RIPPONLEA CONCOURS
The prestigious Ripponlea Concours promises something for every car enthusiast with a mouth-watering line-up of headline grabbing and noteworthy vehicles that graced roads and racetracks around the world, over the past 100 years.
Displayed on the lawns among the beautifully manicured gardens of the historic Ripponlea Estate, located in south-east Melbourne on March 23, 2025, will be many of the rarest and most historically significant automobiles, dating back to the pioneering days of the very early 1900s. Many have been painstakingly restored with no expense spared and preserved over the decades, by fastidious collectors and enthusiasts from every corner of the globe.
Guests attending The Ripponlea Concours will see in excess of 80 momentous vehicles and more than 20 motorcycles from the groundbreaking days of motorised transport of the early 20th century, all the way up to the ground-hugging, high-tech, high-performance, current-day, exotic machinery that is guaranteed to captivate attendees young and old.
The Ripponlea Concours affords attendees to relish in an autumn garden party atmosphere while appreciating close-up, the beauty, elegance, style, engineering and design of these rare and timeless two- and four-wheel classics and talk with fastidious Australian collectors and those from New Zealand, the USA and the UK.
Attendees are invited to immerse themselves in the spirit of the Ripponlea Concours by dressing in their favourite era, be it the Gatsby time of the 1920s, the early 1940s and 1950 post-war years, the swinging ’60s sixties and flower power, the big flares and big hair of the ’70s or the ’80s and the decade of decadence.
There will also be a variety of cuisines from around the world available or pack a picnic hamper with your favourite goodies and enjoy the magnificence of the Ripponlea Concours, the mansion and surrounds while watching the judging of the vehicles and the air display of equally rare and important vintage aircraft.
There are a limited number of VIP tickets available as well as general admission passes. Pop it in your diary, March 23, 2025.
Visit ripponleaconcours.com for more information.
BUGATTI ROYALTY CROWNED 2024 COTY
A preserved 1930s Bugatti once owned by the King of Belgium has been named as Car of the Year at the prestigious International Historic Motoring Awards in London.
The Car of the Year was just one of 16 important awards announced on the night to an audience of more than 400 guests from the UK, USA, Europe and Asia at London’s newest luxury hotel The Peninsula London.
Guests included actor and serious petrolhead Rowan Atkinson, World Land Speed Record holder Andy Green, car designers Ian Callum and Peter Stevens, TV’s Richard Hammond, Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance chairman Sandra Button, motorsport company Prodrive founder David Richards, and social media sensation Supercar Blondie, aka Alex Hirschi.
Many of the world’s most well-known car collectors were in attendance, including Miles Collier, Bruce Meyer and Fritz Burkard, along with teams from the Petersen Automotive Museum, Revs Institute, Goodwood, Silverstone, Audrain Motorsport, Brooklands Museum, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover and more.
After months of nominations, shortlisting and intensive judging by an international panel of 34 experts, the winners were announced on the night by broadcaster and race driver Amanda Stretton, after a speech by Rowan Atkinson extolling the virtues of classic cars.
Uniquely, the Car of the Year award was voted for by the public, resulting in thousands of votes.
Now in its 14th year, event MD Geoff Love said: “We were delighted to host the biggest and best edition of the International Historic Motoric Awards so far, with many of the world’s most important car collectors and industry movers and shakers, proving once again that the IHMA is the only truly international awards event in the collector-car industry.”
RARER THAN RARE ON THE BLOCK
Rarely does a gaggle of just 11 cars command so much interest among collectors, but when they’re from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum and rank among the most sought-after automobiles ever to be offered by auction, that’s what has happened.
RM Sotheby’s is auctioning off this cluster of significant cars including the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen raced by two of the all-time greats, Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss.
There’s also the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM that won the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans, followed by two more runs at La Sarthe along with three outings at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
Also going under the hammer is a Ford GT40 Mk II (above) campaigned by Holman-Moody and driven by Mark Donohue and Australian Paul Hawkins at Le Mans in 1966, a 1991 Benetton B191 Formula 1 from Michael Schumacher’s first season with the team, and a 1930 Bugatti Type 35B Grand Prix – plus Brass Era gems from Mercedes, Itala, and Laurin & Klement.
Whether it is the one-off 1957 Chevrolet Corvette SS Project XP64, or Craig Breedlove’s 600 mph+ Spirit of America Sonic 1 Land Speed Record car, or the 17.3-litre 1908 Mercedes ‘Brookland’ Semmering Rennwagen, every lot of this, ‘once in a lifetime auction’ as it is being billed, is an icon of performance and an opportunity to acquire some of the most desirable machines ever made.
