Seven 82 Motors Open Day on this weekend.
8am -2pm Saturday 5th June
2 Palings Ct, Nerang QLD 4211 (Click address to open Google Maps)
In Australia, the very mention of Seven 82 Motors instills car lovers with a sense of excitement – but how is this business changing the automotive game?
Established in 2006, Seven 82 Motors specialises in classic, lowriders and muscle cars. However, the Gold Coast based brand is more than just a dealership, and is making its mark on the industry by ensuring that the workshop is an experience in itself.
The Seven 82 Motors Story
It comes as no surprise that owner Ben Atkinson loves cars, and has single handedly managed to turn his hobby into a highly successful business that allows him to both travel the world, and restore classic cars for a niche market of automotive enthusiasts. When speaking to Nine News in 2020 about the origins of his passion, Ben admits that it was essentially “bred into him”.
“As a kid, my Dad had an XB GS Falcon Coupe. I sat on my Dad’s lap in that car and drove it through the bush in South Australia, so to me – that’s the first car I ever drove. I remember the day that the car went away, and I always wanted to replace it. I guess that’s how all of this started.”
Seven 82 Motors was born on the back of Ben trying to track down another XB GS Falcon Coupe, just like his beloved Dad’s one. He quickly realised that the options in Australia were limited when it came to sourcing incredibly unique vintage vehicles, and began to brainstorm ways to eliminate all of the complexities associated with common problems that both buyers and sellers faced.
In 2021, Ben has managed to do that – and more. He credits a huge amount of Seven 82 Motors success to his “main man”, Chris Langtry. While Ben takes care of the automotive sales, marketing and events management, it’s Chris that’s deemed the “mechanical and engineering guru” who specialises in custom car and hot rod builds. It seems that teamwork does indeed make the dream work, as together they have built Seven 82 Motors into a unique and highly revered brand by car lovers all around Australia.
What makes Seven 82 Motors different from other vintage car dealerships, is that the brand itself stands for so much more than just buying and selling classic cars. While the in house workshop offers anything and everything from general servicing, mechanical work, after sales care and even full turn key builds and restorations, Seven 82 Motors also does one particular thing quite differently to other brands – they sell cars on consignment.
The idea of a consignment-based service for individual sellers, is to offer them a simpler and more secure way to connect with prospective car enthusiasts waiting to buy their next showpiece. The seller still retains a great deal of control over what is no doubt one of their most prized possessions, that being their vintage car. Vehicles are housed in a purpose-built fully gated showroom equipped with modern security systems, which the team at Seven 82 Motors refer to as “being built like a fortress”.
While the workshop is open Tuesday to Saturday by appointment for genuine buyers, the Nerang dealership is also open to the public on the first Saturday of each month. With all of their new stock also released on the same day, Ben and the team at Seven 82 Motors roll out the red carpet for the public from 8:00am, and open the in house barbershop, memorabilia room, and even enlist the services of a local coffee van and food trucks for the day.
Needless to say that Ben’s attention to detail and passion for restoration has ensured that the Seven 82 Motors showroom is a work of art in itself. While every single one of the fully restored vehicles has its own story, Ben’s mantra is “if I wouldn’t have it in my garage, I won’t put it yours.”
While the showroom is home to world class classic, lowrider and muscle cars, it’s also a place for Ben’s extensive range of vintage art and other collectibles that he’s managed to accumulate over the years to be shown off and appreciated.
However, the purpose of the monthly open days aren’t designed to turn a profit. By throwing the doors open to not only the revhead community – but to families, and people from all walks of life – Ben believes he’s doing his part to inspire and create a whole new generation of car lovers, which for him, is what it’s all about.