AUTONEWS SOUTHERN AFRICAN VETERAN & VINTAGE ASSOCIATION 1

AutoNewS

Southern

African

Veteran &

Vintage

Association

HANS ZWETS’ MAGNIFICENT 1912 ROVER COLONIAL TOURER

IN THIS ISSUE – SOME EXCEPTIONAL BARNFINDS

Chairman’s Chat

Dear Enthusiasts,

Thanks to a bumper turnout, the 47th

SAVVA AGM was productive and

successful. Thanks go to the Clubs and

their SAVVA Representatives for their

support. The election of office bearers was

uncontested, (the new national Council is

listed elsewhere). Thanks to those who

have agreed to serve another term, and

welcome to a few new names, Gavin

Allison and Paul Koski.

Probably the most significant news out of

the AGM was the discussion and approval

of a new option for the scoring and timing

of Rallies that of GPS Transponder based

technology. A big vote of thanks to Pierre

Cronje and his team who have been

involved in the development stage, all at

no cost to the movement!

Red Tape has always been something I

have tolerated by working the system and

getting to know the best route through the

problem, but... The beaurocracy

eventually got to me recently whilst

organizing the International Vintage

Bentley Tour of South Africa. After

managing to negotiate a special Import

Dispensation, we were faced with having

to verify the credentials of SAVVA as the

Event is being run under a SAVVA

Permit. After presenting a document to

prove we are properly constituted and

registered and exempt from tax, the next

question was, “what is the physical

address of SAVVA?” Game over, to try

to explain that the Association as large as

it is, does not have an office and municipal

accounts to prove it was just too much to

explain!

The good news / bad news story is that the

National Rally for both cars and

motorcycles next year will be combined

with the 2016 Magnum Rally run by the

POMC, so start planning early for a

bumper event. The bad news is that I was

sad to hear that the Queenstown 2015

SAVVA National has had to be cancelled

due to insufficient entries. Maybe a

marketing lesson is to be learnt as there

were a number of people at the AGM

asking what had happened to this year’s

National.

Yours in Motoring

Dave Alexander

PLEASE VISIT THE SAVVA WEBSITE FROM TIME TO TIME AND KEEP YOURSELF UPDATED OF THE CHANGES.

National Council for 2015/6 -Peter Hall President -Dave Alexander Chairman -Gavin Allison Vice-Chairman -Jean Gobey Secretariat -Paul Koski Treasurer -Pam Hall Motorsport -Peter Hall Dating Vehicles -Peter Vlietstra Dating Motorcycles -Alex Duffy SAHRA and Auto news Editor -Sheridan Renfield Insurance -Brian Lawlor FIVA -Eric Mcquillian ITAC -Rai Heinze Trophies -Dave Alexander MSA

PLEASE SEND ANYTHING YOU WISH TO PLACE IN THE SAVVA AutoNewS. SEND DIRECTLY TO: alex.duffey@up.ac.za secretary@savva.org.za chairman@savva.org.za

OCTOBER 2015 2

No. 99 : Model T reverse pedals Whilst we appreciate not everyone owns a Model T nearly every club has a member or members who do have one so we couldn’t let article go past us. Thanks to Paul Hoogendoorn who has owned his 1922 runabout for years – and uses it regularly. (It’s rumored he bought it new!)

REVERSE PEDAL EXTENDER FOR FORD MODEL T 1909 – 1925 Having observed many a Ford Model T owner reversing their vehicle with more than just a nervous expression on their face combined with my own frantic experiences made me take a closer look at the problem. Reverse gear on the T has an even lower ratio than low gear, one should therefore be able to engage reverse on idle yet most of us perform the process at high revolutions and slipping the reverse transmission band on the drum. For those who have chosen to line their bands with Kevlar this can have disastrous results since Kevlar does not dissipate heat thereby causing the reverse drum which is very thin to overheat and crack. A piece of advice, never use the reverse pedal to slow down your T, especially if you are using Kevlar linings! Anyway, back to our ‘problem’. The reverse pedal is squashed in between the slow and brake pedals which makes it very awkward to depress all the way without interference from the other two pedals, even though it stands proud of the other two pedals. How did this come about? Well, the original 1908 T only had two pedals, slow-and-brake pedals spaced about 15 cm apart and reverse was operated via a lever placed next to the handbrake lever. This proved to be rather impractical and after car

number 850 it was decided to do away with the reverse lever and instead operate reverse via a pedal which was then, because of the design of the planetary gearbox, positioned between the slow and brake pedals. Only in 1926 did Ford decide to change the shape and spacing of the pedals to alleviate the problem. For the pre-1926 T owner there is the challenge to engage reverse without stepping on the other pedals. The slow and brake pedals are spaced a mere 15 cm apart centre-to-centre leaving only a 10 cm gap in between, less than the width of the average shoe. By the time you have engaged reverse you are also now pushing on either the slow or brake pedals throwing the planetary transmission into serious conflict with resulting straining and complaining noises. So what do we do? To avoid getting our foot stuck we depress the reverse pedal only halfway down and slip the bands.

