Classics come out to play

You can't celebrate the beauty of Australia without delving into our rich motoring history. Since 1948 Australia has been producing some fast, popular and memorable cars, as well as the not-so-memorable ones, from the very first local production car, the Holden 48-215, to the now very valuable Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III.

Whether it be Holden, Ford, BMC or the lesser known Lightburn, we have built and been the recipient of some outstanding cars. Next weekend, more than 1200 vehicles will gather in the city as part of the 23rd NRMA Motorfest. All cars have to be at least 30 years old.

Rob Foster, a self-confessed Ford fan, will take his Aussie 1978 XC Ford Cobra to next Saturday's Motorfest for the first time. It will join four other Cobras also making their debut.

“It's one of the great Australian models, Foster says. “While it's not up with the GTs, it still has its place in Australian history.

“It's still up there with the Monaros and Chargers. Everyone just loves the Cobras.”

And this year the Australian-built, Falcon-based Cobra, celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Foster's muscle car is number 59 out of only 400 models that were built, and is in top condition, with airconditioning, power windows and power steering.

“It's a good touring car,” he says. “I just always wanted one.” Foster says there are only about 270 of Cobras left and he knows of 20 that are in NSW.

And the Cobra has become much more valuable over time. Foster says one model sold at a recent auction for $85,000, but their value can stretch up to $150,000.

While the blue and white colour scheme was derived from the American racing Mustangs, Foster says the car is full of Australian DNA.

“They're definitely nice cars and the Cobras were built in 1978 to say thank you to [Allan] Moffat and [Colin] Bond for winning [Bathurst] in an XC coupe in 1977,” he says.

While Foster had been wanting a Cobra since they first came out, the year he got his licence, he hadn't considered it seriously until three years ago, when his partner became sick of him talking about it and told him to buy one.

“So in six weeks we went from nothing to an XC Coupe which needs restoring, then an XC ex-police car and then I bought the Cobra,” he says. “From nothing to lots in a couple of weeks. It was amazing to find a Cobra like that. It had been unregistered for about 12 years.”

And it's not just the Australian muscle cars that were born Down Under. Fred Diwell enjoys jumping back into time with his rare 1965 Lightburn Zeta Sports and will also be taking it to its first Motorfest next weekend.

“They only made 48 of them and there are only three going today,” he says.

Diwell says Lightburn, a South Australian company, was better known for making washing machines and industrial machinery, with cars earning little success.

“It was too late,” he says. “It coincided with the release of the Mini ... competition from the Mini finished all the micro cars. For pound stg. 100 more you could buy a proper car rather than a toy car.

“I'm not sure if this car is a tumble-dry model or a spin-dry model. The suspension is a little bit harsh for the weight of the car.”

Diwell has owned the Zeta for 18 years and has the only model built with a surfboard rack.

“I'm still looking for a 1960s surfboard to put on it,” he says.

Featuring the same 500cc twin-cylinder engine used in the German Messerschmidt Tiger, the Zeta has a top speed of 100km/h.

But Diwell says it's a lot of fun to drive.

And it won't only be Australian-built cars taking over the city, with other vehicles that have called Australia home over the years also going on display. Daily Telegraph cartoonist Warren Brown, will be showing off his 1925, fully-restored Bean, before he attempts to drive it from London to Melbourne later this year.

Brown's journey will be filmed for an SBS documentary, and he'll retrace the steps of Australian adventurer Francis Birtles, who drove a Bean across the world in 1927 and 1928.

“There are only a handful of Bean cars left in the world,” Brown says.

About half a million people are expected to admire the variety on show, and this year's Motorfest includes classics such as Rolls Royces, Bentleys and Packards.

Snapshot

23rd NRMA Motorfest

WHEN: Australia Day, next Saturday, 10am-4pm

WHERE: Macquarie St and College St, City

WHAT: More than 1200 cars, all of them at least 30 years old.