Classic Bentley brigade to storm Knysna Motor Show
A large contingent of vintage and classic Bentleys will arrive en masse at the Knysna Motor Show in April.
The occasion will be the Bentley centenary and, to celebrate the milestone, the Bentley Drivers Club of SA has scheduled the Knysna Motor Show as the first stop of its commemorative 2019 rally.
About 20 Bentleys are confirmed for the show, once again to be held at the Knysna High School sports grounds on Waterfront Drive.
“The Cape branch of the club is scheduled to gather at Arniston; from there we drive to Knysna where we will take part in the wonderful Knysna Motor Show,” Bentley Drivers Club of the Western Cape chair John White said. White and his wife, Frederike, will arrive in his magnificent 4½-litre, perhaps the most famous model in Bentley’s 100-year history.
The Bentley Drivers Club will showcase a whole range of iconic Bentleys, from at least five 3-litre models built between 1922 to 1928, through to more modern classics such as the 1998 Continental T owned by Robert and Maryke Middelmann, and Shaun Rai’s 1998 Azure convertible.
The club’s mustering for Knysna, and their post-show foray into the mountain passes in and around Oudtshoorn, will include cars from the most important periods of Bentley history.
These will include the socalled “Silent Cars” built between 1932 and 1939, and the post-World War Two models which are some of the most elegant cars ever made.
Bentleys won four consecutive Le Mans 24-hour races between 1927 and 1930. After the stock market crash in1929, Bentley was taken over by its competitor, Rolls-Royce, in 1931, and so began the era of 3½-litre cars.
Rolls-Royce ownership continued until 1970, when it was bought out by the Vickers Group. Since 1998, Bentley has been under ownership of the Volkswagen Group.
Apart from the vintage and classic-era Bentleys on display, there will be a significant presence of the latest models, including the new Bentayga SUV.
Club treasurer Stuart Maxwell, will be driving one of the oldest cars on the event, a 1922 model 3-litre, with his wife, Cindie.
The rally at the Knsyna Motor Show is not run to time schedules, but is a social event. The SA “Bentley Boys and Girls” will take in the Robertson Pass and challenging gravel Swartberg Pass and also Meiringspoort.
● The 2019 Knysna Motor Show, sponsored by Sanlam Private Wealth, is the eighth event. Since its inception the organisers have donated hundreds of thousands of rands to charities in the area, and the show has grown to accommodate up to 400 cars and classic motorcycles.
Apart from the Bentley display there will be a plethora of vintage and classic car marques gracing the venue.
“The invitation-only policy enables us to keep the standard of the event high, and also to vary the display each year,” said Peter Pretorius, chair of the Garden Route Motor Club.
The Knysna Motor Show will run from 9.30am to 4pm on April 28. Admission is: R50 for adults, R10 for children aged 12 to 18, and free to children under 12.
For more information, contact Peter Pretorius on peterp@afrihost.co.za