Early T owners must have complained bitterly about this shortcoming and soon there were ‘reverse pedal extenders’ on the market raising the pedal by 1½ inches or 38 mm. Today there are replicas of these on the market and they come at a price, the Mac’s catalogue lists one at $ 34.75. Not wanting to fork out this type of money (as much as R700 landed here) I decided to rather make one. Using left-over bits and pieces from my workshop I made my own Heath Robinson contraption for the cost of one welding rod and a lick of black paint. Fortunately I had a spare hogs head with pedals to use as template. One afternoon of elbow grease later: The extender slips over the existing reverse pedal and is secured by a

small U-bolt. The pedal section is made from 3 mm flat bar shaped

similar to the actual pedal to allow the after-market pedal rubber to be used again. The slotted section fitting snugly over the pedal is made from 40 mm flat bar of 2 mm thickness. The two sections are connected using a piece of 40 mm flat bar of 8 mm thickness and the actual throw achieved is 38 mm. The extender does not obstruct one’s feet while driving, does not interfere with the car’s originality and can be fitted and removed in a jiffy. I have already made several trips to shopping centers and being able to reverse out of parking bays at no more than idling speed. It is now an absolute pleasure, so much so that I am now looking for opportunities to hone my reversing skills whenever I go out in my T! Before

After

Paul Hoogendoorn, 1922 Model T Runabout

SAVVA TECHNICAL TIPS Nos 99 & 100

OCTOBER 2015 3

No. 100: Fuel hoses

On a recent club run one of the participants mentioned he had a strong smell of petrol that wasn’t there previously. It didn’t take long to find the problem. It was the flexible fuel pipe from the fuel pump to the carburettor. It was past its useful life and was squirting petrol all over the place. The owner of the car was quite horrified at what could have happened to his pride and joy.

It turned out however that the rubber fuel hose he had used wasn’t fuel compatible – it was actually air line hosing. I think the lesson here is not to buy look-a-like fuel hosing which could turn out to be air line hosing. One must also be careful when buying fuel hose because the cheaper product cannot handle the petrol we currently use. The same applies to the clear plastic re-enforced hose – it’s ok when new but becomes hard, discoloured, inflexible and could leak later in its life.

The question is, where do we find top quality product? From the quality car dealerships, i.e. Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, Volvo etc. Quality spares shops usually stock it but be careful as the spares shop assistants often don’t know the difference between air and fuel line because they look similar. The fuel line is on the left in this picture. Viva La Difference

50 years of the MERCEDES-BENZ W108 Series Basil Chassoulas Member of BHVEC, The Piston Ring, VVC, HTA, A7CSA, MBCSA & TLR. basil.ecurie@gmail.com 082-851-3052

The W108 was a very popular model

in South Africa towards the late 1960s.

About 15000 were sold. The W108

was introduced in Germany towards

the end of 1965. The introduction of

the W108 was going to be produced in

parallel with the Fintail W111 series

two (see Classic Car Africa Magazine

Vol 5 No2).

The W108 is a four door family saloon

designed on the W111 chassis. The

suspensions and mechanicals of the

W108 are interchangeable with the

W111 although the W111 had the

smaller wheels. Body parts between

the two were not interchangeable,

although the body styles from a

distance looked similar. As I own both

the W111 & W108 they are very

similar in ride, with the W108 having

better breaking because of the bigger

discs in front. The W108 has a lower

roof and fender line than the W111

which makes it looks sportier.

The W108 first came out with a 2.5 &

3.0L SOHC straight six cylinder

engines called the Series One. The

engines were the same design as the

W111 had, but some were upgraded in

engine displacement and main

bearings. The engines were petrol

injected and normal aspiration with

carburettors. These engines were first

designed in 1951 as the 2.2L and the

3.0L. The models consisted of the

250S, 250SE & 300SE. In SA only the

250SE was marketed with the W111

of 230S.

The front suspension was fully

independent consisting of a large

cross-member with two top and

bottom wishbones mounted at four

points to the unitary body with a anti-

roll bar. The suspension was mounted

with two big rubber mountings on the

top and with flat spring steel plates at

the front of the body. The back

suspension was also fully independent

consisting of a solid swing axle with

two trailing arms. The system was

mounted to the body via the trailing

arms, a centre-pivot on the differential

and a short adjustable tie-rod between

the axle tube and body.

Brakes were of the double circuit with

disc brakes on all four wheels. The

brakes are always very good on these

models. Park brake on the back

wheels.

Steering is by steering box manual or

power with a shock-absorber in the

drag-link. Steering is very positive and

accurate with some under-steer at

normal driving speeds.

The cars came out with four speed

manual gearboxes and four speed

automatic gearboxes, drive take-up in

second gear.

OCTOBER 2015 4

The cars give a very good ride as it is

a heavy car of average 1.5T and lots of

room for four people to travel a long

distance. Three people can also sit in

the back comfortably for shorter

distances. The seats were covered in

leather with doors covered in Tex

Vinyl, fully carpeted floor. Ventilation

through the car is very good with a

powerful fan or air-condition.

In 1968 the Series two W108 was

introduced called the 280S\8 &

280SE\8, 8 meaning 1968, and the

other models fell away. Basically the

same car with the same type of engine

but 2.8L in capacity. An upgraded

2.5L engine. In SA only the 280S/SE

models were sold. The Fintail W111

fell away.

Engine power was from about 130bhp

DIN for the 250S to about 160bhp

DIN for the 280SE. Much more of the

series two W108s were sold in SA.

Two more engines were added to the

range, the 3.5L SOHC V8 in 1969 and

4.5L SOHC V8 in 1971, all petrol

injection. Power output was about

200bhp DIN & 225bhp DIN

respectively with automatic

transmissions. They were badged

280SE 3.5 & 280SE 4.5 on the boot

lid. These were not models assembled

in SA but some were imported.

There was also a long-wheelbase

model of the W108 produced called

the 280SEL which had a four inches

longer wheelbase for longer back seat

legroom. The 280SEL came out with

a 2.8L, 3.5L & 4.5L engines as well.

