2027 Event Dates: Friday 26th February – Sunday 28th February - The 9th Edition
2027 Cars
An extraordinary line up begins. Who will win?
The first six cars annouced. Six very different stories. From a rebellious Porsche to a cherished family Rolls-Royce, meet the first entrants competing for the coveted Best in Show at Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance 2027.
The Rebel: 1956 Porsche 356 A Outlaw
Affectionately known as Sonia, this Australian-delivered 1956 Porsche 356 A sunroof coupé is one of the country’s earliest surviving Outlaws. Inspired by the rebellious Californian custom scene, the Outlaw movement celebrates individuality over factory-perfect conformity. In the mid-1990s, Melbourne specialists Jeff Dutton and Pat Corum transformed Sonia into the distinctive machine seen today. Its original Reutter bodywork wears a louvred engine lid, a bonnet-mounted centre fuel filler and the purposeful absence of bumpers. Beneath the sculpted lines sits an enlarged 1770cc Porsche pushrod engine, paired with a later full-synchromesh transaxle; discreet front disc brakes preserve the period appearance. Driven enthusiastically by successive custodians and familiar to Porsche lovers in Melbourne and Sydney, Sonia is more than a modified 356. She is a characterful piece of Australian Porsche history.
The Heirloom: 1932 Rolls-Royce 20/25 by Freestone & Webb
Few motorcars can tell a family story spanning almost seven decades. Affectionately known as Clementine, this 1932 Rolls-Royce 20/25 has remained with the Graham family since Dr Edmund Graham purchased it in Edinburgh in 1958 for 100 guineas. Originally clothed in H.J. Mulliner coachwork, it later received its elegant Freestone & Webb body. The car’s first owners, Dr Fergus Hewitt and his wife, had bought it as a wedding gift to one another and toured Europe in it. Edmund shipped Clementine to Sydney, where she became a beloved part of family life and carried guests at more than 200 weddings. Today, cared for by his son Dr Jason Graham-Nye, Clementine represents the rarest kind of motoring heritage: a treasured machine, lovingly handed from one generation to the next.
The Realised Dream: 1959 MG MGA 1600 Mk I Roadster
At eight years old, Anna Mallon watched Elvis Presley in Blue Hawaii and fell in love with the red MGA on screen. Decades later, her dream came true when she acquired this Fire Red 1959 MGA 1600 Mk I Roadster in 2023. Originally built in May 1959, the car had been discovered in Tasmania and painstakingly restored by its previous owner, John Fraser-Easton. The body-off restoration returned it close to factory specification, with a professionally rebuilt engine and beautifully trimmed Connolly leather seats. In 2003 it earned a first-place category award at the MG Car Club Hunter Region concours. Anna continues to preserve the car, but she has no intention of treating it as a museum piece. Reliable, spirited driving and the sheer joy of ownership remain central to its story.
The Racer: 1969 Chevrolet Corvette L88
Only 116 examples of Chevrolet’s formidable L88 Corvette were built in 1969, and this one has a story as remarkable as its performance. First owned by New Jersey racer Dick Jordan, it went from American club sprints to competition in Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Later, Australian High Commission officer John Smith took ownership, shipping the car to India before bringing it to Australia in 1977. Its subsequent journey through the ACT and Cairns only deepened its legend. The current custodian first tried to buy this very Corvette in the early 1980s and spent almost 35 years pursuing it. Retaining its original purchase invoice, tank sticker and rare factory performance documentation, the L88 combines extraordinary provenance with a competition pedigree. A genuine piece of Chevrolet racing history, and a long-awaited dream fulfilled.
The Grand Tourer: 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB4 ‘Daytona
Finished in deep Blu Scuro over Sabbia leather, this 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB4 ‘Daytona’ embodies the drama of Italian grand touring. Styled by Leonardo Fioravanti at Pininfarina, the Daytona paired its elegant long bonnet with a magnificent 4.4-litre quad-cam V12 and a rear-mounted five-speed transaxle. Delivered new to Melbourne, this particular example has remained in the city and shows just 24,815 miles on its odometer. Remarkably, its first owner cherished it for 42 years, preserving the details that make it so special, including the original leather document wallet and Ferrari spares briefcase. Its authenticity earned recognition with the Preservation Class award at Motorclassica in 2019. A celebrated design, carefully preserved across generations of ownership, this Daytona offers a rare glimpse of Ferrari craftsmanship as it was originally delivered.
The Aussie Icon: 1975 Holden HJ Sandman Ute
Before becoming a collector’s icon, this 1975 Holden HJ Sandman Ute spent its working life on a farm near Toowoomba. Eventually left on blocks outside a shed, it was rescued by a woman whose childhood memories of her father’s yellow Sandman inspired a painstaking two-year restoration. In one wonderfully personal touch, the grille was rechromed but its original pitting was retained, a quiet tribute to years of honest farm work. Acquired by its current family in 2015, the ute sparked a wider mission: to collect a Holden ute from every decade of Australian production, a goal achieved in 2020. Finished in unmistakable yellow, it celebrates a distinctly Australian combination of style, utility and nostalgia. Still regularly enjoyed on the road, this Sandman carries its country past proudly into a new chapter.