Rob Knott afraid to show of racing memorabilia

Longford residents are desperate to secure a once-in-a-lifetime collection of Tasmanian car racing memorabilia that has been curated for decades in local businessman Rob Knott’s garage.

Occasionally opened for private viewings, the amazing array of machinery, printed material, trophies and other mementos representing the height of motorsport in the state will soon be sold off by the 71-year-old signwriter.

It includes Jack Brabham’s BT19 Formula One racing car, referred to as his “Old Nail”, which competed in the 1966 and 1967 Formula One World Championships and won him his third World Championship in 1966. 

This and many other links to Longford’s rich F1 racing history and speedway, are a car buff’s dream and could fetch good money on the open market.

A public meeting held earlier this month saw nearly 100 locals unanimously agree they wanted to keep the collection in the village, and negotiations are underway to work out a price before fundraising efforts can begin.

Rob said he would love to see his lifetime of collecting remain local, but is after a fair price for the countless hours of work he’s put into the restoration and collation of what he considers to be a tribute to the “pioneers who pushed the sport”.

“I can’t take it with me when I go, and the workshop is full so I can’t fit anything else in, it’s time to find it a new home,” Rob said.

“Some of it will go into a temporary display next year at the 50th anniversary of Albert Park, and I’ve had some interest from parties outside of Longford, but I’d love to see it stay here in some kind of historic motorsport museum.

“There’s been an offer on the Brabham collection but I’m not interested in breaking it up.”

Longford historian and councillor Alison Andrews has been leading a bid to secure the collection for the town.

She said she hopes a price can be negotiated and then the hunt will be on for a location to house the collection while money is raised.

“There’s been a few ideas put forward about where to put it, including the old Brown’s Store,” she said.

“But nothing can be decided until a price is negotiated.

“We would love to see a combined sports museum in the town that has the car racing collection at its heart but also covers the amazing history we have with horse racing, cycling and football.”

It is believed that more than $3 million dollars would be needed to make the Brown’s Store meet basic safety requirements for a tourism business.