Brisbane All-British Display Day Brings Out the Beauties

Retro Rides’ Cliff Chambers attended his first All-British Display Day in 1993 and has been involved in almost every event since, either as a sponsor or participant. 

This year Cliff parked his Triumph amongst the rest of its breed, grabbed a camera and took Retro Rides on a stroll between the gleaming rows of British motoring history.   

The tradition of displaying British vehicles in mid-September, before the onset of Brisbane’s oppressive summer heat, dates back more than 40 years. 

Triumphs

The event began as a gathering of All-British car club members, with everything from historic Rolls-Royces to the humble Morris Minor equally welcome. And that’s how the All-British Day has remained.

Various venues have been tried over the years, including farmland surrounding an authentic woolshed, before organisers found the event’s long-term home on the sporting fields of St Josephs’ College in the riverside suburb of Tennyson.

Jaguars

The display has been cancelled a couple of times due to the river’s inconsiderate flooding, but 2024 brought sunshine and perfect conditions. With fields on two levels in use, plenty of space was available to display an estimated 600 cars, commercial vehicles and motorcycles.

Support from major car clubs is vital for such events and this year saw big contingents from several brands including Mini, Jaguar, MG, Land Rover and British Ford.

Lotus

Others to arrive in significant numbers were from the Lotus and Austin-Healey clubs, along with attendees driving Rovers, Aston Martins and Triumphs. Some displays attracted extra attention because they included cars making their first appearances at an All-British event.

Every era represented

Fronting the Jaguar display were two significant and very different examples of the company’s performance car prowess; a replica of the D Type-inspired XKSS and an XJ220 super coupe.

Opposite the Jaguar Club’s display of 60+ cars were a smaller group from rival brand Aston Martin. It included s single DB6 from the 1960s ‘Bond’ era, but otherwise fielded a near complete set of current and recent models. 

Land Rovers

Alongside them, the Rolls-Royce/Bentley contingent included cars dating back to the 1920s, one of which would take home an award for Best British Thoroughbred.

British survivor brand Morgan was represented by an array of early and recent models, with only serious experts confidently picking between them. Stand outs included a pair of early Plus 8s alongside an iconic three-wheeler. 

The Morgans were not the only cars to feature V8 engines of course. Despite a reputation for building models that were compact in size and frugal on fuel, Britain was home to numerous brands that over several decades would produce cars with V8s of their own or US design.

Small Fords

Among the V8s on display were models from Jensen, MG, Triumph, Aston Martin, Rover, Jaguar and, of course, Rolls Royce and Bentley.

Six-cylinder engines were even more popular with British brands, with Triumph, Jaguar, Rover, Ford and Rolls-Royce cars all displayed with inline sixes of various sizes. Spied as well amongst the smaller Fords were a couple of Capris with V6 power units.

MG

Four-cylinder cars were the event’s most prolific, with British Motor Corporation brands outnumbering everyone else. Minis and MGs from various eras were displayed in abundance, as were Morris Minors and an array of Austins from the 1930s-60s. Displays included Australian-bodied commercial models, one of which collected the Best Commercial Vehicle award.  

fun in the sun

Lotus presented a quality line-up including a 1970s Elan and several Esprit Turbos of the type converted for underwater operation in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me.

Aston Martin

Every contest needs a winner and the All-British Day offered rewards for excellence in several categories. 

The trophy everyone wanted though – Car of The Day, which was conferred by event sponsor Shannons Insurance – went to an unusual selection in the shape of Jack Dobson’s Series 1 Land Rover. It also won the award for Best Off-Road Vehicle.

Others to have their names added to Perpetual awards included Rachel Berry who took People’s Choice with a 1936 Morris Eight and the Queensland Mini Car Club for Best Club Display.

Prizes