All W108 cars were discontinued in

end 1972, with the last sold by early

1973. The W108 was replaced by the

W116. The W108 series cars are very

practical and easy to work on by the

owner. All parts are available by the

Mercedes-Benz Dealerships. Most

service parts one can get at the bigger

spares outlets. If car is used as daily

transport and stands outside as well,

expect the car to start rusting by now

here in Gauteng. Rust can be repaired

and my cars need that now.

These cars come up for sale on a

regular basses and if the reader wants

to own one it is also advisable to join

the Mercedes-Benz Club of SA as

well. There are many members who

own this series in the club as can be

seen by the photos taken at Cars in the

Park Pretoria, Angela's Picnic and The

Piston Ring Continental day.

If one is going to rebuild one of these

cars, it works out cheaper to build a

basic model that is with no air-

condition, manual steering-box and

normal aspirated. 2.5L engines are

rear so use a 2.8L engine. If you want

to use a V8 engine of 3.5L, 4.5L or

5.0L from the W116, R107 cars is also

good, but use it with the gearbox that

came with the engine. Make the V8

engines normal aspirated as well.

These conversions are done mostly in

the UK, and work very well.

There is a lot of technical information

on these cars in many books that have

been printed. Information from the

internet, from forums, clubs and

Facebook. These cars have a big

following worldwide and are

collectable.

SOME VERY EXCEPTIONAL BARN FINDS

Bugatti Type 57s Atalante

A 1937 Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe

was discovered where it had been sitting

in a British garage for a couple of decades.

In February 2009 this unrestored car was

sold at Bonhams for 3.4 million Euros.

Only 17 Type 57S Bugatti Atalantes were

ever built. The car at the auction was

originally bought by Earl Howe, the

president of the British Racing Drivers

Club. The car passed through a couple of

different owners, then was bought by Dr.

Harold Carr of Newcastle, England, in

1955. The car was reportedly parked by

Carr in his garage in the early 1960s and

not run again until it was discovered in

2007, after Carr's death.

Shelby Daytona Coupe

Only six Selby Daytona Coupes were

made, but for decades, only five were

accounted for. Although all six cars were

flown from England back to the United

States, it was believed that only five cars

existed. Then in 2001 a woman in Ireland

named Donna O'Hara lit herself on fire. In

her locked storage shed, was the missing

sixth car, called CSX2287. Her father had

purchased it years earlier and left to her.

This is undoubtedly the greatest barn find

in the history of car collecting, as its worth

is valued at over $4,000,000.

Ferrari 250 GTO Lawn Ornament

A legendary Ferrari 250 GTO sat in a grass field in Ohio from 1972 to 1986. Amazingly, most of the town knew about the GTO and even Ferrari collectors had seen the car since the

OCTOBER 2015 5

very early '80s. It just took the better part of a decade for the owner to give up hope of restoring it and decide to sell it.

Million-Dollar Ferrari 166MM

This 1949 V12 Ferrari was left in a back yard in Arizona for 50 years before a Bay Area collector came across it and scooped it up back in 2007. It was valued at a cool $1 million.

The Original Citroen 2CV Prototypes

The Citroën 2CV helped put Europe on wheels after WWII. The original prototypes were so important to the French auto industry, that they had to hide them from the invading Nazis just before the war, and they remained hidden for nearly half a century before being discovered. A number of TPVs were buried at secret locations, one was disguised as a pickup, and the others were destroyed. It had been believed that only two prototypes had survived. . It was believed that the cars were so well concealed that they had all been lost at the end of the war. However, it would appear that management knew of their existence

since in the 1950s an internal memo was issued ordering them to be scrapped. In 1995 three of these cars were found in a barn at the Bureau d'Etudes at Ferté-Vidame. These cars have been kept exactly as they were found. These surviving TPVs were, in fact, hidden from the company's management by some workers who appreciated their historical value.

One of the 1939 Citroën 2CV prototype cars

A 1980 BMW M1 Le Mans Car

Marc Dürscheid always wanted a BMW M1. Unfortunately with less than 500 made in both racing and street versions, they were all priced well outside the 28 year-old’s budget. One day while searching eBay for M1 Scale models, he came across an interesting ad for an entire car body. The car body turned out to be only a set of BMW M1 body panels. He bought them out of a barn near Munich for 2,000 Euros. It turned out that the car was the genuine March M1 that raced at Le Mans in 1980. BMW the got wind of the find and offered to support the kid in the rebuild.

The Buried Dino Farrari

In February 1978 a group of kids were digging in the mud outside a house in Los Angeles. Just below the surface, they struck something that felt like the roof of a car. They immediately contacted the local sheriff. A small team of men with shovels eventually uncovered a

dark, metallic green, Dino 246 GTS (serial number 07862) from the loam. Investigators dug into the provenance of the Dino — license plate 832 LJQ — discovering it had originally been ordered by Modern Classic Motors in Reno, Nevada, but her new destination, as one of a 10 model allotment, was Griswald Motors in the San Francisco Bay Area. She remained in the showroom on Market Street only two weeks before being purchased and either driven or dispatched by truck 400 miles south to Los Angeles. The buyer was yet another of America's 46 Ferrari dealers, Hollywood Sports Cars. It is a dealership inevitably famous for its Ferrari sales.

