…AND FINALLY
On a trip to one of the coldest towns in South Africa, Martin Briggs from Onrusrivier was delighted to also take a nostalgic journey into yesteryear.
Sutherland is famous not just for the four telescopes in the arsenal of the South African Astronomical Observatory, but also for being one of the coldest places in the country. The latter is exactly why Martin Briggs headed there in August. Apart from a chance to frolic in the snow, there was an ulterior motive for Martin’s journey “We knew that somewhere in Sutherland there was a spot where there were supposedly lots of old cars standing, sort of a graveyard. And because the town is quite small, and there’s not much else to do in Sutherland, it didn’t take us long to find this place. “When I was a boy, there were plenty of American rear-wheel drive pickups not just in the urban areas of South Africa but on back roads and farmland – they were everywhere. My family would visit the Karoo quite often and with their large torquey motors, often fitted with large tyres, these things would be unstoppable on those dusty dirt roads. Long before Japanese 4WD vehicles became popular for these types of excursions, we used to rely on good old American muscle to get the job done.” The vehicle Martin is pictured sitting in, is an early 1960s Ford 150 Stepside. This derivative of the vehicle named because of the how the rear fender is shaped just ahead of the rear axle, so you can easily load or offload whatever’s on the bed. It’s one of the many vehicles parked on the facility of Exclusive Rods & Customs – an automotive customisation shop that specialises in these types of vehicles. Drive & Camp spoke to coowner Shelly Van Eck, whose husband Johan has been building cars for 25 years. “What Martin was pictured in was definitely outside, but inside is where we keep all the good stuff, customer vehicles and project cars. We haven’t been in Sutherland long, but we’d been visiting the town for around nine years before deciding two and a half years ago to relocate here.” Originally based near the Killarney Raceway in Cape Town, Exclusive Rods & Customs started out as more of a panel shop 18 years ago. Their automotive passion led them to working with racing cars, then classic cars and the business eventually evolved into the hot-rod one it is today. If you’re ever in Sutherland and can’t find a spot at the Sterland campsite where Drive & Camp pitched camp in issue #25, then right next door to Exclusive Rods & Customs is the V8 Guesthouse. Also owned by the Van Ecks, this themed house sleeps eight. The beds are fashioned from the load beds of old American bakkies, and old number plates on the walls, an engine block table, and classic motor oil tins dotted around the self-catering unit for decor. Contact Shelly on 083 280 2449 to book the guesthouse.