Mining magnate to create car museum

On Sunday he bought 17 vintage and veteran cars costing more than $2.5 million, with plans to open a museum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

That brings his collection of rare vehicles to more than 80, worth a total of about $20 million. It is believed be the biggest private holding of vintage and veteran cars in Australia. "Vintage cars have always been a passion of mine,'' said Mr Palmer who has also dabbled in politics and expressed an interest in building his own media empire and a Titanic replica.

"I now own some of the rarest and most sought after vintage cars in the world, including a large Rolls-Royce collection and several cars dating back to 1900. "I plan to create a vintage motor car museum at the Palmer Coolum Resort on the Sunshine Coast.'' 

Mr Palmer sent a team of buyers to Denmark to attend last Sunday's sale of vehicles from the Danish Aalholm Automobile Museum. Among the 17 cars they bought are a 1911 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost which was the first car at the museum and a 1931 Bugatti Type 40A Tourer, one of only 32 built. 

Dan Bowden of Bowden's Own motorsport museum on the Sunshine Coast welcomed the new motoring museum. "Anything is good for the Sunshine Coast to bring people up here,'' said Mr Bowden who has ``pulled the pin'' on plans to relocate his family's Buderim museum to the Big Pineapple site at Nambour.

"There is enough interest to have another museum up here. We could do a tour every single weekend if we chose because we have that many people wanting to have a look at the cars. "There might be a couple of other car collections bigger than (Palmer's) in Australia, but that's possibly the biggest collection from that (pre-war) era.

"He could do something quite special, I believe, and I dare say the cars will be well restored.'' Mr Palmer said his new acquisitions would go on show to the public along with 30 more that are already at the resort. All are in working order. "This auto museum will consist of up to 50 vehicles at any time and will create another tourist opportunity for the Sunshine Coast,'' he said. 

"These vintage cars, many of which are extremely rare and have been sourced from around the world, will attract motoring and vintage car enthusiasts from around the country and possibly even the world bringing more tourists to the Sunshine Coast.'' Mr Palmer said his museum would be ready in about six weeks and would generate 30 jobs.