Noosa Concours: A Moment Worth Keeping

There’s a photograph from the 2026 Noosa Concours that tells a wonderful story.

Nathan Delaney is driving the 1948 MG TC Tillett Special along Hastings Street, exchanging a high-five with a fellow enthusiast.

No trophies, no ceremony. Just two people enjoying a shared passion for cars.

It’s a moment that has since been selected for the 2027 Noosa Concours promotional imagery, and one that rather neatly captures the spirit of an event that has achieved a great deal in a remarkably short time.

From a Local Car Show to an Internationally Recognised Event

The story of Noosa Concours begins well before its inaugural event in 2023.

Since the late 1980s, the Noosa Beach Classic Car Club had been bringing motoring enthusiasts together at Lions Park in Noosa Heads.

As the event and its challenges evolved, conversations between the club and the Hastings Street Association led to a different proposition: what if Hastings Street itself became the exhibition?

Rather than simply gathering as many cars as possible, the organisers envisioned a carefully curated collection of 50 exceptional vehicles, presented almost as an outdoor gallery of automotive design.

The first Noosa Concours d’Elegance took place in July 2023.

By November, it had received the Rising Star Award at the Historic Motoring Awards in London, placing a young Australian event among internationally established motoring occasions.

Not a bad start.

Growing Beyond the Cars

The subsequent growth has been impressive.

In 2024, the event attracted approximately 20,000 visitors. By 2025, attendance had exceeded 25,000.

The 2026 edition was reported as the largest yet, with record crowds and more than 100 vehicles displayed throughout the precinct.

While the original Concours Collection remains centred on 50 carefully selected automobiles, the broader program has expanded.

This year brought the inaugural Supercar Circle, featuring contemporary performance machinery, alongside an Anniversary Collection celebrating 60 years since Sir Jack Brabham’s remarkable 1966 Formula One World Championship victory in a car bearing his own name.

The event is finding ways to bring together different generations of automotive achievement, without losing sight of the history that gives the collection its significance.

There’s another important distinction.

Unlike many prestigious international concours events, admission to Noosa remains free.

Visitors can wander along Hastings Street, admire exceptional automobiles, speak with their custodians and enjoy the atmosphere without requiring an invitation, membership or expensive ticket.

That accessibility is part of its appeal.

What It Brings to Noosa

The benefits extend beyond the motoring community.

Held in July, Noosa Concours provides another reason to visit the region during winter, supporting accommodation providers, restaurants, retailers, tourism businesses and local suppliers.

For Hastings Street, it offers something equally valuable: an opportunity for the precinct to present itself to visitors who might otherwise never have considered making the journey.

An event attracting more than 25,000 people is no small undertaking, particularly when its centrepiece involves closing one of Queensland’s best-known streets.

Behind the scenes are local businesses, organisers, volunteers and specialist teams responsible for transforming the precinct and returning it to normal operation within hours.

In 2026, more than 75 volunteer stewards assisted with the event, while local musicians contributed to the atmosphere. The Next Gen Judges program also continued, introducing younger enthusiasts to the principles of automotive design, engineering and preservation.

These contributions matter.

They help ensure that Noosa Concours remains a community occasion, rather than becoming simply another exclusive gathering of valuable machinery.

Its longer-term value lies not only in the visitors it attracts, but also in the relationships it builds, the regional businesses it supports and the reputation it helps establish for Noosa.

Some Remarkable Cars, and One Little MG

The 2026 awards reflected the extraordinary diversity of the collection.

Best in Show went to a 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé, one of the defining sports cars of the post-war era, with the added distinction of having originally belonged to Sir David Brown.

The People’s Choice Award went to a beautifully restored 1969 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage, also recognised as Best Classic Car in its period category.

And a remarkably original 1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III received the Best Preservation Award, a reminder that authenticity can be every bit as compelling as restoration.

Naturally, we had our own favourite.

The 1948 MG TC Tillett Special may not command the visual presence or financial value of some of its neighbours, but its story is no less remarkable.

Developed and raced by South Australian Steve Tillett, the extensively modified MG competed in an era when ingenuity, resourcefulness and mechanical understanding frequently mattered more than the size of a racing budget.

At the 1951 Australian Grand Prix in Narrogin, Western Australia, the little MG was first across the finishing line on handicap, recording the third-fastest outright race time.

The event was the last Australian Grand Prix to feature handicap honours.

It remains an extraordinary chapter in Australia’s competition history.

Preserving our motoring heritage is about more than keeping cars in immaculate condition.

For The Mews, having the privilege of caring for a car with such provenance makes opportunities like Noosa Concours particularly meaningful.

We might have hoped for the People’s Choice Award, but there is something rather fitting about the MG’s contribution being recognised in a different way.

Not for a trophy, but for a photograph that will help represent the event itself.

Where Does Noosa Concours Go From Here?

The fifth Noosa Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for 17 July 2027.

Its organisers have indicated that the next stage will focus on refining the visitor experience, strengthening partnerships and developing the broader weekend program.

That approach seems sensible.

With increasing popularity comes increasing responsibility. An event of this scale must balance its appeal to visitors with the needs of residents, businesses and the environment.

The question is no longer simply how much bigger Noosa Concours can become, but how much better it can become while retaining the qualities that made it successful.

Noosa’s appeal has never been solely about exclusivity. It is the unusual combination of natural beauty, hospitality and an easy familiarity that makes the place distinctive.

The Concours works best when it reflects those same qualities.

The Moment That Matters

There are many ways to measure the success of a concours.

Attendance figures, international awards, exceptional cars and the economic benefits they bring all have their place.

But the true measure of an event may be something harder to quantify.

A young enthusiast discovering an unfamiliar machine. A conversation between strangers about an engine or a memory. An owner sharing the history of a car that might otherwise remain hidden away.

Or Nathan Delaney, driving a little green MG with a remarkable racing past, reaching out to high-five someone along Hastings Street.

As Noosa Concours looks towards its fifth year, it’s encouraging to see that moment become part of its public identity.

Because preserving our motoring heritage is about more than keeping cars in immaculate condition.

It’s about keeping their stories, and the enjoyment they bring, alive.

For the love of cars, beyond the drive.