IN PICS | Legacy of a South African's love affair with cars goes on auction

Louis Coetzer died in a car accident in January, but his legacy as one of the most respected car collectors in the country will live on as his cars go on auction next weekend.

Among Coetzer's treasures are two 1973 Chevrolet Ranger two-door coupés that bear the Springbok emblem on the bonnet. These vehicles were designed and produced in SA but the ones bearing the emblem stopped being produced after the South African Athletic Association argued copyright infringement over the use of the springbok, which already belonged to the official rugby team.

The family will donate the proceeds from the sale of these two cars to charity.

They are among about 140 of his 350 vintage and classic cars, most of them Mercedes-Benz models, that are to be auctioned online on Saturday by High Street Auction House as his family readies to say goodbye to some of Coetzer's most prized possessions.

Coetzer, 71, and his wife, Hermien, who lived in Bloemfontein, died in an accident on the Naude's Neck Pass in the Eastern Cape.

Auctioneer Joff van Reenen said since news broke of the auction, prospective bidders from Europe, Dubai and other parts of the world had shown interest.

"We are not just auctioning cars but we are passing on the legacy of one man to another generation," Van Reenen said.

"Coetzer was an extremely well-liked man and some people are looking at getting their hands on one of his cars simply because they belonged to such a legendary man.

"I have never seen such a collection and I get goose bumps just looking at this. Some of these cars are so rare that they are one of about four that are in the country, while others, no-one even knew they were in SA."

Many of these cars, some dating to the 1950s, had been kept in immaculate running condition and had fewer than 50,000km on the clock.

Coetzer had grown his fleet, which filled several barns, over decades.

His daughter, Lida van der Merwe, said while vehicles of all shapes and sizes may not sound like the stuff of dreams to most young children, for her, her brother Jan Coetzer and their sister Hermie Matthysen, the vehicles had held as much - if not more - magic than action figures or Barbie dolls.

Jan said he recalled that his father loved telling the story of how he, as a preschooler, decided to help wash a Cadillac - with steel wool.

"Dad didn't react negatively at all when he noticed; he simply handed me a soft cloth and suggested I try that instead. Even though the car had to be re-sprayed, Dad said he couldn't get angry at me as I had good intentions," Jan said.

Matthysen said school runs and family holidays became adventures.

"Sometimes we'd go on holiday in one car but end up driving back in two, because on our travels he'd have fallen in love with another one, or found a great deal," she said.