1968 Brabham BT25/2

Deep inside Hunter Valley Wine Country of New South Wales (NSW) lives a very interesting automotive treasure-seeker. By day Aaron Lewis is CEO of the Rover Coaches bus company, a business that has been in continuous operation in Cessnock, NSW for more than 85 years. At night, when the valley is peaceful and serene, Lewis is scanning the globe for his next great find.

By his own account, Lewis grew up encircled by cars. His father was a mechanic and the family always seemed to have at least one Jaguar to keep him busy. Lewis’ earliest cars were of the slot and Matchbox variety. The wee D-Type and GT40 were his obvious favorites. Of course growing up in the ’60s meant Australia had its very own three-time World Champion in the form of “Black Jack,” now Sir Jack Brabham. Lewis said, “You can’t underestimate the impression that has on a young boy. I saw Jackie Stewart beat Jim Clark at the Australian Grand Prix at Warwick Farm Raceway in 1967. Frank Gardner finished 3rd and Brabham came home 4th. That was the first time I saw big-name drivers racing.”