- 2 months ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00.
00:06.
00:11.
00:12.
00:21.
00:22.
00:25.
00:27.
00:28Welcome to Antiques Down Under.
00:34We're on the search for incredible antiques and collectibles.
00:37From private collections, historic homes, backyard sheds, museums and galleries.
00:42We'll be talking to the experts, the custodians and the passionate collectors.
00:47In this special episode, the team visits the incredible Gilbert Motor Museum in South Australia,
00:52where we find classic cars, bikes and even a Batmobile among its treasures.
00:58We're in Adelaide's antiques capital, Strathalban.
01:12And if you're a motoring enthusiast, this is the place for you.
01:15Gilbert's Motor Museum, Strathalban's best-kept secret.
01:29Thanks for letting me in on the secret. Let's have a look.
01:31I'm here in front of a memorial about Kenny Blake, Strathalban's famous racing son, who a memorial has been built for down further in High Street.
01:45And Grant is going to tell me the story about Kenny Blake.
01:49Ken was born here in Strathalban and actually worked at Gilbert's here for a number of years as an apprentice panel beater.
01:55Obviously, more famously known for his motorcycle racing achievements.
01:59One of the great achievements was when he beat the world number one, Agostini, in 1976 at the Laverdon Air Base in Victoria.
02:06And that's what the sculpture down the road is based on, that actual event.
02:10The picture here is basically of that event there.
02:13That's Ken passing Agostini, I think it was towards the end of the race, and the crowd just went wild.
02:18Now, tell me about some of the races he participated in.
02:22We're delighted to have a number of Ken's trophies here as a, I guess, a memento of the famous races that he won.
02:29I guess, for me, the most significant one is this trophy here, where he won the 1973 Castrol six-hour event as a solo rider.
02:37One of the very few riders that actually completed that event and won it as a solo rider.
02:42We have a number of his other Australian events here as well, but I guess he was also quite famous in Europe.
02:49After he beat Agostini, he became known as the Aussie that beat Agostini.
02:53This one here, I guess, was a trophy that he actually won an event in Spain in 1979.
02:59It's quite a nice trophy here, but I guess the ones that are probably, I guess, the most significant to me,
03:04a couple here of actually when he participated at the Isle of Man.
03:07And, of course, as we know, unfortunately, Ken was killed competing at the Isle of Man in 1981.
03:12So, these trophies here, I guess, are true to my heart, I guess, as a reflection to the man himself and what a legend he was.
03:18Now, Grant, tell me about these little things up here. What are they?
03:21My understanding is that these are actually collector's matchboxes.
03:25And they were attainable at a Broadford Bike Bonanza that was held in tribute of Ken in Easter 2010.
03:33And there's been a number of these events held at Broadford over the years.
03:37And a number of them have had as a feature to Ken.
03:41The latest one being in 2022 when one of his bikes actually went on a demonstration lap off the track.
03:50And we'll get to see that bike later on.
03:55And here we have his induction to the Hall of Fame. What was all that about?
03:59Yeah, so in 2017, he was inducted to the Motorcycling SA Hall of Fame.
04:04And I guess the plaque we have here, I guess, is a summary of, I guess, his biggest achievements over his career.
04:09It's the biggest one being an 11-time Australian champion.
04:12Had Ken been around today, his capabilities were that good.
04:15He could have easily been world number one.
04:21Here I am sitting on one of Kenny's bikes.
04:24He must have loved his bikes.
04:26He certainly did, Greg.
04:27And I guess the bike that you're sitting on is probably one of his most famous bikes, certainly in the early part of his career.
04:32And this became known as the Jessa Triumph.
04:35And there were actually four Jessa Triumphs built over the course of, I guess, the late 60s.
04:41Ken was very hard on his bikes.
04:44Pretty much after every race, they had to be pulled down and engine needed to be rebuilt.
04:47And the one next to me here.
04:49This one is a Yamaha TZ350.
04:52It's one of the very early bikes that Ken raced when he moved to Melbourne in 1970.
04:57He certainly was an interesting young man coming from Strathalban, wasn't he?
05:01Definitely was.
05:11Today I'm with Theo.
05:14And Theo's going to try and guess what this is.
05:18Okay.
05:19Looks like something out of a Western film.
05:22Maybe like a cowboy sack of some sort.
05:25Oh, that's a good idea.
05:26Yeah.
05:27You must have watched a lot of cowboy books.
