600 Grosser to complement its Mercedes-Maybach S 600. The three-pointed star also has an AMG GT S and an SL 500 Mille Miglia 417 to get the punters salivating.
Something of a coup for Benz's archrival in Munich is the BMW CSL Hommage R positioned alongside a 3.0 CSL from the 1970s, the new show car wearing warpaint in tribute to the older race car.
Other brands present include Citroen (the DS brand), Maserati and Jaguar.
Pictured: 1964 Amphicar, elevated view inside, BMW CSL Hommage R, Lancia Stratos, Lancia Beta Montecarlo, Shelby Mustangs old and new, Jaguar XJ220, classic Porsches
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