primotipo…

Jack Quinn, Michelle Mantsio and team ran a stunning concours event at the Rippon Lea Estate National Trust home, Melbourne, on Sunday March 23, 2025.

The 100 cars covered everything from veterans to morbidly obese mid-engined Ferrari Supercars and much else in between. Background on Rippon Lea here: https://www.ripponleaestate.com.au/history/

The notoriously capricious Melbourne weather played by the rules for a change and a $30 entry price got the punters out in the Autumn sunshine in droves.

Jack and Michelle have run this event at Wombat Hill, Daylesford for the last two years and brilliant as they were, there is no substitute for making the cars more easily accessible to a bigger potential audience, hence the move to central Melbourne. Wombat Hill concours here: https://primotipo.com/2023/02/25/wombat-park-classic/

Equipe Davey Milne drew plenty of attention with Lindon’s ex-Jack Brabham Cooper T23 Chev, Bristol engined in its RedeX Special days of course.

The boys have the Bugatti Chev running, it broke cover in Daylesford last year.

Australian enthusiasts will be pleased to know that the target date for ‘completion’ of the resto of their ex-Barrett/Steele/Edgerton Alfa Romeo 8C2300 Monza are the 2027-2028 Australian Centenary Grand Prix celebrations at Albert Park and elsewhere. Time is ticking mind you.

Phil Allen says his ‘Three Amigos lead a celibate life‘ – Ferrari V6 engined Dino 246, Lancia Stratos and Fiat Dino – but they are all driven often and double-up rather nicely as beauty queens. I’ll have the Lancia please. Enzo looks on with approval.

Phil off to the side is ready to provide advice to The Judges upon their request of same…

These neat, white, carefully pressed overalls and caps replete with sponsors logos were a refreshing change to the Global Concours Judge Uniform of brown trousers, blue shirt, blue blazer and Boater hats. They always look like escapees from a Liberal Party Meeting to me, why wouldn’t you be an escapee from such meetings of course?

Jack is amazingly well-connected and has the ability to pull-cars-out-of-his-arse, the number of machines ‘most of us’ haven’t seen before is notable each year.

One that fits into this category is the Bentley 3-litre Super Sports 100 MPH which one of the authors of ‘Bentleys in Australia’ has not seen, so its appearance was very special. Body by Floods, Melbourne.

This car was delivered new in Melbourne in 1925, has an in-period competition history and by some type of miracle – great work by Australian Bentley Club members down the decades duly noted – still resides here.

Lindsay Fox doesn’t tend to let his cars loose too often but Quinn has deceptive powers of pursuation, five cars from Australia’s most prominent ‘truckie’ this time was fantastic. I thank the Fox Collection for their support of these events on behalf of all of us…more, more, more!

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and 540K are both big bits of real estate devoid of appeal to me but Jo Publik clearly loved-em!

Its a looong way from the driving seat of the Merc-Mc to the nose, it would be quite a wrestle from Moggs Creek to Apollo Bay I suspect. Still, the market was a mix of collector cars doing SFA and across Europe autobahn-storming for a few.

Too many episodes of Hogans Heroes always has me thinking of goose-stepping German perverts whenever I see one of these Mercs unfortunately; engineering quality undeniable of course.

The Murdoch’s ex-Bill Lowe Lombard AL3 s/c is much more up my alley.

With an Oz racing history going back to the earliest of Phillip Island days this amazing time capsule has been continually race prepared and rebuilt over its 100 or so years of life rather than restored, thank goodness.

The only Oily Rag racing cars in Australia of that era left ‘untouched’ are the Lombard and Sydney domiciled ex-Bill Thompson Bugatti Type 37A. I’ve written that assertively but I’m not sure its right, name others folks, racing cars not roadies, I’m well aware of Alistair McArthur’s Ballot 2LS.

Geoff Murdoch just reccied a car club rally route up Tumbarumba way in the Lombard recently so the petite bolide doesn’t mind a few kays.

Adam Berryman’s Bugatti T37A also does plenty of miles (below) and will always have a special place in my heart as the first Bugatti I drove. Geoff Murdoch and Bob King are behind the Lombard.

The subtlety of this chopped and channelled – is that what they call it ? – American thingy took ya breath away. Variety is the spice of this show…no-one else in Portsea has one of those. Giulia Super service car alongside.

It was very interesting having Warwick Anderson explain the differences between his (red) Lamborghini 400 and Joe Calleja’s just arrived from the US, (silver) Lamborghini 350.

Amusing are his stories about his father, Colin Anderson, corresponding with Ferruccio Lamborghini about his ownership journey of that red 400, the first Lambo imported to Australia. The company owner even adopted Colin’s targa-type pop-off roof as a factory option!

Another ‘never seen before’ for me at least, Chrysler Ghia ST of 1954-55.

Why not finish with Nigel Hunt’s achingly erotic Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa replica?

We are lucky to have one of these in Australia, it looks so kosher it’s not funny, all it needs are a few miles to provide the patination it lacks. Needless to say the crowds made a beeline for it, its pontoons are so iconic. And yes, THAT is the Great Ocean Road drive of drives…

It’s a bunga-bunga pine botanist Bob King tells me.

The results are below, my favourite was that Bentley 100 MPH.

An awesome, stunning event in every respect, surely the best Concours in Australia, and only three years in the making?

Credits…

Photos all Mark Bisset

Finito…