Fame to Flames Glory turns to scrap
| The Knysna inferno has left deep scars. Rebuilding will be daunting. Some things are lost forever
A TREASURE trove of classic cars, some of them irreplaceable, is among the scrapheap of the Knysna fire that scorched the heart of South Africa’s classic-car community.
Sixteen classic cars and a rare collection of motorcycles went up in smoke last week in an unprecedented loss of national automobile heritage. Their owners did not have enough time to rescue them.
Nine members of the Knysnabased Garden Route Motor Club lost their homes in the blaze. One member lost three cars, including one worth R2.5-million.
“It’s like losing a Da Vinci painting,” said Peter Pretorius, chairman of the motor club. “Most of them [club members] left with their clothes on their back — there was no time for anything.”
The Garden Route, Knysna in particular, is a hub for classic cars due to a combination of wealthy retirees and open roads.
The town has a rare classic and vintage car museum owned by businessman Brian Bruce and hosts an annual show.
The large number of classic cars has also spawned a niche service industry able to give the cars the necessary attention.
On the list of car casualties is a Jaguar E-Type, an MG TC, a Morris Bullnose, a Triumph Stag and a Morgan 4/4.
Pretorius said he had been inundated with messages of support from car enthusiasts in the wake of last week’s disaster.
“The messages to those who have suffered the terrible loss of cherished homes, possessions and cars have been so heartwarming,” Pretorius wrote in a newsletter to club members.
“The support has been overwhelming. It is just over a month ago that the very successful Knysna Motor Show was held and most of the cars destroyed were at the motor show.
“Who would have foreseen this disaster?”
Fanie Heunis from Sedgefield Towing & Recovery said car wrecks had been towed to several collection points.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen something like this,” Heunis said, adding that his yard had become a popular local attraction.
He said many affected car owners had literally fled for their lives.
“One guy explained to me that the fire was quite far away, about 6km from his house. Five minutes later the whole street was on fire.”
Bruce lost a Mercedes SL500 UNIQUE: Dave Edge with the Brenton Blue butterfly END OF THE ROAD: Top left and right, an MG TC destroyed in the Knysna fire. Bottom left and right, this Morris Bullnose will never go on a jaunty outing again when his house burnt down.
“Some cars are like works of art in a sense. If the world loses a Matisse or a Da Vinci, it can never be replaced — some cars are like that, such as when you have one that is only one of just a few in the world,” he said.
One of the casualties, a Jaguar E-Type, was “probably one of the most pristine examples of Jaggie-type roadsters in South Africa”, Bruce said.
“That car was owned for its beauty and condition and memories. Now it is gone.”
Pretorius said the owner in question was still too upset to talk about the ordeal.
Some of the destroyed cars had been out of commission and therefore stranded in their garages.
Bruce said: “Their batteries were out for security, or in some cases the keys were not there. If you make a decision to take a classic car out for a ride it can take a couple of hours. But the fire spread in so little time.”
One of the owners had been helping a neighbour evacuate when he turned around and saw his own garage on fire, he said.
“To do body repair on a classic car is an art — there is a little micro industry that collects around them [classic cars],” Bruce said.
In Plettenberg Bay the fire also wiped out a rare collection of motorcycles that included classic British Vincent models.
Fire damage could amount to R4-billion, according to some informal estimates.
The total figure is still being calculated.
If the world loses a Matisse or a Da Vinci it can never be replaced — some cars are like that