Tom Parry
GIPPSLAND Vehicle Collection’s latest exhibition is proving a hit with petrolheads and music lovers.
Launched on March 19, ‘Cars and Songs’ sees vehicles paired with the tunes and ditties which bear their name, or make mention of them.
The display has been curated by committee member Chris Henry and his partner Gabi Mandel, who devised the theme while cruising in a hot rod near Paynesville.
“We heard a car come past that the music was blaring out of – I seem to think it may have been The Beach Boys or something like that – and we said, ‘wonder whether or not we can do Cars and Songs at Maffra?’” Mr Henry explained.
“Then we started thinking about how many songs there were that actually mention specific cars, and that’s when it all began,” Ms Mandel added.
Mr Henry noted there has long been a “natural link” being cars and music, remarking on how motorists will often have their stereo systems playing as they drive along.
“That was my era of the late 70s, when I first got my licence – it was all about terrorising the streets in an early-model Studebaker, with the best AWA sound system that I could buy,” he said.
He further noted how that link extends to today’s car-tuning culture, where “it’s all sound-system, it’s all speakers”.
Photo: Tom Parry
Mr Henry and Ms Mandel’s curation was 18 months in the making, with all but four cars sourced from owners in Gippsland.
Both curators have their favourite items; for Ms Mandel, it’s the 1967 Volkswagen Kombi van, a model sung about by Australian band Men At Work in their worldwide hit ‘Down Under’.
As for Mr Henry, his favourites are a 1960 Buick Sabre, a 1962 Chervolet Impala “409” convertible, and a black 1947 Dodge Coupe – the latter for its rarity and uniqueness.
Each car being displayed is linked with at least one song in which it is mentioned.
For some cars, their musical connections are obvious (‘Mustang Sally’, ‘Little Red Corvette’); for others, their links are hidden in the lyrics – for instance, Blondie’s ‘Rapture’ makes mention of the brand Subaru, hence the inclusion of a 1986 Subaru Vortex coupé.
Two of the more obscure examples include a Chrysler Valiant Pacer, which is alluded to in Mental As Anything’s ‘Looking for Bird’, and a Holden Torana, briefly mentioned in Australian Crawl’s ‘Lakeside’.
Other brands represented in the display include, but are not limited to, Datsun, Plymouth, Fiat and Mercedes-Benz.
To further highlight the vehicles’ musical links, a playlist all of the featured songs can be heard as attendees make their way around the museum.
Photo: Tom Parry
While the list of songs is large, it is not comprehensive – Mr Henry lamented that some tunes were omitted as he could not source a vehicle to pair with them.
Examples include Ronny & The Daytonas’ ‘G.T.O’ (a tribute to the Pontiac GTO), Elton John’s ‘Crocodile Rock’ (which mentions “an old gold Chevy”) and Keith Urban’s ‘Red Camaro’ (referencing the Chevrolet Camaro).
Given how many songs have been excluded, he believes that second display with the same theme is highly likely.
Other displays themed around movies and advertising are planned; before then though, Mr Henry and Ms Mandel have their eye on curating their next exhibition: ‘Living in the 70s’.
Cars and Songs will be displayed at the Gippsland Vehicle Collection in Maffra until the end of June.
The museum will be open from 10am to 4pm throughout the school holidays.
For more information, visit the official website at gippslandvehiclecollection.org.au
Photo: Tom Parry
