This Cooper “Bobtail” holds significant historical value, originally owned by Lance Reventlow, founder of the Scarab Formula One team. Reventlow, son of Woolworths heiress Barbara Hutton, had no shortage of funding for his racing pursuits. Beyond its notable owners, the car boasts an extraordinary lineup of drivers, including Richie Ginther, Ken Miles, Harry Banta, and Wolfgang von Trips. In its debut season, Reventlow achieved five wins, a second, two third-place finishes, and a class victory at Elkhart Lake alongside Ginther.
Discovered in the U.S. in 1994 by collector Paul Moxham while searching for a Lotus 11, the car's rich history led him to import and restore it, a process completed in 2009. Due to illness, Moxham enlisted Spencer Martin for the shakedown runs, including its Australian debut at Wakefield Park. The car now belongs to Melbourne-based Mark Johnson and is featured in Martin’s book *My Life by Spencer Martin*.
Australia saw its racing specials in the 1950s developed to a degree well beyond other nations, largely due to the shortage of pedigree racing cars and components. Of all the modified Holden powered specials in this era, the Molina Monza with its supercharged Holden Grey motor and Repco Highpower head, is by far the most beautiful and amongst the most powerful ever built. Testing on the Repco dyno, 199 bhp @ 6000 rpm was claimed.
Melbourne restaurateur and racer Lou Molina built the Monza with assistance from Sid Massola and Australia’s greatest coach builder Brian Burnett. Lou raced the Monza in the Victorian Tourist Trophy at the 1958 Melbourne Grand Prix against Bob Jane driving an exfactory Maserati 300S.
The 1959 movie ‘On the Beach’ was released, based on Nevil Shute’s post-apocalyptic novel, staring Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins and featured Lou Molina at the wheel of the Monza in racing scenes at Phillip Island.
This Allard J2 (chassis 99/1/1698) was among the first nine J2s imported to Australia in 1950. Powered by a 331ci Cadillac V8, it was delivered new to legendary Australian racer “Gelignite Jack” Murray. The car enjoyed a highly successful racing career, with notable highlights including a 4th-place finish at the 1952 Australian Grand Prix at Bathurst and back-to-back outright wins in the Australian Sprint Championships in 1956 and 1957.
After his racing exploits, Murray passed the car on to his neighbours, the Firth family, who used it sporadically and eventually had it in long-term storage. It was then rescued by Ian McDonald in 2010 (his 3rd J2 Allard) who oversaw its refurbishment. Today, this remarkably original car remains an active competitor, regularly appearing at sprint events and has made multiple appearances at the Australian Grand Prix historic demonstration.
The original MG TC Special nicknamed The Meatsafe Special because the pattern drilled in the bonnet sides was the same as on the Coolgardie Meatsafe, was owned and very successfully driven including at Albert Park by Jack Maurer. Jack sold the car to Harry and Val Forde who stripped the car and built a road going TC using the original chassis which they then sold.
The Forde Brothers together with Jack Maurer then commenced building another TC Special using many of the original parts including the very distinctive bonnet and painting it the original cream colour and the car became known as the Forde Brothers TC Special which they raced with great success for many years.
Delivered new to Lt. Steve Tillett in on 26 February 1948 with the sole intention of racing. The MG Tillett would go on to become one of the most successful of all racing MG’s exported into Australia. The lightweight body, tuned engine, shortened chassis, large carburettors and fearless drivers have all contributed to that success.
Competing in six Australian Grand Prix races, and winner of the 1951 Australian Grand Prix (on handicap), the MG Tillett has been campaigned extensively in period throughout Australia including the first Australian Hillclimb Championship and circuit racing at Port Wakefield, Fishermans Bend, Woodside, Nuriootpa and Narrogin.
The MG Tillett has had four owners from new, Lt. Steve Tillett, Bill Norman, John Ellis and Nathaniel Delaney (current custodian). Following a comprehensive restoration in 2024, the MG Tillett is set to be campaigned in various historic events in Australia, United Kingdom, Europe and America.
Originally ordered by Danny Landrigan from Garrie Cooper raced in mainly Victoria and South Australia in the ‘60s. Found in a rather sad state around 1970 the car made race ready used for a very short time, after a couple of owners was fully restored and back on the track after forty years in 2012 then used regularly at Historic race meetings and Historic hill climbs.
We are very fortunate to be invited to the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix Demonstration on quite a few occasions and continue to enjoy driving the car and showing the public how these cars used to be.
Alexander “Lex” Davison’s Alfa Romeo 6C 1500, imported as a chassis in 1928 by his father, A.A. Davison, played a pivotal role in his motorsport career. Originally fitted with two sedan bodies, the car became Lex’s first driving experience—without parental approval. Following his father’s passing in 1945, Lex took ownership and joined the Victorian Vintage Sports Car Club.
By April 1946, he removed the body and, alongside his future wife Diana Crick, drove 900 km to Sydney for the Marsden Park Sprints. He later competed at Rob Roy Hill Climb and, just days after his wedding in October 1946, raced at Bathurst in his first competitive event. Though nearly 20 years old and with over 160,000 km on the odometer, the car reached 160 km/h. While it never raced in an Australian Grand Prix, it set Lex on a path to winning four AGP titles.
Tracing its roots to 1939, Monoskate is one of Australia’s most storied race cars. Originally the Ben Tarr Rajo Ford Special, it evolved into the Alec Mildren Ford V8 Special, before George Reed’s final masterpiece was born in 1949. Built on Ford Model A chassis rails and powered by a 4.5L Ford Mercury side valve V8 producing 180 bhp, Monoskate features Offenhauser heads, twin Stromberg carburettors, a Scintilla Vertex magneto, and a closeratio Ford gearbox. This powerhouse can reach 145 mph, hitting 100 mph in second gear!
