SPECIAL FEATURES

Derek Bell

Derek Bell has without a doubt been, for the last 45 years, living the dream. His success has been such that his name is virtually synonymous with British motor racing, mentioned in the same revered tones as Moss, Clark, Hill, Surtees and Hawthorn. He famously won Le Mans five times between 1975 and 1987, each time in a Porsche, for the Rothman's, Porsche Systems and Gulf teams. As if that weren't enough, he also won two World Sportscar Championships in 1985 and 1986 and the 12 Hours of Sebring three times between 1986 and 1989. And it wasn't just behind the wheel of a Porsche 917 or 956 / 962 that Bell found success. He also drove the "Big Cat" Jaguar Touring Cars, won the TT in the BMW Alpina CSL and has variously raced Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Bentley and McLaren, not to mention Formulas 1, 2 and 3.

One would suspect such an over-achiever might get a swelled head, but not so with Derek, who was once described by fellow teammate Hans-Joachim Stuck as "the most liked driver of his generation". Despite suffering minor burns when his Ferrari 512 caught alight during filming of the iconic Steve McQueen flick, Le Mans, he has emerged from over 40 years of competitive racing relatively unscathed. In fact he is still actively involved in historic racing, with recent appearances at the Goodwood Revival, and only last week at the Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca, California.

Vern Schuppan

Arguably one of the most exciting Le Mans races of the 1980s was the epic 1983 battle between the two Rothman's 956s, Car 1 driven by Bell / Ickx and Car 3 piloted by Holbert, Haywood and Australia's great hope, Vern Schuppan. Success for the Schuppan team came right down to the wire as Holbert nursed the smoking Porsche across the finish line a mere 17 seconds ahead of a fast approaching Bell and Schuppan secured his name in the Australian motorsports lexicon as the first Aussie to win Le Mans.

Another of racing's "Mr Niceguys", Vern was born in Whyalla, SA and following a successful carting career, graduated to Formula 1, with drives for BRM, Team Ensign, Embassy and Surtees. However it was with sportscar racing that he gained both success and fame, not only winning Le Mans in 1983, but placing a further three times between 1975 and 1982. He won the Macau Grand Prix races twice and back home was the 1976 Rothmans International Series Formula 5000 champion. At Bathurst, he raced regularly with the top teams including Allan Moffat Racing, Dick Johnson Racing and HDT throughout the 1970s and 80s. Still going strong, Vern also raced at last week's Rennsport Reunion.

RACV Motorclassica is proud to welcome both Derek and Vern as our special guests and honorary judges for the 2011 Australian International Concours d'Elegance.

60 Years of Porsche

2011 heralds 60 years of the iconic Stuttgart sporting marque in Australia and we are proud to celebrate this important anniversary at RACV Motorclassica. To help us celebrate, Porsche Australia will bring not one but three very special cars from the Porsche Museum to display in a collection of cars that is sure to impress even the most discerning Porsche fan. One of the most iconic and photographed cars of all time, the 1987 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning, Rothmans car 17, driven by Derek Bell, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Al Holbert will take centre-stage, ably supported by the famous 935 "Moby Dick" which at the hands of Joachim Mass and Jackie Ickx registered the highest speed on the straight at the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans.

125 Years of Mercedes Benz

Since the creation of Karl Benz's first petrol powered car, the Benz Patent Motorwagen in 1886, Mercedes Benz has been at the forefront of innovation in motoring.In this 125 year anniversary, and with the assistance of the Mercedes Benz Club of Victoria, we are scouring the globe to bring together a collection of Mercedes Benz cars that pays tribute to this milestone and acknowledges the influence of one brand on the evolution of the motoring industry.

AUTO ART SHOW

In 2011, RACV Motorclassica is proud to bring together more than a dozen of Australia's finest automotive artists in a unique display of works that capture the motoring lifestyle.

