Classic cars came out to play at one of Queensland’s biggest and most popular shows, RACQ MotorFest.
It is said, albeit mostly in jest, that a certain amber refreshment brewed in Queensland carries ‘XXXX’ on the packaging because the locals can’t spell b-e-e-r.
Be that as it may, very few people in the Sunshine state would be in any doubt about the meaning of the letters ‘RACQ.’
For the past 100 years, a fleet of yellow-painted vans, utes, tow-trucks and motorcycles emblazoned with the logo of the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland have been coming to the rescue of stricken Queensland motorists.
On Sunday June 15, occupying one side of the Brisbane RNA Showgrounds’ massive John Reid Pavilion, an array of RACQ vehicles assembled to help the organisation celebrate its Centenary and add some colour to its annual MotorFest exhibition.
MotorFest began life in 1994 as Motoring of Yesteryear and was initially organised by the Armstrong-Siddeley Car Club, before being taken over the following year by RACQ and significantly expanded into the excellent event that exists today.
MotorFest some years back outgrew its Eagle Farm racecourse venue and since 2022 has occupied the far more spacious RNA Showground.
Just minutes from the centre of Brisbane and served by its own railway station, the RNA offers a lush arena surrounded by spacious pavilions. There, some of Queensland’s most spectacular vintage, classic and modified vehicles gather in the second weekend of June to await the arrival of an estimated 8000 eager spectators.
Some of these are erudite car fanciers, making informed comments as they admire the array of 444 privately owned vehicles on display.
Others might struggle to tell a Daimler from a Datsun but nonetheless relish the opportunity to stop and stare at gleaming exhibits they quite likely had never seen before.
Thankfully, some car owners go to the trouble of producing laminated sign boards that detail their vehicle’s make and model and sometimes snippets from its history.
In the days leading up to MotorFest 2025, RACQ’s judging teams were hard at work trying to decide which from the array of exceptional vehicles entered would take home awards in a range of categories.
These included a 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback which was named Best American, while the Best of British went to a very rare 1939 SS100 – forerunner to the post-WW2 Jaguar range.
Deemed best from a strong contingent of Japanese models was a highly modified but immaculate Nissan Silvia S15 coupe. In addition to sitting about as low as a car can go while still being driven, the silver-grey Silvia featured a stroked 2.8-litre twin-turbo engine in place of its original single turbo 2.0-litre.
Topping the list of Motor Fest 2025 winners with the Judges Choice award was an outstanding Australian model in the shape of an HT Holden Monaro GTS.
Judges found Jamie Kunst’s V8-engined example to be among the finest they’ve seen and a pristine representation of one of Australia’s most distinctive and memorable muscle cars.
Also celebrating a big birthday at this year’s MotorFest was the US-based Chrysler Corporation. The brand we know today as Chrysler started life way back in 1925 as the result of the amalgamation of the Maxwell marque with cars being manufactured by Walter P. Chrysler, ad went on to include other subsidiaries including Dodge and Plymouth.
Representatives of locally associated Chrysler brands including Dodge, the Rootes Group and Simca, were among 56 cars assembled by affiliated car clubs to commemorate the brand’s Centenary.
Most prominent among the models displayed was an array of 1970s Valiant Chargers, supplemented by a massive and sinister Dodge Charger Magnum. Also included were two survivors from the shipment of 1008 original Chrysler Valiants. These finned wonders arrived early in 1962 as kits of parts and were so radical looking they sold out within days of going on sale.
Away from the main arena but still swamped by onlookers were models representing the Ford Mustang Club, Porsche Owners and the BMW Drivers’ Club which took the opportunity to run its annual Show of Excellence in conjunction with MotorFest.
Not every aspect of the event was intended celebrate motoring from years past, however, as a visit to the RACQ’s Future Zone could attest.
There, MotorFest patrons could inspect at close range a variety of electric and sustainable vehicles and even test drive cars that had been supplied by one of nine participating brands.
