Choosing a headline act at this year’s Knysna Motor Show on April 28 is going to be all but impossible with so many examples of motoring’s great marques set to grace the lawns of the Knysna High School Sports fields.
The organisers, the Garden Route Motor Club, are expecting close to 400 cars and classic motorcycles this year, and because this show is by invitation only, each and every one of them will be special. A feature of this year’s show is that there will be a large contingent of supercars sharing turf with classic sports cars, vintage cars that are up to 100 years old and motorcycles.
So, no matter what your age or motoring tastes, there will be something extra special for everyone.
A snifter of what’s in store in Knysna on Sunday, April 28
Pagani Zonda 7.0 S: Yes, the only Pagani Zonda 7.0 S in South Africa, which should not be surprising, as only seven of them were built for global release. This example was built in 2002 and uses an AMG-massaged Mercedes-Benz V12 engine to deliver 405 kW, a top speed of 335 km/h, and a 0-100 km/h time in 3,7 seconds. It accelerates to 160 km/h from standstill in 7,5 seconds, these being otherworldly performance figures for the year 2002!
The Pagani Zonda the brainchild of Italian Horacio Zonda, debuted in 1999, and in an 18-year production run, just 140 Zondas of all configurations were built, making them one of the rarest of supercars.
Maserati A6GCS53 Berlinetta re-enactment: Just four Maserati A6GCS Berlinettas were built, the coupe versions of the A6GCCS roadsters that were well-known in competition in the early 1950s. The closed Berlinettas were built on request by a Maserati dealer in Rome, who had the bodies crafted by famous styling house Pininfarina.
The car on show is a re-enactment, using tubular steel chassis and a 4,2-litre six-cylinder engine, along with a four-speed gearbox. It was built in the Cape Province, after the owner managed to acquire the original 3D plans for the car. He convinced a Cape-based window specialist to make the wooden buck, and a local coachbuilder to form the body in aluminium over the wooden buck, in the time-honoured manner of those days.
The build took just two years, a remarkably short time, with the owner working in extremely cramped, single-car garage circumstances, often toiling by torchlight at night. The result is a re-enactment of one of the world’s rarest and most desirable classic Italian sports cars.
Lexus LFA: There are just three Lexus LFA’s residing in South Africa. This is a dramatic supercar embodying all that is best about Japanese engineering precision with a dramatic styling flair not always associated with the Lexus brand. The engine is very special too, a 4,8-litre V10, built by Yamaha, which traditionally carries out much of the specialised high-performance engineering for parent company Toyota. The car first debuted in 2010 and only 500 were built, making the LFA an instant classic. A power output of 412 kW endows the LFA with a top speed in the region of 325 km/h.
Rossion Q1: This is one of the rarer examples of supercardom in South Africa. The Rossion is an evolution of the better-known NobleM400 sports car, conceived by Englishman Lee Noble and built in Port Elizabeth by Hi-Tech Automotive in some numbers a decade ago. Lightweight construction and a twin-turbo V6 Ford Duratec V6 engine enable cutting edge supercar performance, with a stunning 2,8-second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed of 314 km/h.
Lamborghini Aventador Roadster and Huracan: These are the two iconic supercars from Lamborghini currently in production. The Aventador is the big daddy, more powerful version with 515 kW from its V12 engine, and an engine note to curl your toes. The Huracan is the baby brother, equally stunning in looks, with a V10 engine.
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL: It could be argued that this was the first volume-produced supercar. Together with its Gullwing coupe sibling, the 300 SL, produced between 1954 and 1963, totalled a production figure of some 3 400 cars, way more than anything achieved by the likes of Ferrari, Maserati, or Aston Martin at that time. Today it has been known for restorers to spend well over R10-million in getting these cars into concours condition. The 300 SL will be joined by a range of other iconic SL models on the field in Knysna.
Aston Martin 1934, Mk 2: This is a very early Aston, although the marque has been in existence for over a century. It is owned by Garden Route enthusiast Lew Baker, a former sports car racer and avid classic car collector. This car runs a 1500 cc overhead cam four-cylinder motor in Ulster specification that sees it cruise easily at 120 km/h and top out at around 160 km/h. Exceedingly rapid for a car that is 75 years old!
378GT Zagato: This car is another creation of the extraordinary Hi-Tech Automotive, the Port Elizabeth firm that builds Ford GT40, Cobra and Corvette Grand Sport re-creations for the US market. It has a classic front-engined configuration with retro-modern styling configured by famous Italian styling house Zagato. It runs a 6,2-ltre Corvette V8 engine.
McLaren: McLaren is a famous name in Formula One and equally famous for its modern range of supercars. The man who kick-started McLaren’s leap into supercar production was South African-born Gordon Murray. Expect to see at least one of the latest examples of the McLaren nameplate in Knysna.
Other famous marques
There will be a special Bentley Centenary celebration at Knysna, with some 20 Bentleys ranging from the early 1920s until the 1950s, forming a hugely impressive display. There will also be a modern presence from Bentley in South Africa, with cars like the current Bentayga SUV and striking Continental with W12 power likely to stop visitors in their tracks.
Morgan will be celebrating 110 years of this famous British company at Knysna, and expect to see renditions of the very early three-wheeler, as well as the Plus 4, Plus 8 and eye-boggling Aero models.
60 Years of Mini
Everyone loves a Mini, and the Knysna Motor Show will be celebrating the car that changed the world in 1959 when it ushered in the modern concept of a box-shaped car with a transversely-mounted engine up front, and front wheel drive. The likes of the Cooper 997 and 998 cc models will on display, as well as the immortal 1275 Cooper S. That 1959 launch date makes the Mini nameplate 60 years old in 2019!
There will be a host of pre-1945 cars including Ford Model T’s and Model As, Chevrolet Phaetons and Rolls-Royces. And there will be a (literally) huge display of American classics from the 1950s, “largely” courtesy of Kobus Mostert, who is obsessed with these evocative V8s from the days of Rock n Roll.
What else?
Have we left anything out? Better add classic names like Sunbeam, Porsche, Austin Healey, Triumph, Lotus, Mustang and Jaguar to your list. And Peter Lindenberg will once again display a wide collection of classic racing cars and Mustang go-faster bits.
The Parnell Bruce Collection, based in Knysna, will this year concentrate on Vintage cars dating from 1910 to 1936 while there will be a large contingent of classic motorcycles once again, dating back to the 1920 and running through to the classic superbike era of the 1970s and ‘80s.
Special Hotel Deals for Motor Show Weekend
In co-operation with the Knysna Motor Show, special accommodation deals are in place for visitors to the show. The Pezula Hotel is one of these, and you can contact them by clicking on the following link: https://pezulahotel.com/specials/knysna-motor-show/ .
The Protea Knysna Quays Hotel is also offering special motor show deals. Call reservations on 044 382 5005 and mention “Knysna Motor Show Special.”
The 2019 Knysna Motor Show is a one day event that runs from 9 am to 4 pm on Sunday, April 28, 2019 at the Knysna High School Sports Grounds. Admission prices are R50 for adults, children 12-18 will be charged R10, and children under-12 get free admission.
Provided by Knysna Motor Show
