The quality of the cars and motorcycles at RACQ Motorfest 2024 was once again outstanding, with judges tasked with choosing a winner from each category, along with an overall winner.

While some categories had a clear, standout others were more fiercely contested, leaving judges to debate the merits of individual vehicles before arriving at their decision.

The coveted Judges’ Choice winner, chosen from each of the category winners, was Michael Ferguson and his 1932 Chevrolet Moonlight Speedster.

It’s possible that Michael’s stunning car could have been entered in the Australian category instead of American, given that the hand-built-alloy bodied vehicle was made in Adelaide by Holden Motor Body Builders, years before General Motors Holden built its first Australian-designed and developed model, the 48-215 or FX.

Restored in 2020 back to how it would have looked when new on the showroom floor, where it wore a price tag of around £235, Michael’s classic Chevrolet is the sole surviving example of the less than 12 right-hand drive Moonlight Speedsters assembled in Australia.

RACQ Manager Road Safety and Technical Joel Tucker said judging was especially difficult this year because of the quality and diversity of vehicles entered.

“All of the vehicles are a credit to their owners and the people who have worked hard to maintain, and in some cases rebuild these amazing works of automotive art,” Mr Tucker said.

Category winners

American and Judges’ Choice
1932 Chevrolet Moonlight Speedster (Michael Ferguson)

Looking resplendent in its original Glamour Red colour scheme, the hand-made body with distinctive boat-tail rear end comprises 17 individual pieces of aluminium welded and fitted over a timber frame.

Other noteworthy features include twin-vee windscreens, twin spare wheels mounted on the front mudguards, yacht-like air vents on the bonnet, a single dickie seat, dual side-mount exhausts, and the generous use of chrome on the Speedster’s fittings.

Powered by an inline six-cylinder overhead-valve engine nick-named the Stove-bolt Six, the engine displaced 194.6 cubic inches and drove through a three-speed gearbox with with synchromesh on second and third gears.

Stopping power was provided by mechanical brakes and 18-inch six-stud wire spoke wheels and tyres.

Honourable mentions in the American category include Wayne Porteous 2019 Corvette C7 Z06 and Roger Cartwright 1955 Ford Crown Victoria.

A special mention also to the superb field of 22 Ford Mustangs entered this year, including several early 1960s models. The Ford Mustang is one of the world’s most iconic vehicles, renowned as much for its distinctive styling as its high-performance, and was this year’s Motorfest Feature Marque, in honour of its 60th anniversary.

Asian
1973 Datsun 180B SSS (Chris Allen)

Classic car enthusiasts love a good barn-find story and Chris’s 1973 Datsun 180B SSS is a beauty, with the sporty ‘Datto’ found gathering dust and pigeon poo in a South Australian barn before being rescued.

Chris is just the fourth owner of this now 52-year-old Japanese coupe, which was based on the humble 180B sedan but benefitted from a higher compression engine and twin SU-style Aisan carburetors, along with a host of styling upgrades including a sporty dash with 7000rpm tachometer.

While it may look relatively stock, Chris has made plenty of performance-oriented tweaks beneath the stylish skin of his SSS, adding larger twin Webber carburetors, a sportier camshaft, a 260Z five-Speed gearbox, adjustable coil-over front suspension, Billet front control arms, a heavier-duty sway Bar, and front and rear disc-brakes.

Honourable mentions in this hotly contested category include Gavin Wheate’s 1971 ‘Hakosuka’ Nissan Skyline, and Nathan Manche’s 2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Silver Edition.

Australian
1968 Holden HK Monaro GTS (Luke Mitchell)

You’ll travel a very long way to find a better example of a Holden HK Monaro GTS than Luke’s impeccable concours-condition coupe.

Rightly regarded as Australian muscle car royalty, the HK GTS was Holden’s first coupe and introduced the iconic Monaro nameplate to the Australian market.
Back in 1968 the two-door pillarless hardtop could be had with entry-level inline six-cylinder engines, a Chevrolet-sourced 307-cubic-inch V8 as fitted to Luke’s car, or a larger 327-cubic-inch V8.