In October 1974 the Dino was purchased by a plumber, Rosendo Cruz of Alhambra, California, as a birthday present for his wife. The wife drove it a total of 501 miles. Then, on December 7, the evening of their wedding anniversary, wife and husband visited the Brown Derby restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard where the car was stolen. Then 4 years later it was found underground. The house's then-current tenants (who'd only lived there for three months) had no explanation, and none of the area's residents said they had noticed anything odd happening at the house back in 1974. With no leads, the case of the stolen,

OCTOBER 2015 6

buried Ferrari fizzled soon after the cars strange uncovering. The unearthed Dino was returned to the insurance company, which would perform its own sorting-out process. More than 30 years after it was found, the dirty Dino remains unlisted on any Dino registry today.

A very rare Mercedes-Benz

A Porche Foreign Auto Dealership was started in South Central Los Angeles in 1967 by a German butcher named Rudi Klein. He bought one of the most valuable and historic Mercedes-Benz cars of all time, namely Rudi Caracciola's 1935 Mercedes-Benz 500K, after it was shown at Pebble in 1978. He took it to a Mercedes-Benz show in Newport Beach in 1980, and when it wouldn't start he loaded it on a trailer and took it home to his junkyard in Los Angeles.

When Klein passed away recently, his salvage yard was overseen by his sons, who did not allow anyone in to view the cars. Eventually the writer Michael Mratz spoke to folks who had seen the collection, and one said that there are vehicles people have sought for decades and thought had been destroyed. After gaining entry Mratz was astounded by what he saw there. Apart from the Mercedes-Benz 500K, there was also a pair of one-off pre-war Maybachs; one of two Iso Grifo Spyders (designed and engineered by Giotto Bizzarrini); one of 29 alloy-bodied Mercedes-Benz Gullwings; a

couple of BMW 502s and 507s; the last surviving example of the seven Horch 855 Spezial Roadsters ever built, a specimen once owned by Eva Braun that was for a time on loan to the Audi Museum in Germany, half-dozen or so Lamborghini Miuras, with their mighty V12 engines and many Porches.

The Onassis Miura

You have to be rich to buy a V12 Lamborghini back in the day, as Aristotle Onassis certainly was. You have to be crazy rich to buy a V12 Lamborghini, then park it under the Athens Hilton, and then just forget about it.

1936 Toyota AA

In 2008 a 1936 Toyota AA was found in a Siberian barn. It's the only one that is known to exist and the only pre-WWII Toyota known to exist. It's owned by the Louwman Museum now.

1938 Bugatti Type 57c

This supercharged Bugatti Type 57C Atalante has been referred to as 'the greatest barn-find ever,' and its story is certainly remarkable. John W. Straus, the grandson of the founder of

Macy's department stores, parked this Bugatti in a Pound Ridge, New York, barn in 1962, and there it stayed until earlier in 2007.

Mr. Nicotra placed the winning bid at an auction in June and immediately sent the car to his friend and preservation car expert Mark Smith, who confirmed the car's absolute integrity. After tending to a very few leaks and adding new oil, the engine was hand-cranked and sprang to life after 45 years. The only items that have been replaced, for safety's sake, are the tires. A truly unique Bugatti.

A beautiful girl and 1927 A.J.S. in Cape Town.

LATEST PHOTO FINDS

OCTOBER 2015 7

THE SHAUN TYLER COLLECTION, BENONI

In the 1990s a Benoni businessman, Shaun Tyler decided that he wanted to live his boyhood dream of starting a collection of Motoring memorabilia and Vintage cars. He initially stared collecting everything motoring he could lay his hand on and eventually he graduated to rarer finds.

Today Shaun has one of the largest collections on motoring memorabilia in South Africa, as well as a beautiful collection of memorable vintage vehicles.

Shaun Tyler with his vehicles and memorabilia in his museum in Benoni

A row of vintage motor cars in Shaun Tyler’s Museum

Above & below: Cars and bikes in the Shaun Tyler Museum in Benoni

One of the more than 20 old petrol pumps & few of the many old signs.

******************************************************************

PRIVATE OLD CAR COLLECTIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA

OCTOBER 2015 8

THE SAVVA EDWARDIAN-VETERAN RALLY 2015 8 – 12 JULY 2015 KNOWN AS THE “JOZINI RHINO EVENT”

At last the day of the rally dawned, and after two years of planning our club members were ready to welcome the contestants for the rally at the Mvubu Game Lodge near Pongola. The lodge overlooks a valley where the Pongola river flows into Lake Jozini, and at times many animals can be seen in the distance. All in all there were 16 participants who arrived – some had driven their vehicles from Arthur and Elize Duvenage’s farm, while others had towed their vehicles to the lodge. We were pleased that everybody could make it in time for the boat trip of which the departure time and point had to be changed because of the level of Lake Jozini which has dropped considerably due to the drought that is being experienced in the area. Our chairman, Andre Cronje, welcomed the visitors and introduced each club member to the group. He also introduced George and Jene Palmer who were the independent scorers of the rally, and Lawrence Lemmon-Warde, the “photographer”. George designed the computer programme which was used to do the scoring. The people were all taken to board the boat and set out on an extremely relaxing cruise which lasted about 3 hours. We were fortunate enough to view lots of game, even a rhino and her calf, and quite a few species of bird on the banks of the lake. We arrived back at the lodge at sunset and everybody got the chance to settle down and unpack. During supper that evening Andre briefed us all on the program for the next few days.

