BEACH PARTY

NOOSA CONCOURS BRINGS A SLICE OF PEBBLE BEACH ELEGANCE TO QUEENSLAND, WITH EXOTIC CAR QUALITY TO SUIT.

- IAIN CURRY

Pebble Beach, meet Noosa Beach. Separated by over 10,000km of Pacific Ocean, these glitzy Californian and Queensland playgrounds are both now home to remarkable Concours d’Elegance events.

Brimming with high-value collector cars micro-analysed by white glove-wearing judges, this year’s inaugural Noosa Concours was modelled on the famed Pebble Beach event; albeit with a welcome Aussie accent.

Elitist stuffiness was largely kept at bay as thousands of locals in shorts and thongs strolled past the millionaire’s row of over 50 classics and moderns. The organisers insisted the event was kept free for all.

Seriously big-ticket stuff rolled into town. A Mercedes 300 SL Coupe. Porsche 911 Carrera RS 2.7. Shelby Cobra 427 Roadster. Ferrari Daytona. Ferrari 250GT Lusso. Bugatti Type 37. An automotive sweet shop of desirability; an historical snapshot of benchmark marques and models.

Several of the Australian-owned vehicles at Noosa would qualify for “the most discriminatingly curated selection” at Pebble Beach. That’s not my uneducated opinion, but that of Sandra Button, Chairperson of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

One of the Noosa organisers, Alliance Airlines boss Steve Padgett, arranged for Sandra and husband Martin (another expert judge) to fly in for the weekend. Having concours royalty on hand gave Noosa the ultimate validation.

For the first time in its history, Noosa’s famed Hastings Street was shut down for the spectacle. Shaded by pandanus trees on a tropical winter’s day, thousands of enthusiasts lined the glamorous shopping strip for the rolling show.