Landy Defender leads new-model charge
ROUND-UP/ A summary of recent motoring events and looking ahead to what’s happening in September, by Denis Droppa
From’ icon s an 60th automotive birthday to a James Bond car that sold for nearly R100m, August was a frenetic motoring month and here’s a brief overview of some of the highlights we’ve covered.
SA’s two biggest motoring events took place. First, classiccar enthusiasts in their thousands made their annual pilgrimage to Pretoria’s Zwartkops circuit for the Cars in the Park festival on August 4 to check out some beautiful golden oldies.
Then it was the turn of the newer cars to shine at the Wesbank-sponsored Festival of Motoring at Kyalami from August 22-25 where a number of cars, including the VW T-Roc and new Audi Q3, made their first appearance in SA.
It was a high-adrenaline month for compact cars and we attended the world launches of the new 310kW Mercedes-AMG A45 and the 225kW Mini Clubman John Cooper Works both of which are coming to spread rubber on SA roads soon.
Moving up to more exotic performers, we experienced how the other 1% live when we went camping in a Lamborghini Urus, and took a Rolls-Royce Cullinan for an off-road spin.
New vehicles launched in SA included Sport petrol and diesel versions of Hyundai’s Tucson SUV; Ford unleashed its updated Mustang range, including the limited-edition Bullitt inspired by the famous Steve McQueen movie; Lexus presented the glorious sounding RC F coupe as a rival to BMW’s M4; Suzuki put some turbo power under the bonnets of its Swift and Vitara; Mercedes revealed its updated V-Class which represents the apex of minibus luxury; Opel launched a five-passenger family version of its Combo panel van; the new Mercedes-Benz BClass MPV took to local streets; and a busy month for the brand also heralded the arrival of the new fourth-generation GLE luxury SUV.
The two-wheeler world saw the world launch of the Triumph Rocket 3 which at 2,500cc has the world’s biggest motorcycle engine; while Italian brands Aprilia and Moto Guzzi made a local comeback when a new SA importer was appointed.
A classic car with the right provenance can be a winning investment, and James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 from
complete with tyre slashers and fake guns, was sold on auction for R98m.
The cars that came through our road-test mill included the: BMW X4 M40d, MercedesAMG E53, Nissan Micra Acenta Plus Tech, the Range Rover Velar, the Mercedes-AMG C63 S, and the BMW X7, while we bid adieu to our long-term Renault Koleos.
Mini turned 60 in 2019 and we celebrated with owners at a gathering in Cullinan, birthplace of the famous diamond.
In other news, Tracker revealed when and where most vehicle crime occurs in SA; Wesbank announced the Fuel Economy Tour to find SA’s most frugal cars; and Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster, which was launched into space in February 2018, completed a lap of the sun.
Motor racing’s most exciting news from an SA perspective was the announcement that Brad Binder is moving up to the premier MotoGP class in 2010, and he celebrated the announcement by winning the Austrian Moto2 race the season.
Team SA beat eight other countries to win the international Spirit of Amarok event.
The rest of September will be a busy motoring month with the biennial Frankfurt motor show from September 12-22 the main attraction. The big drawcards will be the long-awaited new Defender, Land Rover’s offroad icon; the Taycan sports car, Porsche’s first all-electric vehicle; VW’s electric ID 3 which the brand sees as being as important as the Beetle and Golf were; the Honda E, the production version of Honda’s cute electric city car; the new Hyundai i10; the Nissan Juke; and the fifth-generation Opel Corsa.
We will attend the Frankfurt show and the world launches of the BMW M8 and the McLaren GT two different spins on the his first victory of luxury grand tourer concept.
New cars going on sale in SA during September include the Audi A1 and the Polo-based VW T-Cross SUV.
Motorsport-wise we will follow the Formula One and MotoGP action as Lewis Hamilton and Marc Marquez continue to build on their legends.
Road tests to look forward to on Businesslive Motoring include the Mazda3, Mini One, Mercedes CLS 53, Ford Mustang, BMW M760Li, Honda Civic, and a shootout between the BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra.