The past month was certainly eventful for the car scene in Melbourne, prompting us to celebrate it by outlining the highlights from the spotting world and discussing the major events - not least of which were Ferrari's 70th Anniversary celebrations and the annual Motorclassica.
New Arrivals
Let's start with some of the newest supercars seen roaming Melbourne's streets and laneways.
Video: Blake Tsiotinas | Voilà! Check out this new Aventador Roadster A new Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster has landed in Melbourne finished in stunning Viola Parsifae. We imagine this will be the last ordered LP700 to arrive in Melbourne from the factory as the Aventador S Roadster is now in production. If waiting for the S seems too far away, this is currently listed for $875k... |
Melbourne's second 50th Anniversary Aventador Another last minute first generation Aventador delivery, this time an LP720-4 Roadster! It arrived in September but was officially registered in October so keep your eyes peeled for it. We've yet to be sent any photos of it on the roads. Honestly, we didn't even realise Lamborghini was still making 50th Anniversary Aventadors, so it was a pleasant surprise to see this 2017 model arrive. |
Dressed up 650S for Halloween? 🎃 Whilst not strictly a new arrival, this McLaren 650S Spider has been reincarnated as a Pokémon character. The Pokémon Go craze may have been over a year ago, but this die hard fan wrapped his McLaren 650S in a Pikachu outfit - just in time for Halloween, we might add. We posted it twice in October, proving to be polarising amongst followers each time. |
Noteworthy Posts
The following are just three highlights from the nearly 50 spots we posted for the month of October:
Our most liked photo ever... We pride ourselves on not posting photos for likes (hence the lack of ugly hashtags on our posts - that's another bag of worms all together). That said, it's always a nice surprise to receive 4,000+ likes on some of our best features. We knew this would pull thousands of likes, but not necessarily be a record breaker. The photo just has so much going for it; ideal lighting, arguably the car's most impressive angle, and the humble suburban street for the perfect backdrop. Paired with the most satisfying set of heritage plates, this could well be one of the favourite cars in Melbourne. Said plates didn't come cheap... $106k to be precise, purchased at auction in 2016. Our second most liked post is a photo of a chrome rose gold Lexus LFA posted almost a year ago at 4,216. |
Most surprising car of the month? This one took everyone by surprise. It's been in Melbourne since day one, though it seems not many people knew about it. In fact this very car was the first Lamborghini to be delivered in Australia! It's a 1967 Lamborghini 400 GT 2+2. As our post mentions, just 224 were produced, so it's very special to have one in Melbourne with such a long history. It made a rare appearance on a private club's drive day early in the month along with some other gorgeous metal ranging from an early 20th century Delage, a two-door Range Rover, and a 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. An eclectic mix for sure. The 400 GT has some very unique design features, most notably those headlight housings which extend back along the bonnet of the car. |
I'm sorry, what? That was our reaction when we were sent photos of this incredibly special 2005 Holden Efijy driving in the CBD leading Tour Classica (kicking off Motorclassica). The Efijy was designed as a tribute to the classic Australian icon that is the FJ Holden. Its a modern take on the 1950s classic boasting a similar curvaceous form with a contemporary twist. It's that contemporary twist that leaves us amazed that this was a car designed in 2005. The fact that this could have been released this year with just as much awe is a testament to the local talent we have here in the automotive design industry. Sadly that brings us to what was the biggest automotive news in mainstream media this month - the closure of the Holden assembly line in South Australia, signalling the end of car manufacturing in Australia. The Efijy post proved extremely favourable on our Facebook page in particular, receiving well over 1,400 likes, 193 shares and 335 comments making it one of the most well received spots we've ever published. |
new models
Mercedes-AMG GT R
A host of brand new models surfaced on our roads in October. First off, the Mercedes-AMG GT R. This is such a huge release, we dedicated a whole blog post to it. If you haven't read it yet, get on it!
So far in Melbourne we've counted three in green, and one in white. The first was actually delivered in September, but it was this month we really started to notice them. There is a matte grey one on its way which we are hoping to see in November.
A host of brand new models surfaced on our roads in October. First off, the Mercedes-AMG GT R. This is such a huge release, we dedicated a whole blog post to it. If you haven't read it yet, get on it!
So far in Melbourne we've counted three in green, and one in white. The first was actually delivered in September, but it was this month we really started to notice them. There is a matte grey one on its way which we are hoping to see in November.
Porsche 911 991.2 GT3
Another car that's beginning to surface in Melbourne is the new series-991.2 Porsche 911 GT3. The GT3 now has a 4.0L engine leaving some series 1 GT3 RS owners somewhat miffed thanks to its $100k cheaper price tag.
