Pictures: George Old Car Show was a big success

The 28th George Old Car Show held on February 8 drew a large crowd to the Eden Technical High School grounds in central George.

Near perfect weather contributed to making this one of the most memorable shows in the event’s history, which has seen it cement its status as one of the country’s best classic car events on the annual calendar.

Just more than 12,000 visitors to the show were treated to more than 1,000 veteran, vintage and classic cars, motorcycles, tractors and farm implement engines. This year’s British theme saw the fields at the high school venue packed to capacity with entrants arriving from all parts of SA.

“The decision to switch from a two-day event to a one day show this year was a resounding success,” said Waldo Scribante, chair of the organising club, the Southern Cape Old Car Club. “Even before the show officially opened at 9am the fields seemed to be filling up with spectators and they remained packed all day right up until closing time at 6pm.”

The British theme resulted in more British-built cars streaming into the grounds than ever before and many of these classics were getting their first exposure to the greater classic car audience.

There was support from the likes of MG, Triumph, Austin Healey, Morris, Austin, and more exotic makes such as Aston Martin, Jensen, Morgan and the likes of Mini Coopers and British Fords such as Anglias and Cortinas, Vauxhalls and other workaday classics from various eras, starting with the tiny Austin Seven examples from the 1920s.

For many showgoers, the crowning glory was the magnificent Rolls-Royce and Bentley display on the top field, representing the “royalty” of the British motor industry. A selection of more than 20 of these expensive British motoring monarchs had been assembled from owners arriving from all parts of the country. These included Bentleys with famous Le Mans Heritage from the 1920s and ’30s and included a 4.5l Le Mans model that came from Cape Town and a Speed-6 example, representing the famous victory achieved at Le Mans in 1930.

The enthusiasm for the British theme also extended to other show genres. The Vintage and Veteran display showcased some British cars not often seen, such as the 1925 Morris Cowley Bullnose example, as well as a stately white 1912 Rover Colonial with a magnificent warrior-like radiator mascot. The oldest car on the show this year was a 1904 French car, a tiny single cylinder De Dion Bouton Model Q, owned by Tom van der Vyver.

One of the prize British exhibits was the pristine red Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk III, an ultra-rare 1958 model. Owned by Mark Barendse of Knysna, the car was discovered in the ’70s in Vereeniging where it had been used to cart hay back and forth on a small holding. It has been beautifully restored to original spec by its previous owner, Ron Hollis, and features an optioned, period-correct high-horsepower engine that includes a set of triple Weber carburettors.

Another rare classic sports car, that arrived unannounced at the show, was a mid-1960s Iso Rivolta, an exotic Italian supercar from the 1960s. It is the only one in the country and arrived in Johannesburg in the late 1960s. Iso was previously known for its diminutive Isetta bubble cars but built just under 800 Rivoltas which used a 5.3l Chevrolet engine in a stylish body, between 1962 and 1970.

As ever there was a magnificent display of cars from the Mercedes-Benz Club and these were located alongside other German marques such as BMW, Porsche, Borgward, Volkswagen and DKW. There was also an eye-catching Ferrari display, featuring among others a tasty 1990s 512 TR example.

There was once again an impressive turnout of tractors and farm machinery from the Suid Kaap Veteraan Tractor and Farm Implement Club.

The drive-by runs past the arena were well received and were conducted by country of car-origin. The British car drive, which closed off the proceedings at 5pm garnered a strong turnout, with several Morris Minors, MGBs, Triumphs, Rolls-Royce and Bentleys displaying the widespread presence and influence of British cars in SA over the past 100 years. One notable participant here was Vickee Fleetwood of East London, who was setting off from the show to drive back home in her unrestored 1959 Austin Healey Sprite, a frog-eye example that has been in her family since before she was born!

As ever there were a large number of American cars including a number of Ford Mustangs, Chevrolets, Ford Fairlanes and Valiants that owed their heritage to the American Chrysler group. It was good to see a few examples of “SA’s own car”, the Ranger, which was built by General Motors here in the early 1970s. The Ranger was essentially an Opel body with a Vauxhall grille and tail section and a few examples were actually exported by GMSA for sale in Europe.

The classic motorcycle display was extremely well-supported, and on the ride-by for bikes a number of eras were represented dating back to the 1930s, and featuring icons like AJS machines from the late 1950s, and superbikes from the classic 1970s bike-boom era, including a water-cooled Suzuki 750 GT three-cylinder model.

With over 1,000 participants this year, it is not possible to detail each and every one of the wonderful historic machines that put on such a memorable spectacle. As show co-ordinator Alewijn Dippenaar had remarked at a pre-show gathering, one should keep in mind that every single vehicle on the field at the show represented someone’s passion. Passion for old cars, motorcycles and tractors, passion for locating them, restoring them, and driving them, sometimes over long distances to be at the show.

The George Old Car Show represents a meeting place, a focal point for all that passion to mingle and energise. And the visitors to the show shared in that passion, spreading the word about a movement that is gaining momentum at a gratifying pace. And plans are already afoot to make the 2026 rendition of the show in February next year an equally rewarding experience.

For more information about the 2025 George Old Car Show and the Southern Cape Old Car Club, visit www.scocc.co.za