14-07-2025
Rare homologation specials to rev up 43rd Cars in the Park
The easiest way to understand the term 'Homologation Special' is to realise that these cars were built by manufacturers with racing or rallying as a primary consideration.
To race one of these special models, a manufacturer had to build a certain number of similar cars for sale to the public, so that they could be homologated by the controlling bodies of motorsport.
The reasoning was that, without such requirements, there would be nothing to stop a manufacturer from building a one-off special and then advertising its success as representative of the standard, road-going model. So homologation specials were normally built for general sale — but in very limited numbers — making them more desirable and collectable than their standard counterparts.
One of the first homologation specials was the Mk 1 Ford Lotus Cortina, built in England from 1963 to 1966. Inspired by Lotus chief Colin Chapman, it used a near-standard Cortina body fitted with a twin-cam Lotus version of the Ford 1,500cc engine. Special widened wheels, lowered suspension, lightweight doors and bonnet, trademark green side flashes, and a black-finished radiator grille completed the package.
The Lotus Cortina was never officially available in South Africa, but two of these highly desirable cars were brought in by Ford South Africa to race in the National Saloon Car Championship. The Lotus Cortinas you'll see at Zwartkops on August 3 were mostly sold in what is today Zimbabwe and later brought across the border in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1968 legendary South African tuner Basil Green built one of the fastest Cortinas ever produced when he launched his home-grown homologation special: the Perana V6, based on the Mk II Cortina. It used a standard 100kW version of the Ford Zephyr engine and was identified by a black stripe running sideways across the nose.
The most famous of Green's creations was the Capri Perana V8, introduced in 1971. Capable of 230km/h (at a time when the standard Capri 1600 GT barely managed 160km/h) just over 500 were made, and very few original examples survive today. They can be recognised by their black stripes, widened Rostyle wheels and Perana badging.
The Capri Peranas enjoyed huge success on South African roads and racetracks. Unsurprisingly, General Motors responded in 1973 with an even wilder car: the Chevrolet Can Am. Racer and tuner Basil van Rooyen masterminded this beast, which used a 5.0 l Camaro Z28 V8 engine in a Firenza coupé body. It could accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in an unprecedented 5.5 seconds.
Just 100 road-going examples were built to meet homologation rules, making the Can Am one of the most sought-after collectables in South Africa today.
As with the Perana, many clones have been built. Original Can Ams are distinguished by an aluminium rear wing, 13-inch Personal alloy wheels, and a white paint finish with black striping.
Rallying success was very much on Toyota's agenda when it introduced the Corolla TRD in the early 1980s. Based on the standard rear-wheel-drive Corolla coupé, this was an in-house Toyota product. Many examples were produced at the company's Prospecton plant outside Durban to satisfy homologation requirements.
In 1983 Alfa Romeo South Africa developed the GTV6 3.0, a homologation special that now enjoys worldwide status as one of the most collectable Alfa Romeos of all.
A year later, Ford South Africa followed suit with the Sierra XR8. A total of 250 road-going examples of this 5.0 l monster were built and homologated for local motorsport. Drivers Serge Damseaux and John Gibb campaigned a Presto Parcels-liveried XR8 against the likes of Nico Bianco and Abel D'Oliveira in the Alfa GTV6 3.0.
Fast-forward to the 1990s, and two of the most famous South African homologation specials slugged it out on the racetrack and the road: the BMW 325iS Shadowline and the Opel Kadett 16V Superboss.
Mike Briggs claimed the Group N championship in a Superboss at the start of that decade, while the 325iS Shadowline took the title in 1993. The cult followings these two cars generated for their respective brands are still very much alive today.
Car spotters will know the BMW 325iS by its BBS alloy wheels and distinctive bow-shaped rear wing. The Superboss is identified by its black five-spoke alloy wheels and bold 16V badges on the flanks and tailgate.
