Cool Britannia to rule the roost at 2025 George Old Car Show

25 November 2024 - 15:57 By Stuart Johnston
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A magnificent Rolls-Royce Phantom from the late 1950s.
A magnificent Rolls-Royce Phantom from the late 1950s.
Image: Supplied

At the 28th George Old Car Show on February 8, Rolls-Royce and the equally exalted upper crust British marque, Bentley, will be showcased as the headline act in a special commemoration for British cars.

A demarcated area on Field D at the show venue will comprise the large number of treasured classic Rolls-Royce and Bentley models owned by collectors from around the country.

Rolls-Royce has had a presence in South Africa going way back to 1910, when the first Silver Ghost model was imported as the official car for the governor-general of South Africa, Lord Herbert Gladstone. Since then, many Rolls-Royces were imported privately until after World War 2 when the Grosvenor Group were appointed as official Rolls and Bentley agents for South Africa.

If Rolls-Royce is considered the monarch, then Bentley can be perceived as the extended, swashbuckling, adventurous branch of “Britain’s royal motoring family”.

A 1936 Bentley during the drive-by past the arena at the 2023 George Old Car Show.
A 1936 Bentley during the drive-by past the arena at the 2023 George Old Car Show.
Image: Supplied

Bentley was established in 1921 and gained worldwide sporting acclaim for victories in the Le Mans 24-Hour race in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. Driven largely by upper-class British playboys, the company founded by WO Bentley was acquired in a takeover by Rolls-Royce in the 1930s, and for decades afterwards Bentleys were seen as the sporting variants of the more staid Rolls-Royce models.

“While Rolls-Royce and Bentley are jewels in the British crown, we will be celebrating all British marques in our 2025 show on February 8,” said Waldo Scribante, chair of the organising club, the Southern Cape Old Car Club (SCOCC).

“A large number of our members own British classics and we felt the time was ripe to give these cars their turn under the spotlight. In addition to our members’ cars, there are strong groups of British car enthusiast all along our coastline and these will deservedly be a huge feature of the coming year’s show.”

Pierre Malherbe's 1936 Bentley (centre) flanked by a pair of Austin Sevens.
Pierre Malherbe's 1936 Bentley (centre) flanked by a pair of Austin Sevens.
Image: Supplied

Recently SCOCC member Pierre Malherbe completed a 1,200km tour in his immaculate 1936 Bentley 4.5l four-door saloon, with Park Ward coachwork.

“The car performed perfectly for the duration of the Erfenis Tour to Tulbagh and back, cruising at 80km/h to 90km/h,” said Malherbe.

In 2024 his yellow and burgundy Bentley was one of the star attractions on the main field near the stage and this year he is looking forward to sharing lawn space with some of the exotic Bentleys and Rolls-Royces on the D field at the Eden Technical College grounds in George.

The first-generation Lotus Elan was perhaps the best Lotus ever produced.
The first-generation Lotus Elan was perhaps the best Lotus ever produced.
Image: Supplied

Now a one-day event

The other big news for the 2025 event on February 8 is it will be a one-day show. In previous renditions the George Old Car Show has been a two-day event, held over Saturday and Sunday, but over the years attendance on the Sunday has dwindled, in spectators and especially car exhibitors.

“The reason for the fall-off of cars on the Sunday has been that over the years many of our exhibitors have driven long distances to attend the show,” said Scribante.

“These enthusiasts more often than not had to retrieve their cars early on Sunday morning and head home for a long return journey. Consequently, on the Sunday big gaps were left on the fields so that by midday only a small portion of classics remained.

“We felt this was not fair for spectators who had planned to attend the show only on the Sunday, as they were seeing only half a show, or less. So for 2025, with something of a heavy heart, we are running the George Old Car Show as a one-day event. To compensate for this, we are running the Saturday show an hour longer than before. So the show times for spectators will be from 9am to 6pm.

