Brisbane vintage car hire: Moe Akgun leads tours down memory lane

Step back in time discovering Brisbane’s Art Deco delights from the back seat of a vintage treasure.

When car fanatic Moe Akgun visited the Art Deco Festival in Napier, New Zealand, the seed of an idea took root.

As the driving force behind Roaring Twenties Vintage Car Hire since 2012, Moe, together with his vintage-loving partner Samantha Shellard, got to thinking about what Art Deco treasures existed back home in Brisbane.

Moe Akgun owns Roaring Twenties Vintage Car Hire and leads art deco tours of Brisbane. Picture: AAP/Russell Shakespeare

“We did a tour in a vintage car of the beautiful Art Deco buildings there … and we thought ‘Why can’t we do that?’ So when we got back we googled and found a Brisbane Art Deco book with all the various buildings, but we discovered many more than what’s in the book.”

On his recently launched Brisbane Art Deco Tours, Moe, at the wheel of Bonnie the 1928 Chrysler, takes guests on a trip down memory lane, visiting historic homes, pubs and commercial buildings.

But his favourite stop is a special spot in Fortitude Valley.

“The one that amazes a lot of people, and amazed me when I first saw it, is the TC Beirne building,” Moe says of the former department store, built in 1902 and designed by noted architect Robin Dods.

TC BEIRNE BUILDING in Fortitude Valley photographed in 2001. Picture: Tom O’Connor

“If you go up to the Chinatown carpark rooftop you have an amazing view of the facade of the building.”

After giving up his previous life as a retail manager, Moe says he’s found his calling.

He hopes to continue helping others slow down and appreciate the beauty of their home city – which is made easier when riding in Bonnie, whose maximum speed is 40km/h.

“It’s definitely about taking people back in time, and rediscovering Brisbane. It’s about discovering places they’ve never been or never knew were there.”

For the car fanatic, originally from Melbourne, the passion for exploration was sparked by Bonnie, his vintage treasure.

Moe Akgun in Bonnie, his 1928 Chrysler. Picture: AAP/Russell Shakespeare

“We searched for about six months to find the right car. In the end we found one in Sydney. It was love at first sight – we called it Bonnie from Bonnie and Clyde.”

The next challenge for Moe was learning how to drive Bonnie, who is a far cry from the cars of today.

“The thing with the vintage cars is the average person can’t just jump in and drive it like a normal car … there’s nothing that’s powered – the brakes aren’t powered, the steering wheel isn’t powered. It’s very very tricky.”

Moe also chauffeurs brides and school formal attendees, while wearing an outfit to match Bonnie’s 1920s extravagance – a get-up he has embraced in his everyday life as well.

“What you see in the photo is all from Vinnies or Lifeline,” he says.

Brisbane Art Deco Tours, $280 for up to a two-hour tour, Mon-Fri, weekends additional cost