Event date: 3 August 2020

The first of our two August meetings took place in the now-normal Zoom format on Monday, August 3.  We were joined by Ryan and Lisa from club sponsor Shannons, who gave us a sneak peak at some of the very collectible cars to be offered for sale in their forthcoming auction.  Of particular interest to members was a group of 1980s 3 and 5 Series machines.  While most were in good condition for immediate use as club day runners one was described as “runs ok when warm”.  Shannons have a reputation as being notably honest and transparent in describing their offerings!

Also shown was a 1985 M635 CSi (M6). Ryan sought the expertise of the remotely-assembled group to help locate the VIN and Lawrence was able to identify its likely hiding place. Other rarities included a Honda NSX (the “Japanese Ferrari”) and a very tasty 1972 Porsche 911E.  Jo was most interested in a beautiful 1961 Karmann Ghia, although she was disappointed to learn that her MGB would not provide sufficient trade-in value to enable her to make a swap.

For the writer, the star car was a 1965 Ford Cortina. This model would not normally qualify for such lead billing but in this case it was a GT500 2dr, with the original engine included for possible reinstallation. 1965 was the year the GT500 took the top two places outright at Bathurst. In fact three of the four (price-based) class winners that year were Cortinas - not bad for mass market suburban shopping trolleys!

Thanks to the committee for another great opportunity to catch up.

David Francis | Member #243
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne