Aussie automotive talent on show in world-first exhibition

Mark March 6 in your diary as it’s when Australia’s rich history of automotive design will be showcased in the exhibition Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Hot on the heels of three show-stopping concepts by Aussie designers at the 2015 Detroit motor show, the NGV exhibition will proudly exhibit Australia’s vibrant contribution to the automotive world with cars that have been plastered on bedroom walls offered in the flesh.

From Lewis Bandt’s 1934 Ford ute that kick-started an industry, the space-age 1969 Holden Hurricane concept car through to the stunning retro Holden Efijy of 2005, a stellar line-up of 23 of our most famous and ground-breaking automobiles will be on display, accompanied by sketches, proposals and wild ideas that never made it beyond the sketchpad.

‘Shifting Gear will be the first major exhibition of Australian car design and is exclusive to the NGV,” said Tony Ellwood, Director of the NGV. “This exhibition will uncover how the modern automobile is far more than simply a means of transport; it is a sophisticated design object that reflects contemporary aesthetics and values.”

It will also be chance to drool over some indigenous classics: the E49 Valiant Charger, the HK Holden Monaro and its Bathurst-winning LJ GTR XU-1 Torana.

The timely celebration pays homage to the talented locals who have shaped the cars we’ve loved over the past century, and is particularly pertinent given the closure of local manufacturing.

“With the Australian car manufacturing industry facing the serious challenges of globalisation and the planned closure of plants, the importance of innovation and design in the creative jobs of the future has never been more important,” says Martin Foley MP and member for Albert Park. “The lessons from car design are too important to lose.”

Shifting Gear: Design, Innovation and the Australian Car will be on display at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV at Federation Square from 6 March 2015 to 12 July 2015. Open 10am-5pm, closed Mondays.

Tickets are on sale now from ngv.vic.gov.au
Adults $15, Concession $12. Children $7, Family (2 adults, 3 children) $41