What a wonderful day for Club Maserati Australia! A fantastic turnout of 75 members and guests gathered at Rozelle’s spectacular Superyacht Marina for the 2026 Picnic & Concorso on a glorious Sydney Spring day.
A significant collection of Maseratis was on display, spanning more than 70 years of the marque’s history, from a rare 1955 Maserati motorcycle through to the brand-new Maserati Grecale. Now celebrating its 38th year, Club Maserati Australia continues to bring together passionate enthusiasts of the famous Italian marque. The Club’s annual Picnic & Concorso has a remarkable history, being one of the few concours events to have continued uninterrupted over four decades, even managing to be held throughout the years of plague and pestilence known as Covid. What a wonderful testament to the dedication and enthusiasm of its members, both past and present, along with a little luck with timing.
Among several highlights was an original, unrestored 1955 Maserati 125 Tipo 2 motorcycle, brought along by Andrea Vitale, one of the Club’s two life members. The T2 designation stands for two-stroke, making this rare piece of Maserati history particularly fascinating. Maserati’s first production motorbike was actually made by an offshoot of the car manufacturer, the spark plug manufacturer, Fabbrica Candele e Accumulator Maserati. In 1953 FCAM purchased Bologna based motorcycle manufacturer Italmoto and placed the Trident logo on the pretty little machine powered by the 123-cc engine derived from a DKW unit. Maserati motorcycles ceased production in 1960.
Another very special guest was Sid Davenport, one of the founding members of Club Maserati Australia. Now in his ninety-eighth year, Sid arrived looking spectacular in his striking red Maserati Shamal. Such is his dedication to the Club that he postponed his weekend flights to the Gold Coast so he could attend the Concorso with his daughter Catherine. They would now be driving north rather than flying, with both sharing the wheel on the journey. What a wonderful example of the passion and friendships that make the Club Maserati Australia, and indeed so many motoring clubs around the world, so special.
This year’s Maserati Sydney Best of Show was awarded to Richard Fremantle’s magnificent giallo fly (fly yellow) 1969 Maserati Ghibli 4.7-litre. Having already claimed Best of Show honours a previous year, this outstanding example has now earned its place as a Club Grand Champion. As such this Ghibli will retire from future Best of Show competition, allowing other members and their Maseratis the opportunity to compete for the Club’s most prestigious trophy. A fitting recognition of a truly exceptional car and its owner’s dedication to the marque. Of course, we expect Richard to be back competing hard again next year with another of his previous winners, the 1965 Sebring 3.7 litre in Rosso Rubino.
Generous hosts, R Marine Sydney and Riviera Boats, once again provided a spectacular waterfront setting, opening several beautiful Riviera motor yachts for the members and guests to inspect. The hospitality went both ways however, with Riviera owners joining the Club for a delicious Italian-themed antipasto lunch and drinks while admiring the famous Tridents displayed against the magnificent Sydney Harbour backdrop.
What an excellent and memorable celebration of Italian motoring, friendship and the enduring passion for Maserati. The Giorgetto Guigiaro designed Ghibli coupé, an original right-hand drive Australian delivered motor car and one of the marque’s greatest GT cars was the standout having been restored to pristine original condition. It had also previously been a prize winner at the prestigious 2022 Sydney Harbour Concours d’Elegance and had featured on the cover of the June 1970 issue of Australian Sports Car World magazine.
Amongst a plethora of more recent offerings including a gorgeous MC 20 also in Fly Yellow (but as it is the 21st Century in metallic paint), other pre 1980 cars from the Trident included lovely examples of the Shamal, Kyalami and the exotic Khamsin designed by maestro Marcello Gandini (1938 – 2024) when at Bertone, who of course penned such other notables as the Lamborghini Miura, Countach, Espada; Lancia Stratos; Alfa Romeo Montreal and Carabo inter alia.  The Khamsin was produced between 1974 and 1982 during which time there were just 435 units built. It is the wedge-shaped offspring of its Ghibli progenitor still featuring the same drivetrain and chassis but with new independent rear suspension and it looks every bit as good today as when launched at the 1972 Turin Auto Show.
One other car to catch my eye was a Lancia Flavia coupé. I am not sure what it was doing at a Maserati meeting, but who could deny entry to another lovely Italian machine such as this!