On Thursday morning early after breakfast everybody met at the Main Gate of the Pongola Game Reserve which was going to be the departure point every day for the duration of the rally. Route instructions for the first leg of the rally were handed out together with cooler boxes which contained bottles of water, juice and apples. The rally had officially begun with the first part of the route taking us through the Golela Border Post and into Swaziland to Big Bend and to the Ubombo Country Club for tea and scones. The first regularity check started from the Swaziland Border Post. On

the way to Big Bend there was a big “surprise” awaiting the drivers. A “roadblock” had been set up by the local traffic authorities! Each vehicle was “pulled off” and “checked for roadworthiness”. Well, needless to say, they found “out-dated tyres”, “too-loud hooters”, “no wipers” and “lights not working properly” on these old ladies. The drivers were then issued with a “spot fine” before they could continue. Some of them were furious but paid and carried on to Big Bend! We all enjoyed our refreshments and then left for Gerhardus Scheepers’s farm for lunch. What a pleasant atmosphere awaited us - There under the trees they had set tables and had a sheep and a warthog sizzling away on a spitbraai. Gerhardus and his family had prepared a feast which was really enjoyed by all. Thank you to the Scheepers family. This is when all was “revealed” – The “road-block” was a prank! The money which had been collected at the “road-block” will be put to good use. The police, having identified some needy families within the community, had undertaken to donate the money to the community. This sparked off much applause and all was “forgiven”. After lunch we all made our way back to the border and to the lodge where we enjoyed another superb supper together. Syd’s vehicle needed a little TLC en route though.

Friday morning started with breakfast and then everybody meeting at the Main Gate where the route instructions for the next leg were handed out. And so we set off for Coen Labuschagne’s crocodile farm where we met by him and shown the crocodiles he breeds. Thanks, Coen, for your time and trouble. From there we proceeded to Johan and Anna Horn’s farm. Johan collects and restores stationary engines. What a pleasure to see these engines, which were once in a sad state just lying around, being restored with such pride, love and attention! Anna had such a delicious spread laid out for us when we arrived. Some special photos were taken in their garden. Thank you Johan and Anna, your hospitality will always be remembered and is greatly appreciated. Then we were in for another treat as we arrived at Arthur and Elize Duvenage’s farm. Arthur has a big collection of vintage cars which he stores in a warehouse specially built for this purpose. He is so passionate about each car he owns. He also has a boat building factory. Elize had organized a lovely lunch which was really enjoyed by all. Later, after we had all made our way back to the lodge, we had supper and just enjoyed a relaxing evening together. One or two vehicles did protest a little here and there but on the whole these old ladies behaved very well considering their age.

PAST SAVVA EVENTS

OCTOBER 2015 9

Saturday morning saw us all up and ready again for the final leg of the rally which began after breakfast at the Main Gate. This time it was off to Charl and Elize Senekal’s farm near Mkuzi to see one of the top aloe gardens in South Africa. Charl and Elize have transformed their garden into a landscaper’s dream with hundreds of blooming aloes and succulents everywhere. Truly an amazing sight! Thank you, Charl and Elize, for the lovely tea and for allowing us to admire your beautiful garden. Then it was off to the Jozini Tiger Lodge for lunch. This part of the rally entailed quite an effort for the old cars and their drivers and navigators, because there were some rather steep uphills and downhills to negotiate. Quite a nerve-wrecking experience because there is always a lot of traffic on that road, and that day was no exception. Thanks to the local traffic authorities who were there to assist us! Two or three cars needed a push and a shove here and there but what a lovely sight it was to see them rambling up and down those hills! All the cars eventually made it to the top and everybody enjoyed a lovely lunch and once again we were back on the road to Mvubu. But, sadly, Peter Houston’s vehicle became “terminal” at the bottom of the last hill. The sweeper vehicle was called in and the car was loaded onto the trailer and taken back to the lodge. A little further on the N2 Des Lemmon-Warde’s car had a puncture which ended up in that vehicle also having to be loaded onto a trailer because the spare wheel also had a problem. One thing that is notable on these trips is that if anybody has a problem on the side of the road there are always enough hands to help and this was once again so in the case of these two cars. This is where lifelong friendships are formed.

That evening, being the final evening of the rally, the dress code for dinner was a theme called “Dr Livingstone, I presume?” It was great fun and very entertaining as everybody arrived in their “Safari Outfits”! The Best Dressed Period Couple trophy was awarded to the Van Niekerk family. Pat Biddulph gave us a very interesting talk and showed us some photographs which she had taken on a visit to Chitambo in Ilala, on Lake Bangeweolo, where Dr David Livingstone passed away. While we were enjoying supper we were able to watch a slide-show of photos which were taken during the rally.

The prize winners of the National SAVVA Edwardian-Veteran Rally 2015 which was hosted by the Vryheid Old Wheels Club are as follows: The Koekie and Trix Steyn Trophy for 1st position overall – Philip Kuschke and Chris Van Staden, trophy for 2nd position overall – Emil and Hannie Kuschke, trophy for 3rd position overall – Syd and Pat Biddulph. The Concours D’Etat – 1905 to 1918, The Greyvenstein Trophy – Ty Terblanche and Anne Boyce. The trophy for The Most Desirable Vehicle – “The Hall Trophy” – Ali Van Jaarsveld.

Well, all good things have to come to an end, and on Sunday morning after breakfast everybody said their goodbyes and soon the trek home began. What a great privilege it was to have been part of such an exciting rally and to watch those magnificent old ladies still perform so well despite their age.

The Vryheid Old Wheels Club wishes to thank all the participants, Catherine and Bertus and staff from Mvubu Lodge, all our hosts during the rally, George and Jene Palmer, Lawrence Lemmon-Warde, all the sponsors as well as all the local traffic authorities for adding to the success of this rally.

