Knysna Motor Show to host cream of SA’s classics
Eye-catching exhibits perfect build-up to Simola Hill Climb
THE seventh Knysna Motor Show will host some of the most collectable cars on the African continent on April 29. Cars ranging from a 1908 Ford Model S to modern supercars from the Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini stables will grace this invitation-only event, to be held once again at the Knysna High School sports grounds on Waterfront Drive.
American 1950s fins ‘n’ flash land yachts, adorable micro cars and classic motorcycles will vie for attention among a massive collection of classic racing cars and huge motorised chariots from the vintage and veteran era, Knysna Motor Show chairman Peter Pretorius says.
Perfectly preserved veterans from the 1920s and 1930s will include the likes of a 1936 Cord Westchester 810 (the so-called coffin-nosed Cord), a 1928 Bentley 3-litre, a selection of Model T Fords, a 1923 Rolls-Royce 20 HP Doctor’s Coupe and, from an even earlier era, a 1913 Cadillac Phaeton, to stand alongside the Ford Model S, which is 110 years old this year.
“Two fantastic open-topped cars from this pre-war era will include a 1919 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost Tourer and a 1932 Alvis Steed Tourer. In addition a 1938 BMW 328 sports car, famous for being one of the best sports-racers in Europe built just before World War 2, has had a mechanical restoration completed in time for the car to make this year’s Knysna Motor Show,” Pretorius says.
There will be special anniversary celebration of famous marques.
Chief among these will be the Morgan sports car company, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary of its most successful car, the V8-engined Morgan Plus 8.
There will also be a Morgan Three Wheeler on display that is 100 years old. As modern-day relics of classic British craftsmanship, Morgans are famous for still being hand-built sports cars in this modern era of recyclable machinery, and the waiting list for Morgan cars still runs to some years, as it has done for decades.
From the other side of the globe, a special tribute will be paid to the Japanese Mazda Rotary engine, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
“Co-ordinated by arch Mazda rotary enthusiast from Cape Town, Peanuts Fouche, this display will include a super-rare and exotically beautiful Mazda Cosmo rotary-engined sports car, the only one in Africa,” Pretorius said.
Other rare models include an unrestored R100 Coupe, a car that in race-prepped form gave South African World F1 Champion Jody Scheckter his first taste of international competition in 1970.
The range will also include the famous RX7 and RX8 models.
The Kobus Mostert collection of ultra-rare American classics from the 1950s through to the 1980s will give Knysna Motor Show visitors a taste of the many special variants of US cars built in the classic post-war era of opulence, starting in the days when Rock n Roll was king.
“Kobus is a long-time collector of very limited edition Americana and he is organising a display of some 18 cars,” Pretorius said.
These will include a beautiful and very rare 1957 Continental Mk III Coupe, a 1958 Pontiac Bonneville, a 1958 Imperial Crown Southampton Coupe, a 1958 Oldsmobile 98 Coupe (the only one in Africa), a 1957 Buick Century Coupe and a 1963 Oldsmobile Super 88 Holiday Coupe with a rare Sky Rocket high-compression engine. An iconic eye-catcher will be an immaculately restored 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Coupe, owned by Butch May, which will be included in this collection for display on the day.
Sponsored by Sanlam Private Wealth and organised by the Garden Route Motor Club, the Knysna Motor Show is a one-day only event with elegant food and drink stalls providing refreshments in keeping with the glamour of this top-quality classic car event. The show is extremely family orientated, with a relaxed atmosphere a key note. There is a beer garden and a food court to cater to all culinary tastes.
“The show also falls just one week before the Jaguar Simola Hill Climb in Knysna, making it ideal to combine these two top quality events into an unbelievable petrolhead family getaway!” Pretorius said.
The show runs from 9am to 4pm on April 29. Admission prices are: Adults R50, children aged 12 to 18 R10 and children under 12 free.
For more information, contact Peter Pretorius on peterp@afrihost.co.za or 082-321-4724, or go to the Garden Route Motor Club’s website at www.grmc.co.za