The 2018 Monaro Nationals in Launceston have been fun, run and won. I know a few regulars here made it down, and for those that didn't you missed out big time.

One thing that stood out to me was the standard of cars, and that there are still some amazing original cars which are so rarely seen.

I thought it was an excellent event, and I'm interested in what others thought if it.

A fabulous event, great cars, great people and for the most part great weather. Almost 70 HK, T and G Monaros from survivor to concourse, something for everyone.
A great credit to Jesse Denholm and his team who put the whole thing together.

Well worth the visit. There were some really nice Monaro's there, I had a few favorites. Great to see a few 6 cylinder ones there.
The HQ GTS that nearly went over the Tasman Bridge was a nice addition, was wondering if it was there.

The winning car was a Daytona Bronze HT GTS which had to be seen to be believed.

Was this a 253 from South Australia

Enjoy

If it was an Elizabeth or Mosman Park car they were like that from new as the front panels were painted at a different time to the rest of the car.

Mosman park did not finish any Monaro, all WA Monaros were sent there complete.

The reason the front is different to the back is most likely due to the repairs that had to be made to the silver mink car. Unless there are two second type GTS 327s with red trim, Silver mink paint and black vinyl roof.

I have photos of the car after it came out of the shed and was washed. there are some earlier photos going around of it before it was washed.

The photos show both rear quarter panels buckled from a shunt up the rear. As there is no other damage I would suggest it was pushed by a front end loader or similar and creased the quarters for some reason. I did see the car a few years latter and asked how they repaired the 1/4s and I was given a very dirty look and told there were no repairs made.

The interior was pretty good and looks like it has scrubbed up ok.

Warren

We made the trip down in the HT. Great to catch-up with the Sydney members and others who I had only ever emailed and received replies from after a call for assistance (GM5735 for example). In that regard it was well worth it.

Tasmania is a really great place to drive and I, and I know a few others, were disappointed there was not more of that; they are cars after all. We ditched the Symmons Plains race event on the Sunday (where there was a major accident that thankfully the driver was not obviously hurt in) for a drive to Beaconsfield and a loop east through some hills and back into Launceston. It would have made a great drive for the cars and for Beaconsfield as well. If our HT completed that journey no problems (with minimal tyre/guard clearance) then others would not have had a drama at all.

Why the display was on the Saturday and not the Sunday was also rather curious. Let's get the cars out, have a drive to pique local interest and then put them on display. This maximises exposure for the locals and gets the cars on the road to visit local spots of interest.

Location for the display was great, as were the arrangements for scrutineering. Jessie did a lot of work and he did a great job. Sunday evening was a bit 'lost'. We arrived en masse and a little late due to taxi 'dramas'. This resulted in the club sitting wherever we could secure a seat among the seated guests. I am not an 'auction' fan and believe the evening dragged due to the bidding. If you have to have auctions, I have seen 'silent auctions' work well, leaving time for the guests to chat, mingle and dance if there is music- yes even car people.

We stowed the HT and spent the following two weeks touring in a 4WD hire car; great experience. Car of the show for me was the tubbed silver mink HK with red interior. Not sure why other than it looked tough (plus the owners had tips on great apps for everything from cheap hire cars to storage sheds and campers vans in the NT).

having all those extras does not add or subtract from the originality of the car.

How would people feel if the least original car won simply because the owner amassed more memorabilia? (I loaned one guy at the 2016 nationals for the HX LE, original press photos and release, order form etc but his car was not quite the best)

I have tried to have a group display of memorabilia in the past, but was too difficult to organise.

Being the 50th anniversary of the HK it would have been nice if a HK Memorabilia display could have been organised. I have plenty of stuff that I would have been happy to send down, but not many others would be willing to do this due to fear of theft etc. (you cannot blame them look at what happened tot eh Phase IV at the last car show it attended)

Warren

Back to the Monaro Nationals for a minute. How about a separate class
that covers everything and anything that is Monaro other than an actual
phisical car itself as it would have drove out of a Monaros dealers door.
That could mean a class that includes anything that in any way
supported the Monaros past, present or future, whatever people can come up with
whatever that may be. If you think you have something special.
Could even include ie the rarest NOS part, peice of literature etc
Leave the car to be judged on its own merits in the particular class it is entered.
Not all the add ons. Otherwise you’ll end up handing out trophies for the biggest collection of Monaro STUFF.The car itself would be an incidental part of the display.
Keep them separate. A car on display here.
And in another class over here the incidentals.
I’m sure there will be as much interest in one class as the other.
You never know what might just turn up in the other class.
Things that have been laying around,
people have been hiding for whatever reason.
Flem.
and probably would have
never otherwise come out or people never ever knew existed.
It would add another new dimension to what is Monaro.
.Y