Submitted by Elise Lemmon-Warde

OCTOBER 2015 10

The 36th Magnum Rally took place in Mpumalanga on the 13thto the 15th August and sadly was very undersubscribed this year with fewer than thirty entrants. What a pity this was as it was a fantastic event covering around nine hundred kilometres of the best rallying roads I have had the pleasure to drive. Based at the Hotel Numbi and Garden Suites in Hazyview the event took the form of a spider rally with each days run starting and finishing at the hotel.

Before I share the rally it is appropriate to mention what a wonderful venue the Hotel Numbi was. It is still a family owned hotel and they could not have done more to make us welcome with the proprietor even entering the event in his Lancia at the last minute! For two of the days we enjoyed a picnic lunch supplied and served by the hotel staff at a great venue (Mac Mac Pools on the one day and Lone Creek Falls on the other) and my motorcycle had to cope with distinct weight gain following these lovely spreads.

The event was very well organised thanks to the experienced team of Leo Middelberg and Tom Linley ably assisted by Tom’s wife Sandra and Frik Kraamwinkel and others from POMC. There were four classes, Pre-1960 Motorcycles, Pre-1989, motor cars and the Touring (Open Odo) class. Day one took us over Long Tom Pass via Sabie then on via Lydenburg (Mashishing) down Robbers Pass via Pilgrims Rest, Graskop, Kowyn’s Pass and back to the hotel. Day two went in the opposite direction and included a brand new pass in the direction of Polokwane while day three went to White River, Sudwala, Sabie Lone Creek and eventually home.

The weather was perfect and what great riding and driving we had. The roads were good and relatively quiet by Gauteng and DJ standards and it was just wonderful to be out there enjoying our vehicles.

The VVC was represented by Pierre and Cindy Rousseau in their Austin Healey, Basil and Tessa Vertue in their Porsche, Dick Maizey on a Suzuki, Pat and Maggie Whelan in their Mercedes, Ian and Sue Carmichael in their Triumph TR6, Gary Berndt and Elize Cariston in a Mercedes and yours truly on a BMW motorcycle.

OCTOBER 2015 11

The results were as follows:

Older Motorcycles: 1. Roland Nance Kivell from Witbank 2. Martin Davies from the VMC 3. Kevin Walton from the VMC More modern Motorcycles 1. Gavin Walton from the VMC 2. Mike Ward from the VMC 3. Rikki Maizey from the VMC

Cars 1. Syd and Brenda Bret from the VVC 2. Una and Allan Schonken from Newcastle 3. Pat and Maggie Whelan from the VVC

Open odo was won by Gary Berndt and Elize Cariston also from the VVC.

While the VVC was relatively well represented on the event it is a great pity to have such a wonderful rally so poorly supported. At the end of every day’s rallying there were free Magnum ice-creams and that alone should draw more entrants for next year! Thanks to Ole for that treat.

Start planning now for the Magnum in 2016 as you really do not want to miss such an enjoyable event and I believe the Hotel Numbi want us back which is the cherry on the top.

Submitted by Ian Holmes

OCTOBER 2015 12

POMC’s CARS IN THE PARK

This year’s Cars in the Park presented by the POMC, once again was a huge success and surpassed all expectations. This occasion was the 36th annual Cars in the Park presented by the POMC. From a modest beginning 36 years ago, it developed into what is currently generally regarded as the biggest event of its kind in the country. This would not have been possible without the support and participation of the old motor vehicle fraternity as represented by the numerous old motor and classic car clubs that were present. The trouble taken by old car enthusiasts from all over and their willingness to display their vehicles at this event contributed to a large extent to this exceptional event. This year more than a 100 motor clubs from all over the country attended, exhibiting over 2000 cars. It is estimated that a total of 13 000 people were present, 7 200 spectators and 6000 vehicle exhibitors and passengers.

Most of the P.O.M.C. officials were on sight before sunrise, making sure that everything was in the right place and everybody knew what to do. It was great to see how many people mingled around, sharing stories of old cars and funny incidents they had in the past. It was so nice to see the sparkle of remembrance and delight in the eyes of a senior citizen when a special moment was shared. It was especially the P.O.M.C.’s main stand that attracted a great deal of attention. Apart from a number of very rare cars such as Alex Duffey’s 1934 Daimler Light 15 Sport, Kobus Mostert’s 1934 Packard Coupe, Paul Koski’s 1913 Cadillac and Ali van Jaarsveld’s 1912 Buick, there was an exceptional exhibition of beautiful early Fords – a 1906 Model N, a 1908 Model S, two 1911 Model T’s, two 1928 Model A’s, a Roadster and Tourer and Lieb Veenstra’s 1932 Ford V8 Tourer.

OCTOBER 2015 13

The Buick Club of South Africa with its Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac Chapters was celebrating its 15th year and they enjoyed being back at their old tarred and covered site. It was beautifully prepared and their display was probably one of the best on show. There were 18 pristine Buicks, including a 1908 Buick Model 10, a 1912 Buick Model 24, a 1930 Buick Dual Cowl Phaeton and beautiful examples from the fifties to eighties, as well as a number of exceptional Rivieras.

Amongst the 13 Cadillacs counted a 1938 Sedan, a 1949 Cadillac Coupe and other beautiful 1958 to 1970 cars. There were 4 magnificent Oldsmobiles and a 1980 Pontiac Bonneville Coupe on show – a total of 36 rare GM brand cars at one spot!

Spread out on the vast Swartkops Race Track grounds were so many magnificent cars with the 100 different clubs present, that it would fill a book to comment on each and every vehicle.

