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The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
My best moments have been in convertibles but sales are plummeting & there's a reason why
Driving with the roof down is the ultimate celebration of life... it's raw and immersive ERIN BAKER My best moments have been in convertibles but sales are plummeting & there's a reason why IN more than 25 years as a motoring journalist, I have tested all sorts of vehicles – from supercars to SUVs. I have been in all sorts of countries and on all sorts of circuits and roads. And it occurs to me that all the best moments have been spent in convertibles. Advertisement 3 What could beat cruising through London in a Bentley Continental GTC, roof down and V8 humming, as summer scents and city lights filled the warm evening air Credit: Handout 3 Mazda's MX-5 is the world's best-selling Credit: Getty Why is that? Well, it's nothing to do with performance or handling, given drop-tops come in all shapes and sizes. No, it's because driving with the roof down is the ultimate celebration of life – with the wind in your hair, the weather in your face, belting out songs at the top of your voice without a care in the world, your senses overwhelmed by the noises and sounds. It's raw, it's immersive. It's what driving is meant to be about. There was the time I found myself crawling up a closed ski slope in Chamonix, France, at the launch of one of the world's few convertible SUVs, the Land Rover Evoque (there's also the Jeep Wrangler whose roof comes off, or the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabrio, if you fancy the idea). Advertisement It was a very strange and massively fun experience, surrounded by the high, chunky sides of this 4x4, tyres crunching through the snow, but with blue sky above me and the warm sun on my face. Shame no one else loved it as much as me and it disappeared from sale. Thing of beauty Then there was the drive through London one August evening in a Bentley Continental GTC (it's a tough job), with its smart tweed roof furled behind the embossed headrests, V8 engine purring quietly in the twilight heat, mellow sounds on the radio, the city smells of restaurants, perfume, cigar smoke and life drifting gently through the yellow pools of street light. And of course, right back in a world before children, when disposable income was a thing, and responsibility was not, my boyfriend and I had a two-seater Mazda MX-5 in London. Advertisement It is the world's best-selling convertible, which we used and abused, as you do in your twenties, unclipping the vinyl roof on the move, throwing it back to land where it pleased behind our seats, before hurtling out into the countryside for yet another mini-break. Sigh. Recently, I had the pleasure of six months with one of the UK's two current electric convertible models on sale, the Abarth 500e (a hot version of the Fiat 500e). Ferrari releases NEW convertible with blistering 211mph top speed for £366,500 Electric convertibles aren't yet a thing because everyone has been concentrating on keeping the weight and price down and efficiency up for electric cars, to extend their range as much as possible, which means no drop-top. However, I hope we start to see more on sale as efficiency and cost improve, because driving along in silence with that little roof folded back was a thing of beauty. Advertisement It sounds cheesy, but you really do feel at one with nature, breathing in air that you haven't polluted with tailpipe emissions It sounds cheesy, but you really do feel at one with nature, breathing in air that you haven't polluted with tailpipe emissions, listening to the birds calling in the sky above you, the blue stretching on forever. It beats an air-conditioned box any day.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
My best moments have been in convertibles but sales are plummeting & there's a reason why
Driving with the roof down is the ultimate celebration of life... it's raw and immersive ERIN BAKER My best moments have been in convertibles but sales are plummeting & there's a reason why Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IN more than 25 years as a motoring journalist, I have tested all sorts of vehicles – from supercars to SUVs. I have been in all sorts of countries and on all sorts of circuits and roads. And it occurs to me that all the best moments have been spent in convertibles. