Matthew D’Souza – 
The forty-fourth edition of the Ellerslie Intermarques Classic Car Show held on February 12, 2017 was an amazing event.
There were families with small children – perhaps young car lovers who were being educated by their parents; there were elderly people who got a chance to reminisce about the cars that they dreamed as children.
From rookie car fans to the fanatics, everyone got the chance to learn new facts about their favourite cars and respect the time, effort and love that had gone into the maintenance of the cars that were on display.
Awesome display
When I arrived at the parking lot of the Ellerslie Race Course last year, I was in awe of the cars that were present; cars like Ferrari F355, Ford Mustang Mach 1 and Aston Martin DB7.
I thought to myself that next year’s parking lot display could not possibly top this but low and behold it did!
Among the cars displayed were McLaren 675LT, 650S, 570GT, 570S, MP4-12C, Ferrari 308 GTB, Maserati Granturismo S, Cadillac Sedan de Ville, two Corvette C7s and a Ferrari Testarossa.
The prestigious Porsche Club of New Zealand hosted the event, with a display of exquisite Porsches ranging from the 1960 356A, 1973 Carrera RS, 2016 911 GT3 RS and a rare 2016 Porsche 911 R!
The Triumph and MG Car Clubs impressed me with not only an array of cars but also the sheer love and affection of the owners.
Lancia car-owners should be commended for their passion but as a Lamborghini fan, I missed their striking display. The show last year had featured Lamborghini Miura, Countach, Diablo, Espada and Murcielago.
The only Lamborghinis at this year’s show was a Huracan Spyder and a limited edition Huracan Avio by Giltrap. There was also a new Aston Martin DB11 displayed.
The highlights
There were a few special cars that enhanced the experience.
These included Limited Edition Lamborghini Huracan Avio, my favourite Ferrari of all time and the 599 F1/GTB Fiorano which had its bonnet open so that visitors could drool over that amazing 5.9 litre V12 that powers this mighty prancing horse.
The showstopper was a Jaguar XJ220, of which only 271 were ever made.
Another car that drew large crowds was the 1937 Alfa Romeo 6C 2300 Superleggera. It was a special car.
I look forward to an even more exciting show next year!