Many of the clubs present complimented Frik Kraamwinkel and his organising team this year for the much smoother access and egress. It made the day one of great pleasure and boded well for all future event.

OCTOBER 2015 14

CRANKHANDLE CLUB DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS Sunday, 12 July 2015

The Diamond Jubilee lunch of the Crankhandle Club at Kelvin Grove on Sunday 12 July was an excellent event, well organised, well patronised, the venue was well suited, the food was very good, the band was appropriate, etc. SAVVA’s congratulations to the club for reaching this landmark. The Middelmans summarized the event with the following note:

“To all those of you who worked so hard to make the 60th Celebration such a success, Thank You! It was a very pleasant affair and we enjoyed it very much. Love Mons. Ward and his rendering of “Little Boxes”. It reminded me very much of the “old” days when we were at Houw Hoek Inn after the commemorative run, with him at the keyboard and all of us singing 20s and 30s and 40s songs ably led by Mrs. White. She knew them all and I learnt the words from her! May the club continue to prosper and entertain”.

Vintage cars parked outside the venue of the Diamond Jubilee lunch Everyone enjoying themselves at the Crankhandle’s luncheon.

VCC’s GREAT TRAIN RUN, 4 July 2015.

A festive day was had by all on VCC’s GREAT TRAIN RUN on 4 July 2015. It started at the Kloof station and ended at the Inchanga Station. At Inchanga there was parking set aside for the participants special cars and a picnic was held. This was an outstanding event with all the thrills and fun of old cars and steam power.

Alastair cranks his Model “T” at the start. An old photograph of a 1921 Fiat 501 somewhere in the Cape.

OCTOBER 2015 15

The 47th SAVVA AGM SAVVA’s 47th Annual General Meeting held at the VVC Club House in Johannesburg on Saturday morning 20 September 2015 was productive and successful. The meeting was opened with a welcome by the SAVVA President, Peter Hall, who welcomed the many club representatives from all over the country. Probably the most significant news out of the AGM was the discussion and approval of a new Electronic/GPS based rally system for the scoring and timing of Rallies that relies on GPS Transponder based technology. Pierre Cronje and his team, who introduced the new option to the members at the meeting, was given the go-ahead to develop and implement the new system. He was praised for developing this new system at no cost to the movement! After all the office bearers delivered their reports, the Chairman Dave Alexander awarded the Chairman’s Trophy to Rai Heinze for the tremendous effort he has put into getting all the SAVVA Trophies in order in the past year. The POMC, which celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2016 offered to organize the National Rally for both cars and motorcycles for 2016, which they will combine with the 2016 Magnum Rally.

Peter Hall, Dave Alexander & Jean Gobey at the Main table at the meeting. Savva delegated listening to the Office bearers presenting reports.

Rai Heinze receiving the Chairman’s Trophy from the SAVVA Chairman Dave Alexander.

OCTOBER 2015 16

Crankhandle Club Chairman Greg Bjorkman and our SAVVA Chairman Dave Alexander posing next to the 1901 Benz in the Crankhandle Club’s custodianship.

An interesting old picture of B.S.A. cars & bikes taken at the CAPE TOWN B.S.A. RALLY in 1936. An old photo of a 1922 Buick Four Tourer

OCTOBER 2015 17

October 25 Studebaker Club Show Day SCC of SA Smuts House

November 8-10 Fairest Cape Motorcycle Tour CMC.

2016 KNYSNA MOTOR SHOW Well Spring is here and that means less than 4 months to Xmas and 2015 will be gone !!! It is also a time that we

start to think about activities for 2016.

The Garden Route Motor Club has just been doing that and we are pleased to advise you that the KNYSNA

MOTOR SHOW will take place on SUNDAY MAY 1 , 2016 . This will be a long weekend with the Monday

being a holiday . We have moved the Motor Show to the Sunday to allow out of town participants and the public

to come to Knysna and enjoy the long week-end. The Jaguar Simola Hill Climb will take place the following

week from Friday , May 6 ( Classic car Friday ) and the balance of the event May 7 & 8 . if you are a true

Petrolhead why not spend the week in the Garden Route , enjoying both events, having a look at the classic car

businesses / Brian Bruce classic car museum and the beautiful scenery of the Garden Route. A fantastic

opportunity for your car club to plan a tour !!!. Should you need assistance to plan this , please let me know and I

can certainly give you some suggestions. Contact Peter Pretorius - peterp@afrihost.co.za or cell no – 082 321

4724

Please diarise the Knysna Motor Show date on May 1 and the Hill Climb dates . I look forward to welcoming

you . More information will follow as our planning progresses.

SAVVA FUTURE EVENTS EVENTsEVENTS

OCTOBER 2015 18

.

CLASSIFIEDS

FOR SALE:

1976 VW Beetle 1600. Body needs attention due to rust R18000.00. Contact Margaret 031 765-2229 Hillcrest

KZN.

MGA spares. Fully overhauled standard compression cylinder head. New valves,new guides, unleaded seats

complete with rocker arm / tappets R5 000. Overhauled starter R1 500-00. Overhauled distributer (LUCAS 25D)

R1 600 New pistons (4 off) 1500 CC 20 thou o/size R 800-00 Period seat belts with correct fittings, these are shoulder

/ lap in grey R3 500-00 Trevor 083 6525151.

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1970 Ser. 1 Jaguar 4.2 : A reluctant sale! The time has come to down-size after owning it for 32 years. A rare

1970 Ser.1 S.W.B. Jaguar 4.2 litre with Manual + o/drive. A fabulously successful XJ-6 saloon. Full history. 5

plastic boxes of spares. Engine is 100% with a 65 PSI oil pressure and has Electronic ignition. Stainless exhaust.