Sue Bayre I am particularly attracted to vintage, classic and muscle cars shapes which have very rounded and feminine lines yet are loaded with loud, masculine chrome embellishments. I find painting the automotive form not dissimilar to painting a traditional still life – shapes, spaces, reflections, colour and light.
Fredd Briggs Widely regarded by the Automotive/Advertising industry as the "Fastest curves and templates in Australia" for almost 40 years. TOTALLY self taught.....no training, no art courses, no art colleges. BRILLIANT! www.fredd.com.au
Martin de Lang For over 35 years, Martin de Lang has captured the magic of motor racing through his unique style of auto artistry. Working primarily as a commissioned artist for prominent racing drivers, collectors and corporations, Martin's work combines an exacting attention to detail with his affinity for the beauty of classic car design and the atmosphere of motor racing.
Robert Della-Piana A graduate of RMIT Degree in Photo imaging, Robert has established Advertising and Automotive commercial studios. He has leant out of helicopters and documented the Inaugural Australian Grand Prix. He has received awards for his work in photo imaging. www.ridefineart.com brings a standard of automotive photo-Imaging previously only available to industry to you the enthusiast.
Mike Harbar Since emigrating to Melbourne in 2000, this English artist loves cars and drawing. With over 300 prints in his folio, you are sure to want something for your wall. Commissions also accepted. www.car-artist.com or call 0407 887 850
Terry Lawrie Terry Lawrie is a self taught artist & sculptor who is popularly competent in all mediums, his works selling around the world. He is the founder of the Australian Auto Artists and the Melbourne International Motorshow Art Show. With his latest sculpture, the 'Silhouette Lamborghini', he has been invited to exhibit at the 2012 Dubai and Abu Dhabi Motorshows. See his unique art at Retro & Rare www.retroandrare.com.au
Tanya Loviz Tanya is an internationally recognised self-taught artist with more than 20 years experience, 30 solo shows & a staggering collection of over 1000 paintings & poetry to match. Her CHEEKy Art has found its way into many homes, offices and other interesting places around the world, bringing joy to thousands of people over the past 20 years.
Simon May Local Artist Simon May has had a lifelong passion for cars, and has used the subject for drawings for almost as long. After a varied working career, and fuelled by his foremost passion, he has returned to creating automotive art and design and enjoys using a number of mediums and styles.
Craig Metros Craig Metros is a car designer and industrial artist from Detroit, Michigan. Craig graduated from The College of Creative Studies with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Detroit. His work draws inspiration from the automotive industry, street art, and modern design movements. The end result reflects his passion for speed, architecture, and anything mechanical. He blends stencils, photos and found objects to capture 3 dimensional and graphically bold, low relief art. Each of his mixed media pieces incorporates materials found in unusual places, ranging from abandoned buildings, roadsides, to junkyards and swap meets. Craig is currently based in Melbourne.
Nick Morris Nick Morris has had over 40 exhibitions both here and internationally having had many sellout shows. His works continue to gain both stature and recognition and he has been a finalist in the Doug Moran Portrait Prize, the Fremantle Print Awards and twice a finalist in the BSG Art Prize in a short career of only 4 years.
Gary Redmond Following a period of study in Industrial Design, Gary has taken his professional training and a passion for quality design and turned his hand to the creation of sculptures that reflect and highlight the combination of excellence in design and engineering. www.classicracesculptures.com.au
Karen Ryder Karen is an Australian designer and manufacturer of unique and handmade automobile jewelry. RPM Jewelry creates classic and unique automotive jewelry designs for car fanatics and enthusiasts around the world. Classic, Sports and Muscle Cars. Designs made to order.
George Vrastaminos Australian-born and of Greek origins, George has been based in Hanover, Germany since 2000. Revealing a fascination with reflection, his precise style of representation and sharp eye for detail portrays richness and accurate attention to create dramatic light within photorealism. In 2002 he was commissioned to create the event poster for Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza and his work has been widely collected throughout the three continents.