With its racy bonnet stripes, Coke-bottle styling and side air vents the HK Monaro was an instant hit, winning the prestigious Wheels magazine Car of the Year award and giving Holden its first victory in the Hardie-Ferodo 500 endurance race at Bathurst.

Luke’s car features Holden’s ‘Powerglide’ automatic transmission and the collector’s holy grail of matching engine, chassis and gearbox numbers, meaning it is an intact and unmolested original car.

Honourable mentions in the Australian category include Jaydee Denman’s 1974 HQ Monaro and Neil Beech’s 1971 Chrysler Valiant Regal Hardtop Coupe.

British
1955 Jaguar XK140 FHC SE (Phil Atkins)

In 1955 the British car industry was creating some of the world’s most desirable cars. Few were more desirable than Jaguar’s slinky XK140 sports car, the successor to the extraordinary Jaguar XK120.

Powered by a 3.4-litre Jaguar double overhead camshaft six-cylinder engine, the SE designation of Phil’s gorgeous example indicates it is fitted with the optional C-Type Special Equipment cylinder head, 2-inch H8 carburetors, heavier torsion bars and twin exhaust pipes, all of which contributed to a bump in power over the standard 142kW to an impressive 157kW at 5750rpm.

Designated FHC for ‘Fixed Head Coupe,’ Phil’s classic car also includes optional C-Type seats.

Less than 2800 XK 140 FHC’s were built, fewer still in this desirable SE trim which in its day could achieve a top speed of 120-125 mph (193-201 km/h), with acceleration times from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) in 8.4 seconds.

Honourable mentions in the hotly contested British category include Peter Burt’s immaculate 1974 Ford Escort RS2000 Mk1, and Ron Duffield’s Sunbeam Alpine Series 5.

European
1971 Porsche 911 T (Greg Wilson)

Greg’s stunning 1971 Porsche 911 T was one of the clearest choices this year, with judges voting it the unanimous category winner.

The subject of a ground-up seven-year restoration completed in 2022, the classic German sports car has had a bare-metal respray and been completely retrimmed, with every nut and bolt replated or replaced to keep it original.

One of an estimated 40 Australian-delivered cars, Greg’s 911 T (for Touring) boasts its original matching-numbers engine and gearbox, along with original date-stamped wheels, radio and steering wheel.

Powered by Porsche’s legendary air-cooled flat-six-cylinder engine, the 911 T made a modest 92kW at a heady 5800rpm and 177Nm of torque, but made up for it with a kerb weight of just 1020kg and an agile chassis that encouraged enthusiast driving.

Honourable mentions in the European category include Michael Polito’s 1967 Fiat 124 Spider, and Rod Campbell’s 1985 BMW M 635 CSi.

Modified
1955 Chevrolet GMH 210 (Mark and Roslyn Anthony)

The ’55 Chev is one of the most iconic four-door sedans in automotive history, having been the first successful Chevrolet model to adopt the now legendary small block V8.

The ’55’s classic lines, wrap-around glass windshield and triangular tail lights have also made it a magnet for custom car afficionados for decades.

Mark and Roslyn’s genuine GMH-delivered right-hand drive model is a certified showstopper, boasting a supercharged big block Chev V8, Turbo 400 transmission and a competition fabricated nine-inch exhaust among its many modifications.

The custom Chev underwent a full body-off-frame rebuild between 2009 and 2014 with features including a full Nappa-leather interior, Wilwood brakes and 17-inch custom Centreline wheels.

A multi-award-winning car, the old ’55 won Top Sedan and Top Interior at the 2023 Queensland Hot Rod and Street Machine Spectacular and in 2018 was shipped to the USA for that country’s largest gathering of 1955-57 Chevrolet's.

