Ask any petrolhead raised on 1980s cars in SA which badge best symbolises performance and they’ll likely quote the letters GTi, GTV6 or XR8 or – if their family had deep pockets – 911 or 928. But ask the same question over in England and…
With the oil/fuel crisis in full swing and the world suffering severe economic recession, the period of the mid-1970s was not the ideal time for luxury and supercar manufacture and sales. Lamborghini felt the pressure and the firm’s ownership changed three times after 1973, including…
The South African automotive industry has been amazingly resilient and innovative over its history of more than a century. Recently, the industry has had to cope with the hugely damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Years ago, though, the challenge was making cars fit for…
Ford’s new car for 1962 was the Consul 325 and took aim at the inexpensive family car market with a brilliantly engineered package. Confused as to what this car is? We’re talking about the Cortina and more specifically the often-neglected Mk2 version, which if you…
Through the years South Africa has produced many talented racing drivers. Many could hold their own against the best in the world. Often these speed merchants would build their own cars and take on the best that the rest of the racing fraternity could produce.…
As a classic car kid growing up in the 1980s and early ʼ90s, all my information was pulled from dog-eared third- or fourth-hand international publications. Of course, the fancy Italian and German sports cars or aristocratic big Brits that filled the glossy sections of the…
With the 1956 Suez Crisis in full swing, Sir Leonard Lord of the Morris Company realised the need for a cheap, practical and fuel-efficient British family car. He set his ace engineer Alec Issigonis and a team of designers the task in October 1956, and…
For local enthusiasts, the names ‘Abbot’ and ‘Porsche’ go hand in hand. It’s no wonder, with John Abbot’s showroom and workshop having been a mainstay in supporting the famed brand for years. Even if you didn’t own one of Stuttgart’s finest, the perfect placement of…
Just over 30 years ago, on 18 November 1990, Mercedes-Benz ‘st – sport technik’ surprised the competition with its 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II racing touring car at a DTM invitation race in Kyalami. This EVO II was the first works test car to be…
My sister from PE forwarded your contact and article re old racing cine film. My brother-in-law is a classic car enthusiast and has refurbed many cars, including a couple of Lotus Cortinas. I am not sure whether you are interested in my recollections, but I’ll…