Peter Cook displaying his Austin Cooper S at the media launch for the 2025 George Old Car Show.
Peter Cook displaying his Austin Cooper S at the media launch for the 2025 George Old Car Show.
Image: Supplied

More British brands on show

Apart from the ultra-exclusive marques, British cars sold well in South Africa and it is recorded that Austin was registered here as a make as far back as 1912. During the 1920s the diminutive Austin 7 was a top-seller as a city car and in the 1950s the Austin Cambridge was very popular. The advent of the Mini in 1959 saw the Austin brand gain many new followers as early Minis were marketed as Morris or Austin variants of the same cars, bar a few trim differences.

The Morris Minor that preceded the Mini remains a mainstay on the classic car circuit today, the most popular versions being the Minor 1000 with usable performance, excellent road holding and sturdy construction. British Fords were huge sellers in this country in the 1960s, notably the Anglia and the Cortina models, and the Cortina was among the top five sellers here for its entire model duration, ranging from late 1962 to 1983.

British sports cars have long been a favourite here among collectors and the most famous marque is probably the MG. The MG was produced from the 1930s to beyond 2000 in various guises. The most popular models are the early TC with wire-spoked wheels from the 1940s, the TDs with steel wheels from the 1950s and the MGA with sleeker bodywork from the late 1950s to the 1960s. The MGB that followed the A is probably one of the most popular classics in South Africa, with huge club support for these very usable cars from the 1960s and 1970s.

More upmarket cars from Britain include the highly desirable Jaguar E-Types, as well as the earlier XK models. The remarkably well-priced E-Type was perhaps the most desirable car in the world when it was launched with its sexy streamlined shape in 1961 and various versions will be on show on February 8. In 1961, the Jaguar E-Type was rated with a top speed of 240km/h which was astounding for its day.

The 2025 George Old Car Show will be a one-day event.
The 2025 George Old Car Show will be a one-day event.
Image: Supplied

Less mainstream than the Jaguar are the Aston Martin, always an expensive upmarket car, and the quirky Morgan. The Morgan was hand-built with a wooden frame for its sleek body and low production numbers saw waiting lists of up to five years for these retro-looking classics.

Decidedly unretro but rather cutting-edge in style and performance is the British Lotus sports car. Produced by F1 racing car personality Colin Chapman in England, the Lotus first appeared as a kit car, but later evolved through delightful variants such as the Elite and the Elan. Actor Roger Moore famously drove a submarine version of a Lotus Esprit in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy who Loved Me.

As an interesting aside, the British Royal family did not use Rolls-Royces as their official vehicles in the early part of the 20th century, preferring Daimlers. During the Royal Tour of South Africa in 1947 a fleet of five Daimlers was used for the tour. Daimler was eventually absorbed by the Jaguar company in the 1960s.

Rolls-Royce and Bentley are still producing cars today and both marques are on sale in South Africa. In a complicated deal in the late 1990s BMW took over the Rolls-Royce brand, while VW-Audi took ownership of the Bentley nameplate.

Up to 1,000 cars are being catered for at next February’s bumper event.
Up to 1,000 cars are being catered for at next February’s bumper event.
Image: Supplied

A large cache of classics to enjoy

Up to 1,000 cars are being catered for at February’s bumper event and, as usual, a huge variety of vintage vehicles and classics with origins from Europe, America and Japan will be on display as well as classic and vintage motorcycles, tractors, trucks, modern supercars and more regular modern cars.

For those out of town car exhibitors who might want to extend their stay in the Southern Cape region, the SCOCC is considering organising a post-show tour to explore the scenery in the Overberg Strand region, starting at the show grounds at 11am and extending over a few days. The traditional Vet Tour for Vintage motor cars and motorcycles built before 1930 will also be held in the days leading up to show arriving in George on Friday, February 7.

The motorcycle display has become more popular each year and the organisers are planning to have twice as many classic and vintage motorcycles as there were this year.

A wonderful 28th rendition of the George Old Car Show is being planned for early 2025. Scribante said pre-booking of tickets will again be encouraged through iTickets at a price of R125 for adults, R100 for pensioners and children accompanied by adults admitted free of charge.


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