Top cars and moments from this year's Cars in the Park
'Every year we hold our breath and bite our nails before the event and this year things were more tense regarding the weather,' said Frik Kraamwinkel, chief organiser of the event hosted by the Pretoria Old Motor Club.
'This year the weather forecast was for a maximum of 14°C for the Sunday and by Pretoria standards that is close to freezing. Staging an event such as this is expensive and we were concerned not only for the classic car owners and spectators but also for the 160 stallholders for a good payday at our event.'
Fortunately, temperatures rose to spring or summer temperatures to enable everyone to enjoy the biggest car show in the country and take in the splendour of more than 2,500 classic and special-interest cars and motorcycles. This year a number of dealerships displayed vehicles, including Triumph Motorcycles, the newly reintroduced MG brand and cars from multifranchise outfits such as CFO Mobility and Midmark Motors.
Colin Lazarus, owner of a multifranchise dealership in Centurion, was again prominent with his selection of new and special cars, such as two Ford GTs, a Ford GT40 and a 1957 Ford Thunderbird.
Around the track there was a feast of cars. Most notable were the dozens of Datsun 1200 and Nissan 1400 pick-ups built in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s.
At the other end of the scale were the special invites section. Stand-out cars were a 1937 Cord 812 owned by Sakkie van der Walt, a 1940 Lincoln V12 and a 1939 Chevrolet Business Coupe in pristine paintwork. Tom Linley's Velocette trio of motorcycles, ranging from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s, were eye-catchers.
Another interesting special invite was the DKW F7, a cute little sports car from the late 1930s with fabric bodywork that made it extremely light and a twin-cylinder two-stroke motor owned by Corne Fourie. There were the usual oddballs, such as late 1930s Dodge sedan mounted on a Mitsubishi bakkie chassis and a Mad Max replica based on a trashed Sierra body, with a realistic submachine gun on the bonnet.
The 4x4 club — one of more than 100 clubs represented at Cars in the Park this year — had a display of mainly new, perfectly turned-out vehicles. Many of them were fitted with desirable off-road gear such as roof racks. A huge contingent of this display was made up of Suzuki Jimnys.
All in all, it was another wonderful edition of Cars in the Park.
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The Herald
2 days ago
- The Herald
Top cars and moments from this year's Cars in the Park
Around the track there was a feast of cars. Most notable were the dozens of Datsun 1200 and Nissan 1400 pick-ups built in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. At the other end of the scale were the special invites section. Stand-out cars were a 1937 Cord 812 owned by Sakkie van der Walt, a 1940 Lincoln V12 and a 1939 Chevrolet Business Coupe in pristine paintwork. Tom Linley's Velocette trio of motorcycles, ranging from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s, were eye-catchers. Another interesting special invite was the DKW F7, a cute little sports car from the late 1930s with fabric bodywork that made it extremely light and a twin-cylinder two-stroke motor owned by Corne Fourie. There were the usual oddballs, such as late 1930s Dodge sedan mounted on a Mitsubishi bakkie chassis and a Mad Max replica based on a trashed Sierra body, with a realistic submachine gun on the bonnet.
TimesLIVE
2 days ago
- TimesLIVE
Top cars and moments from this year's Cars in the Park
Perfect weather greeted thousands of classic car owners — and the many thousands of spectators — who made the pilgrimage to Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria for the 43rd edition of Cars in the Park on August 3. 'Every year we hold our breath and bite our nails before the event and this year things were more tense regarding the weather,' said Frik Kraamwinkel, chief organiser of the event hosted by the Pretoria Old Motor Club. 'This year the weather forecast was for a maximum of 14°C for the Sunday and by Pretoria standards that is close to freezing. Staging an event such as this is expensive and we were concerned not only for the classic car owners and spectators but also for the 160 stallholders for a good payday at our event.' Fortunately, temperatures rose to spring or summer temperatures to enable everyone to enjoy the biggest car show in the country and take in the splendour of more than 2,500 classic and special-interest cars and motorcycles. This year a number of dealerships displayed vehicles, including Triumph Motorcycles, the newly reintroduced MG brand and cars from multifranchise outfits such as CFO Mobility and Midmark Motors. Colin Lazarus, owner of a multifranchise dealership in Centurion, was again prominent with his selection of new and special cars, such as two Ford GTs, a Ford GT40 and a 1957 Ford Thunderbird. Around the track there was a feast of cars. Most notable were the dozens of Datsun 1200 and Nissan 1400 pick-ups built in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. At the other end of the scale were the special invites section. Stand-out cars were a 1937 Cord 812 owned by Sakkie van der Walt, a 1940 Lincoln V12 and a 1939 Chevrolet Business Coupe in pristine paintwork. Tom Linley's Velocette trio of motorcycles, ranging from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s, were eye-catchers. Another interesting special invite was the DKW F7, a cute little sports car from the late 1930s with fabric bodywork that made it extremely light and a twin-cylinder two-stroke motor owned by Corne Fourie. There were the usual oddballs, such as late 1930s Dodge sedan mounted on a Mitsubishi bakkie chassis and a Mad Max replica based on a trashed Sierra body, with a realistic submachine gun on the bonnet. The 4x4 club — one of more than 100 clubs represented at Cars in the Park this year — had a display of mainly new, perfectly turned-out vehicles. Many of them were fitted with desirable off-road gear such as roof racks. A huge contingent of this display was made up of Suzuki Jimnys. All in all, it was another wonderful edition of Cars in the Park.