05:30Yeah, a Western film on the back of the horse.
05:32Yeah, it's a good idea.
05:33On the back of the horse.
05:34That's a great one.
05:35Am I close?
05:36You're close.
05:37But I can't tell you how comfortable it is.
05:40Hi Krista, what do you think this is?
05:43Um, I'm thinking it might be a satchel to carry paintbrushes for an artist.
05:49Good idea.
05:50And being leather.
05:51Leather.
05:52We'll get paintbrushes nice and protective, especially the bristles.
05:55Yeah.
05:56Good idea.
05:57Thank you for that.
05:58You're welcome.
05:59Do you want to guess the mystery object?
06:01Head to our Facebook and Instagram pages to enter.
06:06To the Batmobile.
06:11I never imagined when I came to Gilbert's Motor Museum that I would be standing next to the Batmobile.
06:19How does that come to be here in the museum?
06:22Um, well pure luck really.
06:24We were aware that the car existed but we had no idea of getting in contact with the owner.
06:28Right.
06:29And then at a chance he actually walked in the museum one day and said,
06:32here I am, would you like to have my car on display?
06:34Oh, hallelujah.
06:35What a guy.
06:36Happy days, yes.
06:37So who built the car?
06:38Um, built by a chap by the name of Jay Munzer.
06:40Jay purchased the car as a kid from the US in 2010.
06:43And it took him about eight years to get it to this stage.
06:46Two thousand hours have gone into the car.
06:49Okay, so I can remember watching Batman as a kiddie on TV, so I'm imagining that Jay was a bit of a fan.
06:55Um, he was a fan of the Batmobile.
06:57Not so much Batman himself, but more of the Batmobile.
07:02And I noticed that there are associated props that go with the car here.
07:10We've got the shark repellent, the manta ray repellent, the barracuda repellent.
07:14All these were produced from memories of watching them on TV, seeing what Batman used.
07:20He then basically thought, how can I recreate those the best that he could?
07:23So while the body is fantastic, does she run well?
07:31Um, it's got a 460 V8 under the bonnet, which is based on the 1977 Lincoln town car that the Batmobile is built on.
07:39So yes, when it turned up here in Australia on the day that Jay bought it in here, you could hear it coming from a mile away.
07:44Boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop.
07:47I can't tell you how happy I was when I came in to find this.
07:50So let's have a look at some other American beauties, shall we?
08:00Now this is a Corvette.
08:02Yes, the classic Chevy Corvette.
08:04This was a 1960 model, originally known as what they called the C1.
08:10Not to be confused with the Stingray.
08:13No, this is the model before the Stingray.
08:15The Stingray was produced from 1963 onwards.
08:17This car was produced between 1958 to 1962.
08:20It's an unusual colour, isn't it?
08:21Yes, it is an unusual colour, but it is standard.
08:23The car has been resprayed, but it was resprayed in the original Honduras Maroon,
08:27of which only 1,200 cars were produced in this colour.
08:30And we've still got the left-hand drive.
08:31Yes, everything else is all original on the car, including the interior and, of course, the left-hand drive.
08:36It's a stunner.
08:37It is, definitely.
08:38Let's go have a look at this Mustang.
08:44Now Mustangs, I associate the Mustang with Steve McQueen and Bullitt.
08:49Are we near that period?
08:51This is actually the model after.
08:53Bullitt was 1968.
08:54This is a 1969 Mach 1.
08:56But, yeah, nothing says American Mustang more than a Ford Mustang.
09:03So what's the story with this one?
09:05It's Australian side of the road.
09:07Yes, this one has obviously been converted from a left-hand drive to a right-hand drive.
09:11The current owner has had this car for almost 20 years now
09:14and has pretty much been in this condition since you bought it.
09:17But, yeah, lovely, lovely car.
09:19Typical Mustang red.
09:21Lots of grunt.
09:22Lots of noise.
09:23Very fast car.
09:24Long weekends in October in the 1970s.
09:27My brothers.
09:28One was a Ford man, one was a Holden man.
09:30My brother was always going for Alan Moffat.
09:32This is a Moffat car.
09:34Very, very similar to the car that Alan raced in 1969.
09:37Yes, the Mach 1.
09:38Which is probably one of the reasons why this would be one of my most favourite cars here in the museum
09:42because of that history and linked to those good old days of Bathurst.
09:46Oh, yeah.
09:48Unforgettable.
09:53Today I'm here with Ray.
