Come check golden oldies galore
Nasrec hosts Classic Car Show and Food Fest on Sunday
JOBURG’S Nasrec Expo Centre is gearing up for another flood of historic cars, when the first of two Classic Car Shows planned for 2017 descends on the showgrounds this Sunday. And, for this edition, organisers have added a bonus for food lovers with a simultaneous Prawn and Food Festival on the day.
The show, which has happened twice a year for the past six years, will again see a massive collection of classic automobilia pour through its gates from 7am, and for this instalment a large group of vintage VW Kombis and Ford Mustangs is expected.
Kombis, or Microbuses if you prefer the American term, are amongst the most sought-after classic vehicles on the planet right now. The most collectible are the 21 and 23-window Microbuses, the ones with windows cut into the roof. A little-known reason for those windows in the roof, built that way by the factory from the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, is that they were a response to European tourists who needed to gaze upwards in mountainous areas, such as the Alps.
These first-generation Kombis are known amongst aficionados as Splitties, because the front window or windscreen is divided (split) into two sections. The much-more sophisticated second-gen Kombis, which incidentally ride and perform much better than the Splitties, are known as the Bay Window generation, or Bays for short. This refers to the curved windscreen up front, somewhat resembling a bay-window in an old-style farmhouse.
Traditionally the Classic Car show has also drawn a massive musclecar entry, and this Sunday an especially strong contingent of Mustangs is planned. Expect a wide variety of Stangs to show up, with examples from all six generations of the iconic pony car. Of course a handful of Gone in 60 Seconds Eleanor replicas will be on display - we mean the silver GT500 model driven by actor Nicolas Cage, not the “real” 1973 Mach 1 in mustard yellow from the original, 1974 film.
Apart from dozens of Kombis and Mustangs, The Classic Car Show will be jam-packed with VW Beetles, hot rods, custom muscle cars, fins-and-flash 1950s American cruisers and a good sprinkling of Minis, Jaguars and other British marques.
Classic car owners can enter through Nasrec’s Gate Two from 7am, while spectators can enter through Gate 5 from 9am. The Prawn and Food Festival will offer prawns prepared by the famous Calisto restaurant group which has franchises all over Gauteng, as well as at Sun City.
Entrance to the show is R80 per adult and R20 for children under 11. There will be a host of family-type entertainment on hand as well, including live music and helicopter rides at R150 for a short flip. There will also be a beer garden and Halaal food will be on sale.
For more information visit www.classiccarshow.co.za or call Paul Calisto on 082- 497-7218.