Globe-trotting bakkie due to receive a new lease on life
Isuzu’s trusted locally produced oneton bakkie range has been a firm SA favourite over the past 40 years, delivering legendary performance, unbeatable reliability and impressive go-anywhere ability. And now, an adventurous 18year-old model, which has spent nearly two decades travelling the length and breadth of sub-Saharan Africa and as far as Eastern Europe, is set to be rewarded with a comprehensive makeover. The 2000 Isuzu 280 D-TEQ 4x4 will be undergoing restoration, to be conducted by the highly experienced technical services team at Isuzu Motors in Port Elizabeth. The restoration forms part of Isuzu’s celebrations for its 40th anniversary of Isuzu bakkie production in SA and is the culmination of the Living Legends competition which attracted more than 150 entries from loyal Isuzu bakkie owners around the country. Fanie Olivier, from Pennington on the south coast of KwaZuluNatal, is the lucky man whose entry was selected as the winner of the once-in-a-lifetime Living Legends makeover, thanks to his bakkie’s remarkable exploits. “This is such a wonderful thing to happen to me and my trusty Isuzu bakkie,” the retired university professor said. “This generation bakkie really built Isuzu’s solid reputation for durability in South Africa, and my vehicle has been unbelievably reliable over the years, despite it having to endure some really tough conditions.” Although he purchased the Isuzu second-hand in 2004 and can’t remember the original mileage, Olivier has clocked up several hundred thousand, boasting close to half a million kilometres to date. “I’ve done extensive travelling into Africa, and my longest single trip was driving from Louis Trichardt all the way up to Nairobi and then Dar es Salaam,” Olivier said. However, it’s the time spent in Eastern Europe that Olivier enthuses about most, having had his Isuzu shipped over to Poland where he was based as a visiting professor at a university in Poznan. “I couldn’t afford to buy another car in Poland, so my Isuzu went with me. Poland was the perfect door to explore Europe, so between 2004 and 2006 I crisscrossed the continent.” Olivier’s 280 DT is set to receive a well-earned refresh from the team at Isuzu’s technical services division, based at the manufacturer’s vehicle conversion and distribution centre in Port Elizabeth. “We’ve never done a restoration like this before, but most of our team was involved in the development and production of this model which remains extremely popular in SA,” Jessel Vencencie, vehicle validation and support manager at Isuzu Motors SA, says. “We look forward to the challenge.”