There are some movies and TV shows where cars comprehensively eclipse the characters. Think DeLorean DMC-12 in Back to the Future, or The Saint’s Volvo P1800.
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There’s the underwater Lotus Esprit S1 in James Bond’s The Spy Who Loved Me, and while Burt Reynolds’ moustache ran it close, we remember the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am most from Smokey and the Bandit.
Rather wonderfully, versions of these silver screen superstars have gone on display at the recently-opened Brisbane Motor Museum. “Seen on the Screen” is the latest exhibit to grace the polished floors of this relatively small but impressive museum, where themes and vehicles change every few months.
You see, unlike most car museums which have permanent exhibits, this Brisbane one keeps things fresh by entirely replacing the 70 or so vehicles on show, relying on collectors, enthusiasts and car clubs to help fill the room with new stuff. Ergo, there’s nothing dusty with flat tyres here.
I’m no stranger to car museums. I make a point of dragging the family to any we’re passing when on holidays and road trips. Some are mind-blowing, others a bit remote and cobbled together.
The BMM, as I’ll call it, feels rather unique. It’s intimate, beautifully lit with professional gallery lighting, and peaceful thanks to acoustic tiles in the ceiling. And the quality of cars shows serious thought and enthusiasm on behalf of the curators.
Star-struck
Museum director is Jackson Smith, who gave me a tour of the facilities. There’s a motoring library, spacious club room with car art gracing the walls, café, model and memorabilia displays and gentleman’s club-type seating. On entering, the foyer gives a taste for the cars upstairs. In this case I’m greeted by a couple of Goggomobils from TV ads, a BMW Z3 of the type James Bond drove and even a giant Dalek and TARDIS British police box from Doctor Who.
At time of writing, tickets are $25 per adult, $12.50 for teenagers and free for kids under 12. An annual adult pass is $70, which would make sense considering the rotation of cars here. Since opening in June 2023, the BMM’s exhibits have included ‘Cars We Grew Up With’, ’99 Years of British’, ‘Vehicles of Speed’, ‘Muscle Cars’ and ‘Stylish Germans’. ‘Jaguar Stories’ and ‘Ford vs Holden’ are next on the agenda.
“When we start the current exhibit, we’re always working on the next one, teeing it up and coordinating with owners to get the vehicles in for that time,” said BMM’s director, Jackson Smith. “Most are pretty shellshocked to get their vehicle into a museum, so they’re keen to put them in for three months.
A lot of people look at it at times when they’re doing other stuff like renovating their house or going away on holiday.” And why wouldn’t you when your special car’s stored in climate controlled loveliness for others to enjoy?
I enter the immaculately presented main hall and literally don’t know where to look first. There’s a replica Ford GT40 referencing the Ford v Ferrari movie; a doors-up DeLorean looking for 1985; Ford GT500CR (or Eleanor) from Gone in 60 Seconds, and Ron Goodman’s impossibly beautiful 1953 Porsche 356 Coupe from Australian documentary The Road to Monterey.
A Highland Green 1967 Ford Mustang fastback brings back memories of Steve McQueen flying and skidding through the humped streets of San Francisco in Bullitt, and a neat touch is playing the movie’s famed chase scene on a television in front of the car. It’s intoxicating. The same’s done with a 1953 Sunbeam Alpine – used in 1955’s To Catch A Thief – with the movie strikingly projected on the white wall behind the car.
Of course these aren’t the actual cars that starred in the above movies, but there are some genuine articles here. There’s a 1983 Chevy Silverado used in Aquaman; the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz from Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis; a 2007 Harley V-Rod that featured in Fast and Furious 4; a 1978 Pontiac Firebird from The Rockford Files; and a 1981 Nissan Silvia, 1976 Datsun 260Z and 1970 Holden HG Kingswood from Boy Swallows Universe.
Time machines
It’s eclectic to the extreme. The modified crowd can enjoy a 1994 Toyota Supra and Paul Walker-tribute 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse from The Fast and The Furious, while old-school gamers will love a 1994 Toyota Celica GT4 dressed up perfectly to mimic the Sega Rally Championship cars.
For TV show buffs, a replica DRAG-U-LA from The Munsters, replica 1966 Monkeemobile, Mr Bean’s Mini and 1974 Ford Gran Tornio from Starsky and Hutch are of exceptional quality, then who could miss a 1967 VW Beetle dressed up like Herbie, a genuine 1955 Mercedes-Benz Gullwing 300SL and a 1967 Benz 250 SL Pagoda – German classics that would improve the aesthetics of any movie.
“We wanted to make sure when you came here you were amazed by the vehicles you saw, but also the venue itself,” Jackson said. That’s reflected in a decent start for the museum with more than 12,000 tickets sold in its first eight months after opening. “And at the end of the day, with the exhibits changing all the time, it gives you more of a reason to come back.”
Genuine enthusiasm is something that can’t be faked. Jackson may only be 26 years-old, but his passion project’s a classic Jaguar XJ6 Series III – not the typical automotive choice of a Gen Z. “My grandfather’s a big car collector who just loves English cars,” he explained. “We wanted to create a place where we could bring our vehicles to, as well as everyone else’s.”
It’s a family venture that’s clearly a passion project, something car enthusiasts will recognise and appreciate. Those of us familiar with shifting around cars to make them fit – be it our clogged garages, yards or workshops – will sympathise with moving 70-odd vehicles out and another 70 in when it comes time to change the exhibit.
The main museum is on the second storey, and cars come in and out on a sizeable internal lift. “It’s six and a half metres long and rated up to three tonnes,” Jackson explains. “We went the extra mile with the length so we didn’t cut the end off anything bringing it up!”
Credit to all involved for this impressive new museum. Little wonder clubs, groups, and corporates have chosen it as a compelling new destination in Brisbane for meetings, talks or just to grab some food and drink with a car-packed backdrop. My kids don’t know it yet, but rest assured they’ll be getting dragged around it every three months as each new exhibition arrives.
Visit: brisbanemotormuseum.com.au