April 2018 300SL ROADSTER MERC’S REAL STAR
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BUGATTI TYPE 57T AUSTRO-DAIMLER BERGMEISTER JAGUAR XJ6 R49.90 incl VAT April 2018 300SL ROADSTER MERC’S REAL STAR THE MAGIC FORMULA SEMI-AUTOMATIC UNDER FIRE V8 MASTERS SERIES PORSCHE 911 SPORTOMATIC ROGER McCLEERY | 1939 SA GRAND PRIX | DJ MOTORCYCLE RALLY Porsche Classic_210x276.qxp_Layout 1 2018/03/12 12:27 PM Page 1 What’s your favourite: original or cover band? Porsche Centre Cape Town. As a Porsche Classic Partner, our goal is the maintenance and care of historic Porsche vehicles. With expertise on site, Porsche Centre Cape Town is dedicated CLASSIC to ensuring your Porsche continues to be what it has always been: 100% original. Porsche Centre Cape Town Our services include: Corner Century Avenue and Summer Greens Drive, • Classic Sales Century City • Classic Body Repair Telephone 021 555 6800 • Genuine Classic Parts www.porschecapetown.com CONTENTS — CARS BIKES PEOPLE AFRICA — APRIL 2018 NO FOOLING ABOUT FAMILY COMES FIRST... 03 Editor’s point of view 76 AND SECOND DJ Classic Motorcycle Rally 2018 CLASSIC CALENDAR 06 Upcoming events LOCAL & ABROAD 78 The Day of Champions NEWS & EVENTS 08 All the latest from the classic scene TOTAL WIPEOUT 80 Robert Kearns and intermittent wipers THE HURST SHIFTER 16 Starstruck WHEN YOUR SHIP COMES IN 84 The ins and outs of import & export THE YOUNGTIMER 20 Fun & finances READER’S RIDE 88 1958 Austin-Healey Frogeye Sprite LETTERS 24 Have your say GEARBOX 96 Classified adverts SEMI-AUTOMATIC UNDER FIRE 30 Porsche 911 Sportomatic PRE-WAR PASSION 36 Memories of the 1939 SA Grand Prix 48 MERC’S REAL STAR 42 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster THE MOUNTAIN MASTER 48 Austro-Daimler Bergmeister A POWER PACKAGE 54 Jaguar XJ6 STILL MAKING HISTORY 60 Bugatti Type 57T 64 THE MAGIC FORMULA 64 V8 Masters Series DESIGN THROUGH ENGINEERING 68 Charles ‘Spen’ King ON BIKES & MICS 72 Roger McCleery www.classiccarafrica.com | April 2018 | 1 Exotic Car Servicing & Repairs Mechanical & Cosmetic Restoration Custom One-Off Projects From specialist metal fabrication, Vehicle Interior Restoration welding, cutting, panel restoration and spraypainting, right through to glass restoration, auto trimming, electrical work and mechanical rebuilds. Everything is contained under one roof, and makes the process that much easier to manage and control. Give FUEL a call today to see if we can help you with turning your ideas into reality. EDITOR’S POINT OF VIEW www.classiccarafrica.com Publisher Zig Zag Publishing Tracy Cilliers [email protected] Editor Stuart Grant [email protected] Deputy Editor Graeme Hurst [email protected] Art Director Ronel van Heerden www.nineninetynine.co.za Contributors Mike Monk, Gavin Foster, Roger Houghton, Jake Venter, Sivan Goren, Robert Peché, Ronnie Grace, Mike NO Schmucker, Denis Klopper, Bill Buys, Ian Groat. Subscriptions & Editorial FOOLING [email protected] Tel: 082 330 3446 Fax: 086 568 0193 ABOUT Advertising [email protected] t’s no joke – 2018 is flying. It seems like Masters race car series. Although a lot newer just yesterday that we were putting the than most specials we’ve published before, www.classiccarafrica.com December 2017 issue to bed and here these machines were not only designed by a we are signing off the April edition. We are legendary local car constructor but continue Postnet suite 27 Private Bag X20 not complaining though, after all, time flies to display the ingenuity and purpose- Cresta Iwhen you are having fun. And fun is definitely driven traits so synonymous with South 2194 what we are having. It seems as if every African cars. weekend is filled with some sort of classic Gavin Foster catches up with the voice of motoring event, which not only keeps us busy SA motorsport, Roger McCleery, and Mike but also exposes us to unseen cars, bikes and Monk continues showcasing the land’s proud fresh restorations. racing heritage with a look at some unseen One such recent discovery is our achingly images from the 1939 South African Grand beautiful Mercedes-Benz 300SL cover car Prix. In keeping with this period he also drives which, following a two-year restoration, broke a 1934 Vienna Motor Show Austro-Daimler cover at the Zwartkops Passion for Speed Bergmeister, an elegant saloon that made its Festival in January. Besides the wow factor way to Cape Town shortly thereafter. that a car of such ilk carries, it also impressed I get to journey back in time with the with the level of local skill and research that technologically odd Porsche 911 Sportomatic, went into the build. Even more amazing was while Graeme Hurst enjoys a stint in one of the finding out that this work was carried out by a most underrated luxury saloons – the Jaguar group of