Another car that's beginning to surface in Melbourne is the new series-991.2 Porsche 911 GT3. The GT3 now has a 4.0L engine leaving some series 1 GT3 RS owners somewhat miffed thanks to its $100k cheaper price tag.
Lamborghini Huracán Performante
This one just snuck in on the last day of the month! There's been a demonstrator Performante in Melbourne for some time now, but this spot on the Monash Freeway confirms customer deliveries will soon commence.
P.S. ever seen a tow truck with heritage style plates?
This one just snuck in on the last day of the month! There's been a demonstrator Performante in Melbourne for some time now, but this spot on the Monash Freeway confirms customer deliveries will soon commence.
P.S. ever seen a tow truck with heritage style plates?
Classic Corner
Though somewhat harder for us to obtain, photos of classic cars are always met with welcoming reception on our page. Having already mentioned the 1967 Lamborghini, this month we'll focus on two gorgeous Aston Martins; the DB2 and the DB6.
The DB2 was produced from 1950 to 1953 replacing the 2-Litre Sports, now known as the DB1. Only 411 were built.
Produced between 1965 and 1971, the DB6 has production numbers approaching 1,800.
Produced between 1965 and 1971, the DB6 has production numbers approaching 1,800.
Spot of the Month
4.0MG This October our spot of the month goes to this absolutely stunning and über rare Porsche 911 (997) GT3 RS 4.0 spotted in Kew. We've not seen much of this one, and we believe it was originally delivered to Queensland and then sold locally through Porsche Centre Doncaster. Incredibly, it was one of two GT3 RS 4.0's spotted on Melbourne roads this month, the second on a Porsche Club Vic drive through the Yarra Valley on Sunday the 29th. |
General News
In general news, the talk of the car world in Melbourne during October was certainly the Ferrari National Rally. This year it coincided with the 70th Anniversary of Ferrari, meaning that there was some serious machinery on show. Early Tuesday morning, the rally convened at Albert Park for a send off - crowds (and a Channel 7 News helicopter) turned out to witness the spectacle that was about 100 Ferraris, to the flavour of Rosso Corsa, Giallo Modena, Nero, Blu, and a spot of Green to top it off. Highlights of course included a couple of 458 Speciales and Apertas, a 360 Challenge Stradale, a host of 488s, and of course, the ultimate talking point was a LaFerrari Aperta. The Aperta is owned by Ferrari itself, and is doing the press-rounds all over the Asia-Pacific region this year to celebrate its launch.
From Albert Park, the convoy travelled in magnificent weather to Cruden Farm, to participate in the concorso competition. Throughout the remainder of the week, the participants travelled all over Victoria, following a pre-prepared route that had taken months of planning to ensure that it travelled to the best motoring spots in Victoria and the Mornington Peninsula. A track day down at Phillip Island was an obvious inclusion, which saw even a 458 GT3 car have a run with the road cars.
The convoy finished its epic tour at Motorclassica on Saturday, parking up outside the Royal Exhibition Building around the main fountain, forming a spectacular Italian sunflower of sorts. On the Sunday the group painted Lygon Street red with the east end closed for a display of the supercars, which had come from all corners of Australia. The LaFerrari Aperta remained inside the Exhibition Building for Motorclassica, but in its place was a lovely Ferrari 812 Superfast.
Check out the absolutely first class gallery of photos shot by MCS follower, Nathan Stirling, below:
From Albert Park, the convoy travelled in magnificent weather to Cruden Farm, to participate in the concorso competition. Throughout the remainder of the week, the participants travelled all over Victoria, following a pre-prepared route that had taken months of planning to ensure that it travelled to the best motoring spots in Victoria and the Mornington Peninsula. A track day down at Phillip Island was an obvious inclusion, which saw even a 458 GT3 car have a run with the road cars.
The convoy finished its epic tour at Motorclassica on Saturday, parking up outside the Royal Exhibition Building around the main fountain, forming a spectacular Italian sunflower of sorts. On the Sunday the group painted Lygon Street red with the east end closed for a display of the supercars, which had come from all corners of Australia. The LaFerrari Aperta remained inside the Exhibition Building for Motorclassica, but in its place was a lovely Ferrari 812 Superfast.
Check out the absolutely first class gallery of photos shot by MCS follower, Nathan Stirling, below:
With barely a moment to rest after Ferrari's rally, Lamborghini Australia hosted their own. Cue the inaugural Lamborghini Oceania Giro (giro translating from Italian to 'tour'), a three day journey through some of Victoria's most scenic regions. Starting out East in the Yarra Valley, stopping over North in Daylesford and ending in Lorne along the Great Ocean Road, some 750km were covered. | |
Alongside the several Aventadors, Huracáns, and Gallardos, we were also lucky enough to witness a Verde Ithaca Huracan Performante, as well as a blue Diablo SV.
