Private collection: removing the rust in Rustenburg
Rustenburg is home to a passionate collector of Chevrolets and farm vehicles
THERE is no doubt about which brand and decades hold special spots in Phillip Mostert’s heart when you walk into his barn outside Rustenburg.
Neatly parked rows of Chevrolets spanning the 1940s to the ‘60s immediately catch your attention, but that is not all that’s on offer. A side-door leads to another room that houses Phaetons, very rare wagons and even a tribute to a Chevrolet re truck he has built.
“Let me show you through next door,” says Phillip. Lensman Kian Eriksen and I look at each other and think: there’s more? Through another gate are more outbuildings that have been lled with vehicles over the past few years. The rst one not only houses cars, but also classic John Deere tractors and even a few BSA motorbikes. In the centre is an original Chevrolet bomb carrier that did duty in Africa during the Second World War. “One day I’ll restore this one. It is really a remarkable vehicle, with a very strong chassis, diff locks; the works.”
In the next building are more cars that need to be restored, followed by a room where the cars are stripped and then assembled again after they have been painted. In the nal building is the rusty hulk of a 1928 harvester with a neat plaque on it indicating it was manufactured in Johannesburg. Having perused the extent of his collection, Phillip leads us back to the main building where one of the highlights of the collection is housed, a 1952 Chevrolet Bel Air Coupé. It still has its original seats; however, the original paintwork was not in a great condition. Instead of respraying it, he simply decided to paint the car with a clear lacquer, preserving the original state of the exterior. It looks perfect.
On a wall hang pictures of his road trips from Rustenburg down to the annual George Motor Show. He has done it each year since 2004 and in a different car every time … and 2017 will be no different.
There are a number of sedans, coupés and cabriolets – many in actual running order – and in some instances Phillip needs only a car or two from speci c years to have a full model range.
He started slowly and, by 1990, he had 12 cars, but to buy his business he had to sell them all. For the next 10 years, he didn’t have a single classic car. And then the bug bit again. Since 2000, he has been sourcing cars in South Africa as well as the USA, from where he has imported no less than 38 vehicles. Some were bought over ebay and he also visited the US to buy at auctions.
The collection peaked a number of years ago when he had around 100 cars but, as he explains, “I had to sell around 15 of them for nancial reasons, so currently I have around 75, of which at least 65 are running.”
Before we say our goodbyes, there’s time to have a look at one of the highlights of his collection; a 1973 Corvette convertible with a rare factory tted short-shift manual gearbox. On our way out, we walk through yet another workshop that houses a few more cars that are ready to be restored. Phillip also has an interest in carpentry, which includes the manufacturing of the wooden cabins, loading bays and trimmings for Chevrolet trucks that are next in line.
Sadly, our time with Phillip draws to an end, but I’m grateful to have met a collector who, at a time when so many cars are being exported from South Africa, is actually importing cars for everyone to enjoy.