SPECIAL FEATURES

JACK BRABHAM - A LIFE IN MOTORSPORTS

In 1959, a man from Hurstville, NSW became the first Australian to win a Formula 1 World Championship, beating the British dominance of both Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks, considered to be the greatest drivers of their time.  His name was Jack Brabham, and over the ensuing years, his reputation was etched into Australian legend, with two further world championships and the unmatched achievement of being the only man to win a Formula 1 World Championship at the wheel of a car of his own design and making.

Jack Brabham is undoubtably a hero and his many wins capture the true Aussie spirit.  It is therefore with great pleasure that we welcome Sir Jack and Lady Margaret Brabham as our special guests, to celebrate a life in Motorsports. 

In 2012, Sir Jack will be reunited with some of his most successful cars, curated from collections around the world.

100 YEARS OF THE VICTORIAN MOTOR SHOW

In 1912, the Automobile Club of Victoria hosted the very first public Motor Show at the Royal Exhibition Building.  It therefore seems fitting that, in its centenary in 2012, we reunite many of those cars who made their public debut in 1912, to that very same hallowed hall at RACV Motorclassica.  In an exceptional display of veterans, this may well be your very first chance to get acquainted to the many forgotten marques that shared the road in the Edwardian era including Tarrant, FM, Clement-Bayard, Gregoire, Delaunay-Belleville and Napier to name a few.

More than a dozen cars from the first Victorian Motor Show will be on display to celebrate their centenary, proudly supported by Melbourne Museum.

60 YEARS OF LOTUS

When the son of an innkeeper turned engineer founded his own motor engineering company in 1952, little did he know he would be founding a marque that would go on to win seven F1 World Constructors Championships and beat Ferrari as the first team to achieve 50 Grand Prix victories, despite the prancing horse's significant head-start.  But such was the case with Colin Chapman's Lotus, a brand so iconic that not only has it featured as James Bond's car of choice, but also proved a training ground for a who's who of F1 racing, from Moss to Senna.

On the road, Lotus was the quintessential British sports car, the pretty little Elan (celebrating its 50th birthday in 2012) capturing the ethos of driving to work during the week and driving on the track on a weekend, while the muscular Esprit personified the 80s supercar, taking on Ferrari and Lamborghini at their own game.