The past Two Years have been challenging for everyone due to the covid-19 pandemic. Not only from a human perspective but also economically and logistically. However, the Collectible Classic Car and Motorcycle Market showed their resilience in adapting to overcome the difficulties that affected everyone across the globe. What does the future hold for classic cars and motorcycles? A frequently asked question in the collector market, especially when it comes to classics.

In the recent past, we have observed a correction of the value structure of certain models and brands to a realistic level again. Vehicles from the 80s and 90s, and in some cases even from the 2000s, are enjoying great popularity. Classics – like many other things – no longer sell themselves. Whether it’s a pre-war or an elegant sports car from the 1950s, you must be present as a supplier both online and offline and offer and present the vehicles to potential customers using multimedia. Whereas 30 or 40 years ago you could reach a large part of the clientele with print publications alone, today you must play the media landscape more broadly and go where the new interested parties are.

But as we prepare for the coming Year here is a quick glance at what we got up to in 2021.

BMW Car Club May 2021

The BMW Car Club of Gauteng hosted a breakfast and lunch run after taking a break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The meeting point was the famous Pablo Clark Racing in Kyalami Business Park. They have the most unique collection of contemporary GT and classic Ferrari and BMW racing cars on display in their showroom and in various states of repairs and restoration in their immaculate state of the art workshop. One might think BMW Car Club visiting a Ferrari specialist dealership, however their passion for fast BMW's and race cars is just as visible as the Ferraris in their stable.

We were greeted with not one but two very special BMW Race cars, the Late ate Tony Viana’s Group One Winfield BMW E23 745i., the BMW E23 745i was only ever raced in South Africa (never internationally). The BMW E23 745i was a homologation special done by BMW South Africa at the Rosslyn Plant in Pretoria. It was originally built 4km from Welkom Racetrack, in Odendaalsrus by Tony Viana and Kobus van der Watt. It went on to win the South African Championship in 1985 racing against the Alfa GTV, Ford Sierra XR8 and Mazda RX7.

Sitting alongside the Group 1 car was also the Original Winfield BMW E23 745i Modified Saloon Car driven by Tony Viana. It was also built in Odendaalsrus by Tony Viana and Kobus van der Watt for the 1986 Season. They won the SA Championship in 1986, racing against the Ford Sierra V8 "The Animal", Mazda RX7 and Nissan Skyline.

After a full tour of the world class facilities about 50 BMW Club members headed to Aviators in Hartbeespoort for lunch and a couple of refreshments. Our choice of weapon for the day was our very own BMW 325is.

Ferrari Day Emperors Palace May 2021

Its official name is the Southern Equitorial Ferrari Automobili Club and is the oldest Ferrari owners’ club in the world, having been founded in 1967 by the late Pierre Kelfkens. Ferrari owners and car lovers converged on Emperors Palace on Sunday, May 16 for the Clubs annual Ferrari Day as Covid 19 restrictions started to ease. There certainly was no lack of enthusiasm with a wide array of Italian Master Pieces sporting the famous prancing horse logo on show including a F40, F355 Challenge, F430 Scuderia and 488 Pista.
Visitors also got to experience doing a lap of the famous Monza circuit in a formula1 simulator.

An awesome day just a pity about the lack of pre-event advertising.

Passion for Speed June 2021

The original date was moved from January to June for the Annual Zwartkops’ Passion for Speed and became known as the Winter Edition. While this one had a certain midwinter twist to it, there was more than enough to entertain race fans via live streaming throughout the weekend with limited spectators in attendance.

Featuring a range of historic racing cars, it's not hard to see why this colorful event at the circuit outside Pretoria has become one of South Africa's most popular race meetings. There are categories and classes for every one’s taste with the obvious emphasis on cherishing the Golden Era and Racing Cars of South Africa, from Pierluigi Martini’s 1989 Formula 1 Minardi M189 Cosworth to a field of historic single seaters, a splendid assortment of roaring V8s from Mobil 1 V8 Supercars to the ‘60s and ‘70s Legends of the 9 Hour Monsters, never mind giant-killing Historic to Extreme Supercars.

We once again participated in the event in our Datsun GX Coupe 1972 model in the pre-80 Historic Class. The event is not just about participating but also about wondering around the pits and getting up close with all the Famous Drivers and cars from bygone years. It is always a day filled with nostalgia and reunited memories of the past.

SA Torque Breakfast Run July

The meeting point for this event was at Tasha’s parking lot in Bedfordview. As we had never attended an event of this nature before and reside in the area not to mention that we were seriously suffering from the lock down blues we decided to give the BMW 325is a run as the end venue was the Rhino Park Airfield on the way to Cullinan. The meeting time was 7;30am we arrived just after 8:00 am to find over 300 cars squeezed into the parking lot. The variety was a spectacle on its own from Fiat 500 and Izeta Mini Cars to classic cars from every era to the latest super cars and not to mention the abundance of all the latest BMW, Mercedes, and Audi performance cars. The procession left promptly at 8:30 am and headed for the Rhino Park Airfield. The drive there was awesome with everyone obeying the rules of the road and staying in close convoy behind the lead car. Once at Rhino Park all the cars were parked along the side of the runway with tickets on sale for those who wanted to test or challenge their cars against similar model cars or just friends havening informal drag races in a controlled environment. The organizers had set up radars at the end of the km straight which gave the participants their top speeds.

