Altona Classic Car Show 2012

The Altona Classic Car Show stands out among the various activities of the Altona Beach Festival.  Vintage cars were already being displayed during previous bayside festivals. But it was only at the 2011 Altona Beach Festival that a Car Show became a major event.



Several members of the Hobsons Bay Mens Shed were keen to show off their classic cars. A member Graham Weightman suggested establishing a Car Torque program on the first Sunday of each month. After accomplishing this, the Mens Shed decided to hold a Car Show in conjunction with the then newly-formed Altona Beach Festival. The Car Show turned out to be a great success, with the proceeds used to help supporting the many activities of the Mens Shed for its members, their families and the community.


The 2012 Car Show continued in the same tradition with the Hobsons Bay Mayor Tony Briffa presenting the trophies to the winners. There are about 120 mostly local participants this year, slightly down from 140 entries the previous year, mostly due to other car show events within the Hobsons Bay area.


The 2012 Car Show features:

• a greater showing of motor bikes
• a few large trucks
• a sausage sizzle and a coffee vendor 
• ferrying of visitors from Pier Street to the Apex Park site by a double decker bus
• a display of new cars by Werribee Nissan Group

Results of the Car Show Competition

The judges were specialists from the motor industry specialists and members of the Werribee Classic Car Group. The winners for the two categories are as follows:

Class	Year	Car Model	Owner
Overall Best Car	1960-1970	HD Holden	Steven Tandic
Original	1920-1930	Rugby Tourer, Owner	Robert Randle
	1930-1940	Hupmobile	Harold Doerner
	1940-1950	Austin A40 Devon	Eddy Maddon
	1950-1960	Austin A40 Devon	Kevin Castle
	1960-1970	HD Holden	Steven Tandic
	1970-1980	Ford Fairlane	John Rennie
Custom	1920-1930	Ford Bucket	DJ Anthony
	1930-1940	A Model Ford Roadstar	Angelo Magro
	1940-1950	Ford Single Spinner	Colleen Baldwin
	1950-1960	Ford Single Spinner	Les Morrisson
	1960-1970	Ford Capri	Brian Borg
	1970-1980	HZ Holden Statesman	Charlie Calleja

There is a concern that the Altona Beach Festival may not be held on an annual basis due to funding difficulties. However, operating cost concerns will not be so relevant to the Car Show. The entrants themselves are paying to show off their cars. There will not be much overheads as long as Hobsons Bay Council supports this initiative of the Mens Shed through provision of space for the event. The Classic Car Show can in fact be run independently even if the Altona Beach Festival is skipped for a particular year. This type of show is always going to be a source of fascination for many people so there will not be a lack of audience.

The Mens Shed holds a "Car Torque" Classic Car Group Meet at its premise (opposite Kooringal Golf Club) on the first Sunday of each month from 10 am to 3 pm, during which the public can view the vehicles and have a sausage sizzle .

Thanks to Graeme of Hobsons Bay Mens Shed for providing the information. I will write more about the Mens Shed in a separate post.