This car is not perfect, work on the body will be necessary, but very useable. Asking price is R50,000.00

voetstoets. Open to offers. To view contact Bob Platt on 021 715 3884 Tokai during the day 9.30am to 4.30pm.

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1971 MGB GT for sale. Dark green. Sunroof and chrome bumpers. Body work has no rust. Perfect for someone

wanting to do up an MG. Asking price is R60 000 negotiable. Call: Colin Cromhout on 082 576 6392 or email

colincromhout@gmail.com

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Marchal Fantastic round spotlight from a Jag Mk II with a mounting bracket. May need rechroming. Asking

R500. Contact: Jonathan - jtn.flll@gmail.com.

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Model A Ford Parts

1. Model A toolbox 1928/29 -new. R2500

2. Luggage rack 1928/29 - new. R1400

3. Fuel sediment bowl 1930/31 - new R350

4. Emergency brake lever 1930/31 - new. R750

OCTOBER 2015 19

5. Radiator shell 1929. Old and in used condition. R75

6. Rear brake light 1928/29.Used condition for parts only. R200

7. Rear brake light bracket (Coupe/Roadster). Used but in good condition. R250

8. Spare tyre cover 21" Tan colour. New. R425

9. Spare wheel carrier. Not Model A. Could be Model T. Used but good condition. R? offer

10. Emergency brake lever 1929. Original. R350. Or nearest cash offer. Lawrence 079 746 8299

Buicks for Sale. 1971 Buick Riviera GS Boat-Tail, 1934 Buick Model 60 Sedan, 1948 Buick Super Sedanette and

1938 Buick Roadmaster Sedan. Prices on enquiry. Neil Marais at 0824174558 or djsandblasting@webmail.co.za.

1934 Buick Model 60 Sedan for sale 1971 Buick Riviera GS Boat-tail for sale.

WANTED I have just recently been given a 1936 Dodge sedan, but as you can see the car has been converted into a “bakkie”. Would you be kind enough to place an ad in the Auto News for me for a body for the car. Of course I would love to have a 2 seater body rather than the 4 seater sedan, but I will take anything that is offered. The condition of a body does not matter. I went on a 3 day sheet metal work course with Barry Ashmole in Stellenbosch earlier this year and am confident that I could work with just about anything irrespective of condition. I am willing to pay top dollar for a good 2 seater body, roaster or coupe. I am also looking for a 1926 Chev radiator and spare wheel carrier. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have for swap brand new headlight trims for a 1927 Chev and also for a 1928 Chev. I have one pair of each. I can supply photos if anyone is interested. Richard Edkins. PS. I am a member of both the QAC and the BVCC. Richard Edkins. Sel / Cell: 078 247 2400. Faks / Fax: 086 511 7543 www.fedsas.org.za

OCTOBER 2015 20

Wanted - 1980 Mazda 1.4 GLC or similar My name is Peter Hunt and I currently live in the Bahamas. I used to live in Port Elizabeth and my first car was a +\- 1980 Mazda 1.4 GLC four door hatch back, cream outside and beige cloth inside. I am trying to find a very good condition car like this, can you or can you recommend somebody to help me. If my old car or similar could be tracked down, that would be fantastic. All I know is that I sold it to a Port Elizabeth second hand car dealer around 1987, I know it is a long shot. I look forward hearing from you. Kind regards – Peter peter@pnhproperties.com. WANTED: Any spare parts you may have for a 1926 – 1928 Rugby / Durant as well as for a 1919 – 1924 Hupmobile Series R. I am particularly interested in sheet metal body parts in any condition. Also looking for 1922 Fiat 501 engine and gearbox. Please contact Retief Steyn at 083 28 9057.

My name is Alex Selley and I am a member of the Veteran Car Club of Western Australia. I have heard a rumour that there is a 1909/10 2 cylinder, 8hp Humber, apparently the same as mine, in South Africa. My car is the 1909 8hp model, photo attached. I would like to advertise in your magazine to try and contact the owner if this rumour is correct with the view of exchanging information and help. Alex & Kaye: alexkaye@iprimus.com.au. ***************************************************************************************************************************** I need a 5-speed gearbox for a 1600cc Ford Kent motor. Louis van der Merwe Tel:+27 (0) 21 658 3138. ****************************************************************************************************************************** 1. I am a collector of CAR magazines. First issue was in 1957. Any issues since then I will gladly collect. 2. I am restoring a 1963 Garelli Auto Cycle. All parts welcome. 3. I am restoring a Honda Dax 70cc from 1975 to 1980. I am looking for a carburettor and handle set. Please contact me Clive Parkes on 083 520 2655 or clive.parkes@telkoms.net . ****************************************************************************************************************************** Beetle Spares: 1) Speedometer gauge

2) Tachometer gauge 3) original fuel cap 4) Solenoid for the starter. Contact

Dan on denslin@rocketmail.com.

OCTOBER 2015 21

INTERESTING CARS FROM AROUND THE CLUBS AND YARDS

Ty Terblanche with his 1916 Model “T” Ford Len Schneider’ 1926 Hupmobile E2 8 Cylinder Roadster.

A 1940s Ford Bakkie seen at Piet Windpomp’s yard in Colesberg A 1948 Studebaker body seen at Piet Windpomp’s yard in Colesberg.

A Willys Jeep body seen at Piet Windpomp’s yard in Colesberg. 1924 Overland Four seen in Zimbabwe.