In only its third year, the Noosa Concours d’Elegance is quickly establishing itself as a favourite event among both classic car cognoscenti and vaguely curious vacationers. All enjoy free and open access to the 50 curated cars lined along Noosa’s main street strip, immersed in the holiday haven’s luxurious yet laid-back ambience.
Underlining the democratic appeal of the event, the estimated 20,000 who strolled Hastings Street on Saturday July 19 could log in to a free audio tour app, listen to informative commentary on each of the cars, and be encouraged to vote for the ‘People’s Choice Award’. This year, that title went to a 2016 Pagani Huayra.
The 50 cars exhibited at 2025’s Noosa Concours ranged in vintage from a 1905 Eugène Brillié 20/24HP through to a freshly minted McLaren 750S Spider Triple Crown.
A smattering of 1930s machines included mining magnate Clive Palmer’s gorgeous Bugatti Type 57 Atalante, which took the overall ‘Best in Show’ award. Palmer was also the custodian of the 1935 BMW 315/1 Roadster which, after a rumoured $1 million restoration, was rewarded at least in some small way with the rosette for ‘Best Classic Car Pre-1945’.
Palmer excitedly told Retro Rides that his car collection has recently surpassed 1000 vehicles. He is currently constructing a new museum with 11 large halls to house them all – plus 300 motorcycles – near rural Lowood, west of Brisbane, which fittingly was the venue of the 1960 Australian Grand Prix.
From the 1950s was the ever-popular Mercedes-Benz 300 SL in both coupe and roadster form, but these bowed to a dozen diverse 1960s icons which included an Aston Martin DB5, Mazda Cosmo, a pair of Chevrolet Corvette Stingrays, and a beautiful blue Lamborghini Miura LP400S that was named ‘Best Classic Car Post-1945’.
Stars from the ’70s included a Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona and Lamborghini Silhouette (forerunner of the 1980s Jalpa). A clear crowd favourite from the 1980s was the Ferrari 288 GTO, keeping company with box-guarded bruisers of the same generation, the Ferrari Testarossa and a 1988 Giacattolo Group B.
More modern supercars lined the eastern end of the 400-metre Hastings Street strip, including a Jaguar XJ220, Ford GT, Ferrari 575M Superamerica, the aforementioned Huayra, a Maserati MC20 Cielo Spyder, and a Porsche Carrera GT which was the winner of the ‘Best Modern Car’ award.
Not even these cars could overshadow one of the headline attractions, the 1973 Porsche 917/30 Can-Am racer owned by Queensland property and yachting millionaire Peter Harburg.
The 820kW Porsche monster – finished in the Sunoco livery of 1973 Can-Am champion Mark Donohue, although this exact car never raced in period – occupied ‘Restoration Alley’ off the northern end of Hastings Street.
There, showgoers admiring the handcrafted and half-restored classics, including the Allan Moffat Mustang and Dick Johnson XD Falcon from the Bowden collection, were delightedly deafened by the Porsche’s 5.4-litre, twin-turbocharged flat-12 engine being fired up.
The diversity of cars and eras appealed to all tastes but is evidently only a part of the reason for the show’s success. Noosa’s immaculate Hastings Street, running parallel to the beach and lined with quality retail and dining options, exudes a casual and accessible stealth-wealth.
It’s like the south of France, done by south-east Queenslanders. Where else can one flit so casually between a surf and supercars?
