When it’s summer in Malibu, it’s midnight in Monte Carlo, when Rio strips for the day Canowindra hits the auction heights. The Weekend Australian, your international passport to motoring pleasure.
Look, apart from a couple of local footy games, I could have gone to the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang this weekend where I would have had gourmet dining, fine wines, mingling with past and present F1 stars and a view over the team garages for $6500 in the Paddock Club. But Sepang, after you’ve seen the F1 track and the pig farms, it’s just a bit yesterday compared to Canowindra, NSW.
Now just before we head to rural Sydney let’s break a world exclusive. Next year the 24 Hours of LeMons will be a real 24-hour race (instead of two days with a break when it gets dark). Yes, we will all be in the Milan of the north, Ipswich, for this ground-breaking (well outside the US) under $1000 event. Weird as it is, next year, the 24 Hours of LeMons will be the largest motor racing series in Australian history for cars, drivers and events numbers.
Anyway, I’ve been in Canowindra since yesterday to watch Ashley Burns auction off Charlie McCarron’s motor museum and former Holden dealership. Charlie’s 84 now, and like me he’s disgusted with the way successive Australian governments have killed our local car industry. Charlie opened his dealership in 1959 and probably traded his last Holden in 2001 but since then he has kept his assortment of 2000 bits, including 56 serious cars and the best collection of GMH posters (all still in their tubes) in mintish condition. If Charlie doesn’t get close to $2 million in his skyrocket, I’ll shout you all one of the seven beers at Johnny Watson’s Royal Hotel.
Can you imagine the Hotel Double Star in Sepang ($25 a night, but you can probably do a deal by the hour) putting on a show like Johnny did in 2013. I’m telling you the whole of Canowindra turned out when The Royal celebrated the 150-year jubilee with a re-enactment of Ben Hall and the bushrangers riding down the main street and taking over the pub. Actually, a couple of mates of mine did something like this a while ago. They get out on day release in six months.
It’s so good up here, The Ages of Fishes Museum, the ballooning capital of Australia and of course the Canowindra Golf Club Chinese restaurant (Kelly and husband Ming do a super rainbow beef), that I am thinking about changing my booking for RM Sotheby’s Duemila Ruote (2000 Wheels) auction next month. Of course, it’s at Fiera Milano exhibition centre, during Milano AutoClassica but not only will there be 430 cars and more than 150 motorcycles, there’ll be 60 boats.
Naturally being just two hours down the road from the Fezza factory there will be about a million Ferraris on the blocks. But have a look at the nice 1952 Alfa Romeo 1900 C Sprint by Touring and the 1973 Fiat 124 Spider Sport Abarth Rally. Fiat built 400 of these and kept 30 for the works rally team. They weren’t all that successful but a serious looking car. Bonhams sold a museum quality Spider Sports two years ago for $100,000. Book a room at the Mando Oriental for that weekend. I’ve taken the junior terrace suite because it sleeps three even though there’s only one of me but it’s a pietra throw away from La Scala so anything could happen.
Anyway, Charlie said he probably won’t be going to La Scala anytime soon but he is keeping a close eye on the car part of the auction at the showground on Sunday. His pride and joy is the 46th Holden to roll off the production line. It should bring about $300,000, which is not a bad earn. He bought it 30 years ago for $575. Then there’s one of only 237 1937 Chevy Roadsters built by Holden soon after it made the first ute, and of course Charlie is selling a 1953 FX ute for about $40,000. One to watch is his 1972 LJ Torana GTR XU-1, for which I think he would have paid about $50,000 when he bought it in 2005. No one knows how many of these Holdens were made but a genuine unmolested example like this should bring at least $100,000.
In other international motorsport news the Weekend Australian Racing Team (WART), will be in full flight at the 24 Hours of LeMons at Wakefield Park in a few weeks. Sean Herbert’s LeMons racing is now a trans-Tasman event with 3000 registered drivers in eight events. For dedicated readers of this great paper and online offering, we are giving you the chance to join our pit crew in Wakefield Park (mainly because we can’t find anyone else dopey enough to do it). You won’t get to drive but you will get to do menial tasks, meet our team of mature drivers, drink the best red wine in the competition, get your photo in the paper, stay with us at the woolshed and listen to Michael McMichael’s endless stories.
This is a shortened version of the original article. To read the rest go to: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/motoring/charlie-mccarron-collection-canowindras-calling-card/news-story/ff12466903155c90e0a4fb5f1f6fa6d2