youngsters, proving that the future of XJ6. Of course there’s more to fill the pages The publishers make every effort to ensure this magazine’s contents are correct. All material our cherished classics is in good hands. but I’ll leave you to browse at your leisure. published in Classic Car Africa is copyright and A similar thread can be seen in Roger We’ll be at as many of the events shown on unauthorised reproduction is forbidden. The opinion of contributors, as published, are not Houghton’s DJ Run report, where a 26-year- our calendar as possible so feel free to stop us necessarily the opinions held by the publishers or old rider came in fourth overall on a bike that for a chat and keep pointing us in the direction editors of Classic Car Africa. The publishers and editors make no representations, nor do they give was built 57 years before he was. of these uniquely South African tales. any warranties, guarantees or assurances, for any goods or services advertised herein. Our South African car feature this month revolves around the Killarney-based V8 Stuart www.classiccarafrica.com | April 2018 | 3 FRANSCHHOEK MOTOR MUSEUM NEWS LOVE ACTUALLY During March, FMM was pleased to welcome family members of former South the 1967 race in his Cooper-Climax when a misfire forced a quick pit stop that African motor racing champion John Love. Siobhan, his daughter by his third caused him to drop behind the works Cooper-Maserati of Pedro Rodríguez and marriage, was visiting Southern Africa from her home in Arizona, USA during finish second. John won the SA F1 Championship six times in succession from which time she visited relatives in John’s native Zimbabwe to discover details of 1964 to 1969, as well as winning the Rhodesian Grand Prix six times. her father’s background and motoring exploits. She then came to Cape Town to John died from cancer in Bulawayo in 2005, aged 80. The family thoroughly meet up with her nephew Bart to learn more of the family history, and together enjoyed their visit to FMM, Siobhan’s last port of call before flying back to with Bart’s two children, Samuel and James, the pair paid a visit to FMM to the States. view the large collection of John’s trophies and memorabilia that the family had previously donated to the museum. Siobhan was greatly impressed with what was on display, which included some of her father’s old racing overalls and a helmet. As a surprise – and to the delight of the boys – John’s Team Gunston Chevron was fired up in the display hall. John Love was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia on 7 December 1924 and started racing Triumph motorcycles before switching to a Cooper-Norton Formula 3 car. In the early 1960s he raced a Formula Junior Cooper-Austin in Europe for Ken Tyrrell. A crash at Albi resulted in a badly broken arm that effectively put paid to him racing in F1, but he did substitute for Phil Hill in a works Cooper in the 1964 Italian GP. During his career John drove a variety of single-seaters and sportscars. He competed in the SA Grand Prix from 1965 to 1972 and was actually leading DJ FMM SLOT CAR DELIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP The 2018 Durban The 2018 FMM Slot Car Championship got underway in March under a new format. There to Johannesburg are two categories, Touring Cars and Sports Cars, with modern and historic classes in motorcycle rally, the DJ both. The challenging two-lane track was designed by experienced slot car organiser Run, ended on March Jon Lederle. Competitors race against each other over two time-controlled heats, one in 11 – copy deadline each lane, and the aggregate laps determine the finishing positions. Points are awarded day for this issue – but to every competitor based on their finishing position, and a bonus point is awarded for FMM curator Wayne the fastest lap in each category. Harley was able to With some new competitors taking part, and established members having bought some text his comments new cars, the season got off to an excellent start with some very close and competitive immediately after taking duels taking place. In the Touring Car category, Joe Inus’s Fiat Abarth TC1000 was the part on the ex-Ian surprise package, taking overall victory over Pieter Venter’s rapid Jaguar XK-R and Mike Brodie 1934 Triumph Monk’s newly-acquired Zakspeed Ford Capri. Thys Roux set the fastest lap with his Maserati 350 3/1 sponsored by MC Trofeo. In the Sports Marius Malherbe. “Yet Car category there were another great DJ with no fewer than three very few issues to talk Audi RS5 DTMs and about other than me forgetting to turn on my GPS logger, and Jon Lederle’s car won getting a little lost on Day 2 when all went really well. Marius overall but only after an prepared the Triumph perfectly and it hardly missed a beat.