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 What could beat cruising through London in a Bentley Continental GTC, roof down and V8 humming, as summer scents and city lights filled the warm evening air Credit: Handout 3 Mazda's MX-5 is the world's best-selling Credit: Getty Why is that? Well, it's nothing to do with performance or handling, given drop-tops come in all shapes and sizes. No, it's because driving with the roof down is the ultimate celebration of life – with the wind in your hair, the weather in your face, belting out songs at the top of your voice without a care in the world, your senses overwhelmed by the noises and sounds. It's raw, it's immersive. It's what driving is meant to be about. There was the time I found myself crawling up a closed ski slope in Chamonix, France, at the launch of one of the world's few convertible SUVs, the Land Rover Evoque (there's also the Jeep Wrangler whose roof comes off, or the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabrio, if you fancy the idea). It was a very strange and massively fun experience, surrounded by the high, chunky sides of this 4x4, tyres crunching through the snow, but with blue sky above me and the warm sun on my face. Shame no one else loved it as much as me and it disappeared from sale. Thing of beauty Then there was the drive through London one August evening in a Bentley Continental GTC (it's a tough job), with its smart tweed roof furled behind the embossed headrests, V8 engine purring quietly in the twilight heat, mellow sounds on the radio, the city smells of restaurants, perfume, cigar smoke and life drifting gently through the yellow pools of street light. And of course, right back in a world before children, when disposable income was a thing, and responsibility was not, my boyfriend and I had a two-seater Mazda MX-5 in London. It is the world's best-selling convertible, which we used and abused, as you do in your twenties, unclipping the vinyl roof on the move, throwing it back to land where it pleased behind our seats, before hurtling out into the countryside for yet another mini-break. Sigh. Recently, I had the pleasure of six months with one of the UK's two current electric convertible models on sale, the Abarth 500e (a hot version of the Fiat 500e). Ferrari releases NEW convertible with blistering 211mph top speed for £366,500 Electric convertibles aren't yet a thing because everyone has been concentrating on keeping the weight and price down and efficiency up for electric cars, to extend their range as much as possible, which means no drop-top. However, I hope we start to see more on sale as efficiency and cost improve, because driving along in silence with that little roof folded back was a thing of beauty. It sounds cheesy, but you really do feel at one with nature, breathing in air that you haven't polluted with tailpipe emissions It sounds cheesy, but you really do feel at one with nature, breathing in air that you haven't polluted with tailpipe emissions, listening to the birds calling in the sky above you, the blue stretching on forever. It beats an air-conditioned box any day.
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Bids amounting to R8m placed in auction of Shawn Mkhize's luxury vehicles to recover unpaid taxes
The Bentley Continental GTC (2019 Edition) were among the vehicles placed on auction. Image: Bidders Choice website Bids amounting to just over R8 million were made in the high-profile auction of luxury vehicles and a tour bus seized from businesswoman and Royal AM Football Club owner Shauwn 'MaMkhize' Mkhize amid ongoing action by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) against her and associated interests. The online auction, which ran from June 27 to July 2 on the Bidders Choice platform, was according to recent reports part of efforts by Sars to recover over R37 million in unpaid business taxes associated with Mkhize, the Shandi Trust, and football club Royal AM. Held under the instruction of a court-appointed curator, the auction included 14 lots, comprising 13 vehicles and one branded bus. Bidders were required to register with a refundable deposit of R50,000 and were allowed to view the vehicles in Durban and Bapsfontein. According to the auction site's website, bids were placed but the sales were still pending. Two lots were withdrawn before the close of the auction. The tops bids were: 2020 Bentley Continental GTC (2019 Edition) – R3,280,000 2014 Mercedes-Benz Marcopolo G7 tour bus – R2,600,000 2018 Mercedes-Benz V-Class Maybach bus conversion – R1,270,000 2018 BMW GT 640i – R305,000 2016 BMW X1 – R112,500 2012 BMW X6 xDrive 40d – R132,500 2019 Toyota Hilux 2.7 VVTi Single Cab – R170,000 2009 Nissan NP300 Hardbody – R40,000 2016 Volkswagen Crafter – R157,500 Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The auction followed a preservation order granted to Sars by the court earlier this year after Mkhize's business entities reportedly failed to meet their tax obligations. The Royal AM Football Club, owned by MaMkhize, is currently under curatorship, and some of the seized vehicles were previously used by the club and the Shandi Trust. The vehicles included a team tour bus branded with Royal AM's insignia. Sars has not yet publicly confirmed the final sale values or the total recovered through the auction. THE MERCURY