10:07And Ray is an avid motorbike collector.
10:10Some of these are some of his.
10:12And he's going to tell us about these bikes, right?
10:15Yes.
10:16South Australia had quite a large manufacturing business with making motorcycles.
10:24One on the end there is an Elliott Payneham, made in Adelaide.
10:28It has a Villiers engine in it.
10:30Then we have a Villiers Strand here, a slightly earlier bike, also with a Villiers engine.
10:36And we have a JAP here, which was made by Taylor Brothers in Adelaide.
10:47It's got a V-twin JAP engine in it of about 750cc.
10:55Alongside that is an AJT.
10:58That stands for Arthur Toombs.
11:01I think he only made a couple of motorcycles.
11:04Gee, that's rare, isn't it?
11:05That's right.
11:06Very rare.
11:07And we have a bell.
11:09And on the end there is a very early Victor, which was made in Freeling.
11:14And up here we've got the Trebleg.
11:21We certainly do.
11:23They were made right here in Gilbert's garage.
11:27Those two bikes date back to around 1905.
11:31We think they made around 22 motorcycles altogether.
11:35The name Trebleg is actually Gilbert spelt backwards.
11:39Well, it's an interesting part of Gilbert's here.
11:42So we'll go on and I'll go and discover the bicycles.
11:51I'm here with Paul and Paul's going to tell me about bicycles.
11:55I'm going from motorcycles now to bicycles.
11:58And there's some exciting ones here in this part of the building.
12:01Paul, what can you tell us?
12:03Well, when Gilbert first started in business, they actually manufactured bicycles.
12:08They started in 1898 and then moved across from Malang to Strathalbin in 1902.
12:14And I believe this room is where they actually assembled the bicycles.
12:18Right.
12:19And we do have a couple of examples of travelling bicycles here.
12:23There's one right in front of you now on the frame there.
12:26And there's a couple behind us.
12:28There's one over here and one up there.
12:31And as you can see, they've come straight out of the barn.
12:34They've not been restored in any way.
12:37Well, let's go over and have a look at those and tell those stories, shall we?
12:40This one is actually a racing bicycle.
12:47I know it doesn't look like it, but it was.
12:50Purchased in 1920, I believe.
12:53And I think it was raced in Gilbert's racing team.
12:56I'm not quite sure about that.
12:57But Gilbert's actually had their own bicycle racing team.
12:59Did they?
13:00And then through the years, it was obviously left in a barn
13:03and then somebody discovered it.
13:05And when we started the museum, things like that started to appear.
13:09And we have some receipts for some of the bicycles.
13:13One in 1948, you could buy a travelling bicycle for 17 pounds, 10 shillings.
13:20It's great to have all that documentation.
13:22It is.
13:23And things like this keep coming in from outside sources.
13:27Mainly they made for racing or the domestic market?
13:30No, domestic market.
13:32Ladies' bikes, gents' bikes, domestic market.
13:35Kids' bikes.
13:36I believe they made children's bikes.
13:38There is an early photograph of a very small penny farthing
13:42and a very large penny farthing.
13:44Right.
13:45Whether they manufactured them here, I'm not quite sure.
13:47Right.
13:48Or they might have assembled them.
13:49I think they assembled most of them, yes.
13:50Well, Paul, I'm going to now go and let you catch up with Clauda.
13:54She's itching to talk to you about vintage cars.
13:58Oh, lovely.
13:59Paul, this space has been in the hands of the Gilberts for 116 years.
14:10And then the garage closes.
14:11Christmas 2018, 2019, the Gilberts had moved out.
14:16We were having a little Christmas gathering with our local tourism association.
14:17And the idea was thrown out about using this big empty building on High Street as a motor
14:18museum.
14:19That's how it started.
14:20And are you the mastermind behind this?
14:21No, not the mastermind.
14:22One of them.
14:23One of them.
14:24And it's purely a volunteer and organisation.
14:25It's a volunteer.
14:26It's a volunteer.
14:27It's a volunteer.
14:28It's a volunteer.
14:29And then the garage closes.
14:30And then the garage closes.
14:31Christmas 2018, 2019, the Gilberts had moved out.
14:34We were having a little Christmas gathering with our local tourism association.
14:36And the idea was thrown out about using this big empty building on High Street as a motor
14:39museum.
14:40That's how it started.
14:42And are you the mastermind behind this?
14:48No, not the mastermind.
14:50One of them.