Honourable mentions in the Modified Category include Peter Ellwood’s Y84 Black Special Edition 1978 Pontiac Trans Am and Sophia Allen’s 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GTR V-Spec.

Motorcycle
1954 MV Agusta 175 CSS (Gaven Dall'Osto)

Italian designers and engineers have been responsible for some of the world’s most memorable cars and motorcycles and few two-wheeled machines are as eye-catching as Gaven’s rare 1954 MV Agusta 175 CSS.

Featuring a chain-driven overhead cam four-stroke engine of a modest 175cc capacity, the MV Agusta boasted lightweight all-alloy construction and an iconic fuel tank shape which earned it the monicker of 'Disco Volante', Italian for flying disc or flying saucer.

Like Ferrari cars, MV Agusta motorcycles were originally conceived to support the Agusta family’s passion for motorcycle racing, so the brand is famed for its high-performance race-inspired bikes.

The MV Agusta 175 CSS was not only famous for its distinctive styling, but was also one of the first production motorcycles fitted with an ‘Earles Fork’ front suspension, designed to prevent the front-end diving under braking.

It was also the first production model to feature the same glossy red and bright silver paint scheme as the MV Agusta race bikes.

Only 500 MV Agusta 175 CSS were made worldwide and the bike was never exported to Australia, making the Disco Volante a rarity even at dedicated classic motorcycle events.

Honourable mentions in the motorcycle category include Garrin Angel’s 1925 Indian Scout and Malcolm Garfath’s 2018 The Black Douglas Stirling Countryman Delux.

Veteran (built before 31 December 1918)
1906 De Dion-Bouton, Type AN Double-Phaeton (Paul Blake)

Few people today outside of the veteran car community will have heard of French car maker De Dion-Bouton but in 1900 it was the largest automobile manufacturer in the world.

The company built its first steam-powered automobile in Paris in 1883 and by 1889 had become a pioneer in the development of internal combustion engines and automobiles, later gaining renown as an engine manufacturer and supplier to a wide variety of companies.

By 1906, when Paul’s car was manufactured, De Dion-Bouton was turning out 2000 hand-built cars per year, including its first two-cylinder models which is what powers this example, driving through a three-speed transaxle.

Paul’s impressive example also features a de Dion rear axle which is one of the many innovations attributed to the De Dion-Bouton automobile company.

This vehicle would likely have been exported to Australia as a mechanical rolling chassis and been fitted with an Australian coach-built body.

The subject of an extensive restoration between 2015 and 2023 it is an outstanding example of early 20th-century motoring.

Honourable mentions in the Veteran class include Bailey Rowe’s 1916 Rover and Syd Norman’s 1910 Maxwell AA.

Vintage (built between 1 January 1919 and 31 December 1930)
1928 Chevrolet AB National Tourer (Robert and Sunita Wode)

In 1928 Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, American accountant Walter E. Diemer invented bubble gum, Colonel Jacob Schick patented the electric shaver and Chevrolet released its AB National Tourer as a replacement for the 1927 Series AA Capitol.

Designed to go head-to-head with Ford’s market-leading Model A, Fisher Body supplied eight different open and closed body styles to Chevrolet for this model, with the Tourer featuring a forward folding windshield to allow for open air driving, and a soft-top and side curtains to keep out the elements.

Rising on wooden wheels and powered by a 171 cubic-inch (2,800cc) inline four-cylinder engine driving through three-speed manual gearbox, the Chevy would have had a top-speed of about 55mph, not enough to attract the attention of gangsters Bonnie and Clyde who several years later would express their preference for the faster Ford Model B V8.

Faithfully restored in 2015, Robert and Sunita’s impressive 1928 Chevrolet Tourer is painted in its original Falmouth Grey paint colour with black interior.

Honourable mentions in the Vintage Class include Gary Lippiatt’s 1925 Chevrolet Superior K Series Truck, and Bailey Rowe’s 1929 Norton 16H 500cc side valve motorcycle.