The Citizen
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Mkhize's luxury cars to go under the hammer
Mkhize's luxury cars to go under the hammer A TOTAL of 13 luxury cars and a tour bus belonging to Shauwn Mkhize will go on auction next week from June 27 to July 2. Mkhize, who was the owner of Royal AM Football Club, was investigated by SARS. Her La Lucia home was searched in August last year, after SARS was granted a preservation order by the Durban High Court. She allegedly owes the revenue services R37m in taxes. Related story: SARS confirms raid of La Lucia businesswoman's home Among the vehicles set to go under the hammer on Bidder's Choice are a 2020 Bentley Continental GTC, five BMWs, four Mercedes-Benz, two Toyota Hilux, a Nissan Hardbody and a Volkswagen Crafter. One of the Mercedes-Benz is a Maybach S680 limited edition – only 100 were made in the world – retailing at about R5m according to The football club is also back on the market after a deal between Global Investments and SARS fell through after the company failed to meet the three-day payment deadline. The reserve is R50 000 and the vehicles can be viewed in Johannesburg. For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook , X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
MaMkhize's luxury car collection to go under the hammer as Sars clamps down
Shauwn Mkhize whose assets, including fleet of cars, were confiscated by Sars during the raid earlier last week. South African businesswoman and reality TV star Shauwn 'MaMkhize' Mkhize is once again making headlines — this time over her flashy car collection, which is going up for auction next week as part of an ongoing legal battle with the South African Revenue Service. The vehicles, which include some of the world's most luxurious brands, are linked to unpaid taxes owed by her football club, Royal AM. A total of 13 high-end vehicles and a tour bus will be sold online through Bidders Choice. The auction will be open from 27 June until 2 July, giving car lovers and collectors a chance to bid on some truly rare finds. Anyone interested in placing a bid must first register and pay a R50 000 refundable registration fee. The cars can be viewed in person in Johannesburg or KwaZulu-Natal before the auction begins. Among the collection is a 2022 Mercedes-Benz S680 Maybach Edition 100, a vehicle so rare that only 100 units were produced globally. Similar models have been known to fetch upwards of R5 million at international auctions. This specific car still carries branding from Royal AM Football Club, the team Mkhize bought in 2021 and moved to KwaZulu-Natal from Bloemfontein, when it was still known as Bloemfontein Celtics. The auction also includes a 2020 Bentley Continental GTC, a car that easily commands a price tag of around R4 million. Another standout is the 2016 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen with ONYX customisation, a model that could sell for more than R2 million depending on its condition. A 2022 BMW i7 xDrive 60, one of the latest electric sedans from BMW, is also up for grabs and typically sells for nearly R3 million. Other vehicles in the line-up include a 2018 Mercedes-Benz V-Class Maybach Bus, several BMWs, two Toyota Hilux bakkies, a Nissan NP300, and a Volkswagen Crafter. The luxury tour bus, a 2014 Mercedes-Benz Marcopolo G7, is also part of the sale. The vehicles are being auctioned as part of Sars's efforts to recover over R37 million in tax debt allegedly owed by Royal AM. The club was placed under curatorship last year, and the auction is one of the steps being taken to settle the outstanding tax liabilities. This comes just months after a failed deal to sell Royal AM to an investment company. According to court-appointed curator Jaco Venter, Global Investments was selected as the successful bidder earlier this year, but the agreement fell through when the company missed the payment deadline. Mkhize has not commented publicly on the auction, but Sars has made it clear that the move is part of a broader effort to clamp down on high-profile taxpayers who do not comply with the law. For now, the spotlight remains firmly on MaMkhize, whose once-celebrated lifestyle is being picked apart piece by piece.