14:51And it's purely a volunteer and organisation.
14:53I think around 30 volunteers at the moment.
14:55And each have got their own little niche.
14:58One of them know about cars.
15:00One of them know about bikes.
15:01And it's really good.
15:03I'm looking at this fantastic piece, 1904.
15:111904 Didier-en-Bouton.
15:14And these cars were actually sold in Strathalbrin.
15:17Not this particular one.
15:18But Strathalbrin was quite a bit of a motorist.
15:21hub in its day. I'm looking at these tiny tiny little windows in the back, is that useful?
15:27Probably not, there's not even a rear view mirror so there's not a lot of use in it.
15:31But they've got a mighty horn there. They certainly have and probably the lights weren't
15:35that great either. So does the collection change, turns over?
15:43It's constantly changing. The average vehicle stays three to six months, not all at once
15:48but maybe the Dion will go out and another one will take its place. And it's constantly
15:53changing like that. So the museum keeps fresh.
15:56You can keep visiting and always see something new.
15:59Yes.
16:04Paul, each and every car in the museum has a wonderful story and this Buick is very connected
16:10to this space, isn't it?
16:11That's correct. This car was actually sold here, brand new, in 1928 and then later on
16:16in the mid 70s, purchased back by the Gilberts. And when we started the museum, we asked if
16:21it could be here on display because it's got a connection with the building. So here it is.
16:26The baby's come home.
16:27It's come home to a roof.
16:28I just noticed this. These rear vision mirrors are buckled onto the spare tyres.
16:34Yes, strapped to the wheels. I believe they were an accessory you could buy after.
16:37And this car has a special connection with Antiques Down Under because it was featured in Season 1 of
16:43Antiques Down Under in the opening credits driven by Mr. Tom Gilbert.
16:47I believe it was. And Tom drives it every year in the Mount Barker Christmas pageant.
16:51Ah, she's a good girl, isn't she?
16:53Yes.
16:54Now I want to see over here something a bit famous about this one.
17:01It appeared in the movie The Great Gatsby, the film that was shot in Sydney with Leonardo DiCaprio.
17:07So what year is it?
17:071930.
17:09Now while the car is very 1930s, the number plate is not. It says Biggie.
17:15Who's Biggie?
17:16Biggie is the nickname of the chap that owns the car, Jordan Stephens, and he's a strong man.
17:22He used to be the strongest chap in Australia, I believe, and now he's the second strongest.
17:28Gee, thanks for the car, Biggie.
17:30Paul, it's lovely coming in here. It's like a trip through time. We have wonderful veteran cars,
17:43vintage cars. So we're going from what to what?
17:47Um, roughly from 1904 up to the 1970s at the moment, but it does change.
17:51And it must be incredible because people come here and the memories are stimulated,
17:57and Dad had one like that, Grandad had that.
17:59Exactly. It's all about that. The people come in here and
18:03the first thing they say when they come to the door is it's a great museum and it brings back so many
18:07memories.
18:20Now Lance, it's an exquisite little object. Please tell us what it is and when it's from.
18:25Claudia is actually a sewing companion. Once gold built it and of course embossed, it's brass
18:33and inside, when you open it, it has all the original sewing effects, even the nail protection.
18:41And it actually dates from the 1850s to the 1880s.
18:45How exquisite. Thank you so much for letting us play with that.
18:51Now that was tricky. Did you get it right?
18:54Don't forget you can guess this week's What Is It? by heading to our Facebook and Instagram pages.
19:03Next time on Antiques Down Under, we take to the skies and discover the world of flying.
19:10I visit Canberra Museum and Gallery and check out the exhibition Wearing Joy.
19:17I chat with Colleen about the fun of collecting.
19:22And Lee unearthed some treasures from Bendigo Pottery.
19:27Holy hole in the donut, Gregory. I never thought we'd end up in the Batmobile when we came to Strathalban.
19:33I never thought I'd be Batman, because everybody called me Robin.
19:37We'll see you next time on Antiques Down Under.
19:41Missed an episode of Antiques Down Under? Check us out on Nine Now.
20:11Minutes
20:12Minutes, nontyusing it.
20:14Minutes, of course,aminate.
20:17Bonhommené.
20:18Minutes, notry abominate.
20:19Minutes are...
20:21Minutes are great.
20:25I hope...
20:27've been great.
20:2921K Subscribe to our backseying in this video.
20:33I click on the神ya.
Comments