Monoskate has battled European giants like Alfa Romeo, Bugatti, and Maserati, proving its dominance at Bathurst, Mt Druitt, Winton, and Sandown. With Graeme Raper at the wheel for 20 years, it holds lap records across all of Victoria’s major circuits. The car raced at Phillip Island just last weekend winning its class in all 5 events.
Bill Patterson built this special in Melbourne during 1948. The highly developed engine was fitted with a Marshall supercharger and was set up for long distance races with driver controlled Telecontrol shock absorbers. Curly Brydon purchased the special, his second MG race car, from Patterson in 1950. Brydon’s outstanding race result in this MG was his second placing to Doug Whiteford’s Lago Talbot in the 1953 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
In total Brydon owned and raced four different MG Specials between 1946 and 1954. This resulted in three AGP podiums, in 1949 at Leyburn third on handicap, in 1953 at Albert Park second outright, in 1954 at Southport second outright. The Patterson Brydon MG, through the series of nine owners, and 16 Bathurst race events from 1950 to 1973, is in original condition and continues to be recognised as one of the best presented cars at race meetings.
This car is a faithful replica of the Lister Jaguar "Knobbly”, one of the most iconic sports racing cars of the 1950s, known for its distinctive curvaceous bodywork and exceptional performance. Designed by Brian Lister and powered by a Jaguar 3.4L or 3.8L straight-six engine, the "Knobbly" earned its nickname due to its pronounced, undulating body panels. The car's lightweight tubular chassis, combined with aerodynamic efficiency, made it highly competitive against rivals like the D-Type and Maserati 300S.
Debuting in 1958, it quickly became a dominant force in sports car racing, driven by legends like Stirling Moss, Archie Scott Brown, and Ivor Bueb. Lister Jaguars won numerous races in both Europe and the United States, solidifying their reputation as Jaguar’s most successful customer race cars. Today, original "Knobbly" Listers are highly prized by, while continuation models ensure their legacy lives on in historic motorsport events worldwide.
Dispatched from the Donald Healey Motor Company in Warwick on July 22, 1955, Austin Healey 100S chassis AHS 3906 was the 46th of just 50 production cars. It arrived in Australia through Austin Distributors in South Melbourne eventually passing through the hands of racing greats Stan Jones, Ron Phillips, David Harvey, and Jim Goldfinch. The car competed in over 80 events from 1956 to 1960, racing across four Australian states at legendary circuits such as Albert Park, Phillip Island, Fishermen’s Bend, Port Wakefield, and Caversham.
In 2017, Peter and Anne Williams of Toorak, Victoria, acquired AHS 3906 from Tony Parkinson and restored it to original specifications for the Mille Miglia in Italy. After competing in the event in 2023, the car embarked on a 12,647-kilometer journey across Europe with nine other Australian Austin Healeys, cementing its place in both racing and historic motoring history.
The Maybach I Special was born in post-war Australia when Charles Dean, a key figure at Repco, salvaged a German Bussing NAG engine from a WW2 military scout car abandoned in a South Melbourne wrecking yard. Dean built a custom race car around it, using a Studebaker front end, Lancia brakes, and a Fiat gearbox. The car’s first outing was at Lex Davison’s property in Lilydale before competing at airfield circuits like Point Cook and Fisherman’s Bend.
Later, Dean supercharged the engine and enlisted Stan Jones (father of F1 champion Alan Jones) as driver. In 1953, the car led the Albert Park Olympic Grand Prix for 34 laps before retiring. In 1954, Jones won the inaugural New Zealand Grand Prix, defeating European machinery. Today, under Bob Harborow’s ownership, the car continues to race in historic events across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, keeping its wonderful Australian legacy alive.
The Austin Healey BN2 epitomizes the golden era of British sports cars, blending everyday usability with true racing pedigree. Designed under Donald Healey’s vision, these cars were capable of reaching 100 mph and saw widespread success in competition during the 1950s and 60s. This particular BN2 was originally built as a left-hand-drive model for the American market before being imported to Australia in the late 1990s by renowned Healey specialist Steve Pike. Under his care, the car underwent a meticulous restoration, with subtle performance upgrades, including a higher compression ratio, larger carburettors, a re-profiled camshaft, a modified exhaust system, and a lightened flywheel—enhancing its already impressive driving dynamics.
Previously owned by Steve Pike and Andrew Cannon, the BN2 remains a fine example of the “big” Healey’s enduring appeal, continuing to turn heads and deliver wonderful performance on both road and track.
Built in 1959 by Jack French, “Faux Pas” utilized chassis, suspension, and brake components from Len Lukey, based on a Cooper Climax T43. French paired a Holden ‘Grey’ engine with a Repco Highpower head and an MG TC gearbox, later upgrading to a Cooper ERSA gearbox. The car enjoyed early success in Victorian circuit racing, hillclimbs, and sprints.
In 1961, Faux Pas was sold to Barry Stilo, who set the original Winton Raceway lap record. It continued racing through the mid-1960s but was eventually outclassed by smaller, more agile cars. After passing through several owners, Peter Caffin restored it in 1978, followed by Stuart Powell in 1988, reintroducing it to historic racing. Acquired in 2008, its current owner undertook a full restoration, with Faux Pas returning to competition. Since then, it has starred in historic events across NSW, VIC, and QLD, winning multiple trophies and breaking lap records at Sandown and Phillip Island.