Lamborghini customers each paid $6,000 to be part of the tour, while two cars were flown from New Zealand specifically for the event with a freight cost of $15,000 each.
We're lucky to have another breathtaking gallery of photos below, this time provided by MCS follower and talented professional photographer, Joel Strickland.
Lamborghini customers each paid $6,000 to be part of the tour, while two cars were flown from New Zealand specifically for the event with a freight cost of $15,000 each.
We're lucky to have another breathtaking gallery of photos below, this time provided by MCS follower and talented professional photographer, Joel Strickland.
A team of videographers captured the events that transpired, and put together the footage in the video below which was posted to the international Lamborghini YouTube channel.
How could we not mention that the annual Motorclassica was held in October, too? It really has been an action-packed month for car enthusiasts.
The main drawcard of this year's MC was of course the aforementioned LaFerrari Aperta, which was officially unveiled to the public on the Friday morning. It really was a sight to behold, the Italian craftsmanship and beauty coming into its own up close and in person. The 70th Anniversary display dominated the centre of the Royal Exhibition Building, with the cream of Ferrari's crop present; 288 GTO, F40, F50, Enzo, Testarossa, 250 Lusso, 275 GTB, and three gorgeous 246 Dinos - to name a few. It was also great to see a Blu 488 GTB 70th Anniversario edition, sitting side-by-side with the car that was the inspiration for its livery; a 1951 195 Export Lungo Ghia (which we saw at the Ferrari Concorso back in February - have a look at the photos here, it's gorgeous). | |
Prancing Horses aside, it was also wonderful to see a vast array of Lancias (Stratos and Delta Integrale were fan favourites), a section of Aston Martins headed up by a classic DB4 and DB6, a wonderful display of pre-war Delages, Sir Stirling Moss' 1954 Maserati F1 car admired by young and old, and of course the auction section which was home for the weekend to the fabled British Racing Green Jaguar D-Type. Unfortunately, it was passed in at $5 million AUD, falling a little short of its $7M estimated price. |
A new section to MC this year was the 'Australian' section, featuring a vast array of Holdens and Fords, all with unique motorsports or historical significance. Of particular note was the 1-of-1 Holden Efijy (above), a 2005 prototype car that bears a strong resemblance to something straight out of the 1950s; it's a great shame that they only made the one! A Holden Sandman van was another fan favourite, perfect for those hot Summer days down at the beach.
Outside the main building, fans were treated to an array of club displays over the weekend, including the ever-popular Mercedes Club with the 300SL Gullwing that appears annually, Porsche 356 Club, BMW Club, Citroën Club, and several others. Unbelievably, there was a Ferrari F40LM and a Silver Ferrari Enzo as part of the Lorbek Club Sandwhich display, making a total of two Enzos for the show.
It is certainly going to be a tall order topping this year's Motorclassica next year, however the advisory board never seems to disappoint. We can't wait until next October to see what gems they've dug up.
Outside the main building, fans were treated to an array of club displays over the weekend, including the ever-popular Mercedes Club with the 300SL Gullwing that appears annually, Porsche 356 Club, BMW Club, Citroën Club, and several others. Unbelievably, there was a Ferrari F40LM and a Silver Ferrari Enzo as part of the Lorbek Club Sandwhich display, making a total of two Enzos for the show.
It is certainly going to be a tall order topping this year's Motorclassica next year, however the advisory board never seems to disappoint. We can't wait until next October to see what gems they've dug up.
What to expect in November
One thing we're almost guaranteed to start seeing more of is the McLaren 720S. Although two demonstrators have been spotted quite a bit, we're yet to see a single customer car in Melbourne. This is despite an Adelaide 720S making its first visit to the Melbourne service center this month. We know one is due any day now.
Also keep your eyes peeled for that gorgeous black Lamborghini Huracan Performante we mentioned on the road, as more will no doubt begin to roll in.
We're looking forward to posting more of the new Porsche 911 GT3's, so you know where to send your spots (hint: it's right here).
The last car we'll mention here is the Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster. To date, we have been sent just two. One back in early August which we understand to be a head office car, and the second this month which we've yet to post as we are tracking down a higher resolution photo of it.
Also keep your eyes peeled for that gorgeous black Lamborghini Huracan Performante we mentioned on the road, as more will no doubt begin to roll in.
We're looking forward to posting more of the new Porsche 911 GT3's, so you know where to send your spots (hint: it's right here).
The last car we'll mention here is the Mercedes-AMG GT C Roadster. To date, we have been sent just two. One back in early August which we understand to be a head office car, and the second this month which we've yet to post as we are tracking down a higher resolution photo of it.