Such is the significance of these cars, their manufacturers have been heavily involved from the outset, with the 1954 Mercedes-Benz W 196 R Stromlinienwagen returned to Germany under the care of technicians at Mercedes-Benz Classic.
Over a period of weeks, the team thoroughly inspected and researched the car ahead of the auction, using their extensive expertise and archives. The sale will take place in the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart.
Meanwhile, the 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning Ferrari 250 LM is being returned to its spiritual home, where it will be pored over and thoroughly inspected by Ferrari Classiche engineers in Maranello, prior to its sale in Paris.
Many of the cars in this collection have been in the care of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum for generations. Most were thought to be unobtainable, or even priceless. That they are being made available for the first time in decades is historic.
FIRST SPEED SIX DELIVERY IN 94 YEARS
The initial customer Speed Six Continuation Series has been completed and heading to the USA, marking the first delivery of a new Bentley Speed Six since 1930. It is heading to existing Mulliner customer John Breslow who owns a Blower Continuation Series.
Commissioned just over 12 months ago, the classically curated Speed Six is resplendent in Parsons Napier Green bodywork on top of a black-painted chassis. The iconic face of the Speed Six is dominated by the twin round headlamps, finished in Chrome with a protective mesh and separated by a large number ‘4’ on the radiator.
Crafted by hand from scratch, each car takes eight months to complete, with the expert team of Mulliner technicians and artisans working closely with a network of specialist suppliers across the UK to recreate every detail of the original Speed Six with exactitude.
The cockpit is as authentic as the exterior, with every gauge, switch and control exactly as per the specification of the Speed Sixes that raced at – and won – Le Mans in 1930. Leather trimmed in a rich deep brown with dominant red tones, the Rust leather and carpet pair seamlessly with the Parsons Napier Green to the exterior.
At the start of the project, the Mulliner Classic team visited the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire, to verify the five authentic period Parsons Paints that are available to customers.
Over 600 individual new parts, including a new engine block casting, were fabricated for the new 6½ Litre race-spec engine, which at the time developed 200bhp.
Dyno testing has shown the Continuation Series engines to develop 205 bhp; while higher outputs have been achievable with the aid of modern engineering materials (as many classic racing teams do), the aim of the Continuation Series team was to create a Bentley exactly as it would have looked and performed in 1930.
The Speed Six is regarded as one of the most important Bentleys in history, being the most successful Bentley racing car ever produced. Using the same manufacturing processes as the original car from the late 1920s, the Speed Six is the second pre-war Continuation Series by Mulliner, Bentley’s bespoke and coachbuilding division.
To celebrate Bentley’s first ever win at the Le Mans in 1924, the Benjafield Racing Club hosted a 24-hour endurance event at the famous Algarve circuit of Portimão. The event consisted of 25 period Bentleys, piloted by 87 club members.
BMW CSL TAKES TOP HONOURS
A stunning BMW 3.0 CSL E9 won the ‘Best of Show’ at the inaugural Motors & Masterpieces event from a field of over 200 premium vehicles.
Known as ‘The ‘Batmobile,’ it was judged the standout car, resplendent in its white, blue and red racing livery.
The Spirit of Motors & Masterpieces award went to a 1910 Willys Overland Model 40, which was the result of a multi-generational restoration by the Johnson family.
Contrasting the pioneering Willys, was a multi-million-dollar 2020 McLaren Speedtail picking up the People’s Choice Award. The best preserved car award went to a 1991 Maserati Biturbo Spyder with a 1973 Holden Torana GTR XU-1 earning best restoration.
A 1963 Bentley Continental Flying Spur was top of the UK pops, while a 1971 Ferrari Dino 246 GT tasted victory as the best of post-war Italian motoring and a 1970 Mercedes-Benz 280SL crowned the best of mainland Europe.
American cars were well represented with a 1956 Lincoln Continental Mark II earning the gong, while a 1971 Toyota Celica GT took out the Japanese class and a 1971 Ford Falcon XY GT was bestowed top Aussie car.
Other winners were a 1924 Bentley 4.5-litre Vanden Plas Tourer, 1931 Delage D8S, 2004 TVR Tuscan Speed Six S Mk I and a 1968 Brabham BT23E.
Motorcycles were also well represented, with best of show going to a 1972 MV Agusta 750S, best European bike a 1973 Laverda 750 SF2, with a 1934 Indian Chief crowned best American machine, and the best of British picked up by a 1972 Norton Commando. The best preserved bike was deemed a 1975 Benelli 750 SEI.
The Masterpieces section drew hundreds of entries from artists and photographers with winners being Simon Anderson, Mark Walsh Lewis Thomas and Terry Lawrie.