A brilliant day in a controlled environment with everyone behaving themselves. The performance car culture in South Africa certainly has a massive following which leads me to think how many of these cars are going to become future collectibles.

Classic Cars and Coffee August 2021 Melrose Arch.

Cars & Coffee events are a worldwide phenomenon and welcomed by enthusiast owners of interesting cars as a new kind of easy-going motoring event. For just two hours, a huge variety of cars and friendly owners meet in a completely relaxed atmosphere displaying their cars however Classic Cars and Coffee is specific to a certain set of cars. This event had a cut off date of 1991.We had just acquired a low mileage E46 M3 about 2 weeks before the event and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to show case the BMW 255is and the M3 parked side by side. We arrived earlier enough to get a good parking place in the cordoned of road where the cars were to be displayed. After a bit of pleading and negotiating they allowed the M3 in as it was not old enough to be on display. The event was extremely well attended with a massive variety of over 50 classics in attendance from a Jaguar XK120 to our 1993 BMW E46 BMW. It was obvious that the COLLECTOR Market and Classic car owners had been starved of events that there were visitors from afar field as the Franschhoek Motor Museum to the who’s who of Gauteng.

Simola Hill Climb. September 2021

We had been invited to the previous event to compete in the Classic Car Friday with our Datsun GX Coupe but unfortunately it was cancelled due to COVID-19. So, when the event was rescheduled for September, we did not hesitate to jump at the opportunity to finally participate albeit somewhat different without spectators. The vibe was certainly not what the event has become famous for. In the past the Knysna Motor Club always held a Classic Motor Show on the weekend prior to the event which unfortunately did not happen. The Simola Hill Climb is the premier motorsport event in South Africa bar none. The variety of cars that test man and machine against the clock on the flowing, 1,9km track which is ideally suited to hill racing. The Classic Car Friday entries were not short of spectacular, cars from pre-war to 1985 taking to the hill.to conquer if. If You prefer the purpose-built wild beasts that enter to break records on Saturday and Sunday plus the classics this is an event that should be on everyone bucket list even as a spectator.

Great Train race September 2021

Heidelberg Heritage Museum and Reefsteamers century-old steam train "Susan" headed on a 48 km journey as the official escort for the day. The Heidelberg Great Train Race features an impressive collection of vintage cars, motorcycles, and aircraft. The event is held annually to salute a historical moment that took place in France in 1930 - a Bentley Sportsman Coupe beat France’s famous blue train in a 750-mile race! The event also celebrates the nostalgia of transport through the ages on the road, on the track and in the air. Visitors got to see these three modes of transport come together as the familiar whistle of the ROVOS Rail locomotive steamed into the Heidelberg Railway Station. Although the timing was slightly out the show remained spectacular and was enjoyed by nearly 2000 spectators. This 3rd HGTR welcomed visitors from as far as Tzaneen and Cape Town. The anticipation was on a knifes edge as the aero planes accompanying the train started to appear on the horizon. There were 235 cars ranging from 1915 till some modern sports and collectable cars,75 motorcycles with the oldest a 1909 Durkopp 500cc,86 aero planes and one stream train.

Concours SA POP UP Show Village View Linksfield November 2021.

Since the lockdown started the South African motoring enthusiast had little opportunity to get together for events and activities and because we work closely with the Concourse SA Team, we decided to take our Ford Sierra XR8 to the event unfortunately after collecting the vehicle from our warehouse the slave cylinder on the clutch decided to give up the ghost on the way home. So, plan B was put into place, and we arrived at the event in our recently acquired BMW E46 M3. Open to any automobiles launched before 2002 year ,57 collectible vehicles arrived on the day. There was a vast selection of models ranging from a Suzuki SJ410 utility vehicle and Rolls Royce and Bentley saloons right through to a selection of potent V12 Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Some of the crowd favorites at the event included an orange Mini Moke, a sleek Jaguar XK 150 roadster, two "Made in SA" 90s sports icons: the Opel Kadett "Superboss" and the BMW 325Is as well as the original James Bond-style Lotus Esprit from 1977. Best of Show went to a 1969 Dino Ferrari 246 GT, which has recently been the subject of an extensive eight-year nut and bolt restoration. Unlike the full-blown Concours South Africa competition, cars were judged simply on their kerb side appeal. "No Concours judging took place, Concours South Africa plans to host a proper Concours event in 2022.

Fearlessly Forward into 2022.We believe that one of the most important things in marketing classic vehicles is to establish the necessary trust. Classic vehicles are not new cars and therefore the art of marketing them is to create a high degree of transparency and security – attributes that massively facilitate the sale of a vehicle priced in line with the market.

Cheers,

The Year that Was 2021

Stunning Collectible Cars