The F1 car Aussie driver Alan Jones raced in 1985. Photo: Canberra Festival of Speed.
An F1 car previously driven by Australia’s world champion Alan Jones, a brand-new Lamborghini fresh out of the dealership, and a whole family of race-spec Porsches are among well over 200 pieces of very precious metal descending on the ACT for next weekend’s Canberra Festival of Speed.
Oh, and there’ll also be helicopter joyrides over the site.
Founder Martin Tanti says he’s more excited about this year’s festival than any of the three before it.
“I’m personally really proud of this one. It’s going to be really impressive just the way all the cars crescendo at the event.”
Thoroughbred Park in Lyneham opens the gates to the Canberra Festival of Speed 2026 over two days, on Saturday, 31 January and Sunday, 1 February.
Here’s what to expect …
1. 1985 Lola-Hart THL1 Formula One car
The 1985 Lola-Hart THL1 wasn’t exactly the greatest car for Aussie driver Alan Jones. That would be the one he used to win the 1980 F1 World Championship. But it was the one he used in the first-ever Australian Grand Prix, held in Adelaide in 1985.
Since then, the Lola’s been living out its retirement in private ownership in a garage in north Sydney, save for outings to major national events such as the F1 Grand Prix or the Adelaide Motorsports Festival.
Canberra Festival of Speed organiser Martin Tanti found about the F1 car through “a friend of a friend”. Photo: Martin Tanti.
“It’s a bit special … and basically, I came across it through a friend of a friend,” Tanti says.
“I touched base with the owner, and because of the good reputation our event had, we were able to broker that deal to actually go and see the car in person, meet the owner and film the car.”
At the Canberra Festival of Speed, the F1 car will once again be hitting the tarmac in anger on the venue’s purpose-built 750-metre show circuit.
It’s not the first time for an F1 car at the festival. Last year, the roads around the National Arboretum were closed for half a day to allow a Lola LC 88 F1 car to tear up and down the hill for a promotional video shoot.
“Everyone was in disbelief to see it at the festival. They thought, ‘Is this Canberra?'” Tanti says.
“And the Jones car will resonate even more with the public because it was an Aussie driver who became the last Aussie F1 World Champion.”
It won’t be the only car from the Formula series either …
Jody Scheckter’s Formula 5000 car. Photo: Canberra Festival of Speed.
2. Another racecar driven by an F1 World Champion
Jody Scheckter, a South African former Formula One driver, won the 1979 F1 World Championship with Ferrari – and remains the only African driver to hold the title. He ended up winning no fewer than 10 Grands Prix across nine seasons.
Schekcter also raced in Formula 5000 series, a lower-speed, lower-cost form of F1 ran in various regions around the world between 1968 and 1982 (the 5000 number comes from the maximum engine size allowed, of 5.0 litres).
One of the cars he used for the job will be on the track at the Canberra Festival of Speed.
A Porsche GT3 RS at the Canberra Festival of Speed preview event in Civic in December 2025. Photo: James Coleman.
3. A complete Porsche RS collection
Porsche has always made something of an appearance at the festival, but this year, organisers have managed a royal flush of limited-edition RS models.
RS stands for ‘Rennsport’, German for ‘racing sport’, and is applied to a range of ultra-high-performance versions designed first to win on the racetrack and then be converted for road use. This is because many governing bodies require manufacturers to produce a certain number of road-legal versions – called ‘homologation specials’. These RS models were the result.
“This year, we’ve been able to get them all together, so we thought we’d really lean into that as a feature,” Tanti says.
The collection spans the 2003 996 GT3 RS all the way to the latest-generation 991 GT3 RS, along with various GT4 and GT2 variants along the way.
“We’re going to see all of these cars out on the track, and it’s going to be great.”
The Lamborghini Temerario takes over from the Huracan as the brand’s ‘entry-level’ supercar. Photo: Lamborghini.
4. The new Lamborghini Temerario
The Lamborghini Gallardo became the first car to properly rocket the Italian tractor-turned-supercar manufacturer to success in the 2000s, selling more than 14,000 units in its lifetime.
The Urus SUV has since flown past it to become the best-selling Lambo of all time, but the Gallardo bloodline lived on with the still-very-popular Huracan. And now the Temerario, revealed just last year.
Instead of a V10, it’s powered by a twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors, creating what the brand calls a ‘HPEV (or High Performance Electrified Vehicle)’. It’s still frighteningly mad, though. Think 0-100 km/h in 2.7 seconds, a top speed of 343 km/h, and that angry door-wedge shape complemented to stunning effect with angry vents and hexagons.
National dealership conglomerate Autosports Group is bringing one of the first in the country to the Canberra Festival of Speed.
Limitless Helicopters. Photo: Limitless Helicopters, Facebook.
5. A helicopter
Orange-based charter company Limitless Helicopters will be offering airborne joyrides around Thoroughbred Park on both days of the festival from a designated landing area on-site.
Tickets can be purchased in advance on the Canberra Festival of Speed website for $125 per person.
“Essentially, we’ll have a moment where an F1 car will be going around the circuit, there’ll be people everywhere, and a helicopter flying overhead – and it’s going to feel like you’re at the F1 Grand Prix,” Tanti says.
“It’ll be incredible.”
Visit the Canberra Festival of Speed for tickets and information.