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
VIDEO: MG Cyberster reignites iconic brand's wow factor of old
All-electric two-door roadster brings supercar performance to the table at a fraction of the price. The adage that 'timing is everything' could not be more applicable to MG's recent return to South Africa. If the Chinese-owned iconic British marque's local re-entry was any sooner, it would have struggled to stand out with only SUVs to offer. This space is so saturated with models from the Far East that all of them are starting to look like copy-and-paste jobs from an SUV design app. But the 101-year-old carmaker had an ace up its sleeve in the form of the MG Cyberster, the world's first all-electric, two-seater, soft-top sports car. The R1.4-million niche ride is never going to be a volume seller stimulating the brand's cash flow. That is what its ZS and HS SUVs are there for. What the Cyberster does bring to the table is the kind of wow factor that MG cars of old were renowned for long before its ill-fated second local stint from 2011 to 2016. MG Cyberster a site to behold The Citizen Motoring can write books about the attention much more expensive exotic cars, we occasionally cruise around in, gets. Yet the admiration for the MG Cyberster clad in Flare Red paintwork we spent a week in was off the charts. Few things can match the sight of a car with scissors doors. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe Whether the car was actually penned at holding company SAIC's Active Design in London, an important reference to the brand's proud British heritage, or in China where it is built, the designers did a great job. In paying homage to the famous MGB Roadster from the 1960s, the Cyberster's electric-operated soft top, Union Jack-inspired taillights, sleek lines and stunning 20-inch machine-faceted alloys with red callipers set the scene for the ultimate party trick; electric scissor doors with frameless windows. Before the MG Cyberster, the rare sight of car doors lifting up was only associated with supercars like the Lamborghini Aventador and McLaren Arturo. And then only valets at polo clubs got to see them up close and personal. That is why the Cyberster drew the kind of crowds at did even at the local Spar. Onlookers had a tough time keeping their jaws up seeing the doors being opening and closing with a choice of three switches in and outside the car, as well as from the remote key. ALSO READ: PODCAST: MG banks on heritage to boost South Africa return Gaming-type cockpit The interior does an excellent job of not being outdone by the smashing exterior detail. Only offered along with the red exterior, our tester's interior was finished in red and black. This configuration comprises black leather, piano black and brushed chrome finishes along with red suede inlays on the sports seats, doors and centre console and a red leather steering wheel. The tri-cluster screen creates racing sim-type vibes. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe The cockpit feels like a racing simulator with the heated steering wheel set in front of a tri-cluster surround screen. The latter features a 7-inch infotainment system, 10.25-inch digital cluster and 7-inch driving information screen. Climate is controlled via a digital screen on the centre console which features alongside an aircraft-like gear selector. The infotainment system comes standard with Premium Bose sound played over eight speakers and Apple Carplay and Android Auto. One little oddity was that these do not operate wirelessly, while there is also no wireless phone charger. ALSO READ: Prices revealed as MG officially relaunches in South Africa Let's go racing You get carried away so easily by all the Cyberster's prettiness that you almost forget this is a sports car. And traditionally that means there are some serious horses underneath the bonnet. Or watts in this case. The Cyberster's 77kWh lithium-ion battery drives two electric motors producing a total of 375kW of power and 725Nm of torque. And even though the car weighs a tad under two tons, almost what a double cab bakkie weighs nowadays, it still managed to dart from 0 to 100km/h in a mere 3.57 seconds during Road Test Editor Mark Jones' test. That is the exact number Mark clocked in the Porsche 911 GT3 RS a few years ago. The MG Cyberster only needed another 11.06 seconds to reach 200km/h before the limiter kicks in at 208km/h. But enthusiastic driving with the Sport or Super Sport diving modes activated does take its toll on the battery. The claimed range of around 400km can come down very quickly if you have too much fun. The good news is only took half an hour to go from 30 to 80% at a 120kW DC charger. Why it makes sense Double wishbone suspension at the front and five-link rear suspension creates of solid ride that is not overly firm, albeit you do tend to feel the car's weight on uneven roads. The taillights resemble the Union Jack. Picture: Jaco van der Merwe There are four regenerative braking modes that allows effortless one-pedal driving. Augmented soundtracks is also offered to try and fool your brain into believing it comes from the motors. The MG Cyberster is so easy to drive fast that purists will probably scoff at it for lacking a soul. Or an engine and high-revving exhaust notes. They'd be right, it can never stir your soul like the said 911 GT3 does. But this car is not about appeasing old school petrolheads. For younger generations whose world is sculpted by what they see on their devices, the Cyberster is as aspirational as the MG roadsters of old were to their grandparents. And for recreating that, at a fraction of the price of a supercar, MG can take a bow. MG Cyberster test data
