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As mentioned in a previous newsletter, following on from my attendance at the annual Schloss Dyck ‘Das Klassiker und Motorfestival’, two of my goals while in Europe was to visit the Abarth Museum situated near Antwerp (reported on in last month’s newsletter) and the Louwman Museum in The Hague. The Louwman hardly needs an introduction, boasting some of the best cars to be seen on the continent, yet even with such a glowing reputation I was still not prepared for what awaited me.
The museum is claimed to be the oldest and largest private collection of cars in the world. The interesting architecture was penned by the American Michael Graves, but this fine build fades to insignificance when you see the cars. One is led on a self-guided tour through a maze of corridors and rooms, each filled with some exceptional motor cars, memorabilia and art. I’m no writer and for me to try and explain in words the extent of what I saw would not do it full justice, but suffice to say it was the experience of a lifetime.
The Louwman collection was started by Pieter Louwman in 1934 and is still owned by the family in the guise of his son, Evert. There are just so many cars one could mention but what is remarkable is that there is such a variety of cars and so many one-offs. From cars built before the turn of the century to grand prix Ferraris, Maseratis, Bugattis and Group C Le Mans prototypes – the list is endless. However, the car that stood above all others for me during my visit was the 1903 four-wheel drive Dutch-built Spyker racer, which naturally carries pride of place in the museum as it has its very own room. No! It’s actually a pavilion... This was the first car to have a six-cylinder engine, four-wheel brakes, and not to mention the first petrol-engined four- wheel drive car ever made.
To try and mention each and every car and how impressive they all are would take up volumes. Everyone who has ever been to Louwman will know exactly what I’m trying to say. But for those of you who have not been, then a visit should make it your bucket list. And please don’t be fooled: photos and the Internet just cannot replace experiences such as being a few metres away from Taruffi’s 1948 Maserati or seeing your own reflection in the side of a 1937 Talbot Largo. At the end of this visit I was in total car overdose mode, and I must confess that when going through my 400+ photos when I got home I realised that there were cars behind cars that I didn’t even notice at the time. An afternoon is simply not enough time to visit this magnificent museum. You’ll need a full day – maybe even two. WH
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Two of South Africa’s motor sport legends, Graham Duxbury and Giniel de Villiers, recently hosted a fund-raising event at the Franschhoek Motor Museum on behalf of the Motorsport Legends Benevolent Fund. It was attended by members of the public keen to meet the two greats as well as having a VIP tour of the museum and its facilities by Curator Wayne Harley. Attendees were also taken on laps of the Plaas Pad circuit in Ford Mustang-lookalike V8 Masters cars piloted by Charles Arton and Marcel Angel while some experience a ride with Giniel in a Toyota 86.
Graham won the South African Drivers’ Championship in 1982 driving a March 78B and March 822, both cars prepared by the renowned engineer Ken Howes. He also won the Daytona 24-Hour sports car race in a March 83G-Porsche, sharing the drive with fellow luminaries Sarel van der Merwe and Tony Martin with sponsorship from Kreepy Krauly. Graham is the Chief Executive Officer of Duxbury Networking, a specialist networking distributor, and a motor sport commentator.
Giniel won the SA Touring Car Championship four times in succession from 1997 to 2000 with a dealer-backed Nissan Primera. He then switched to off-road racing and made his Dakar Rally debut in 2003, finishing fifth overall. He took his first stage victory in 2004 on the way to seventh overall and won two stages in 2005, ending fourth. When Nissan withdrew its works team, Giniel moved to Volkswagen, taking another stage win and the runner-up position in the 2006 event. Despite four stage victories in 2007, engine trouble dropped him to eleventh. Then in 2009, Giniel took overall victory in the demanding event. He finished seventh in 2010 and second in 2011. Giniel joined the South African Imperial Toyota team for the 2012 and 2013 events as a result of Volkswagen's withdrawal, finishing third in 2012 and second in 2013 despite taking no stage victories. In 2014, Giniel won the final stage of the rally to secure fourth place overall. Emphasising his versatility, he currently is contesting the SA National Rally Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing.
After the track experience everyone was invited to a fantastic lunch before Graham and Giniel entertained everyone with some fascinating stories and anecdotes about their Dakar escapades – Duxbury’s company is a sponsor of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Dakar programme.
The Motorsport Legends Benevolent Fund is operated by Duxbury, Giorgio Cavalieri, Peter Labuschagne, Allan Trim and Les van Breda, a group of like-minded motorsport enthusiasts who several years ago recognised the fact that there were tragic tales of people involved in the sport, in particular those of advancing age, who had fallen on hard times and were in need of a degree of emergency financial relief.
Over the past 14 years, the Fund has been in a position to provide welcome assistance to a significant number of people. Support is given in a number of ways such as a cash injection for subsistence, provision of chronic medication or, in the worst cases, funding to provide a decent burial. One of the most daunting challenges facing the Fund is to consider the plight of someone within the fraternity that is totally unable to care for themselves and is without family support.
Funding is mainly derived from the staging of events and individual donations to the fund. The Motorsport Legends Benevolent Fund is registered as a ‘Friendly Society’ with SARS and operates as a tax-exempt company. FMM provides valuable support for the fund including providing archiving facilities for an invaluable treasure trove of photographic and documentary material on South African motorsport. “It is always a privilege to work with the Legends Trust and help them in this wonderful cause,” says curator Wayne Harley.
For more information on the Fund, contact Allan Trim at alink@icon.co.za. WH
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Back on Heritage Day, FMM curator Wayne Harley was invited by the Classic Motorcycle Club (Cape) chairman Howard Boetcher to give a presentation. The club meets regularly at the Tokai Library where the guys get together and kick tyres, have a beer and, naturally, have a braai. Wayne presented the museum’s 1926 350 cm3 AJS G3, a bike Cranley Jarman had bought for £4.10s in 1934 and converted into a racing machine that he then rode to victory in the 1936 Durban-Johannesburg race. After his death, the bike found its way to the Heidelberg Museum where the great motorcyclist Hew Hollard rebuilt it and rode it in the 2000 D-J Commemorative Run. This little bike may not have the pedigree of the AJS G6s that won the Isle of Man TT back in the day but it won over the guys at the CMCC in a very big way and will always be remembered as the bike that won the very last D-J in period. WH
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OIL RAG RUGBY IN THE SIN BIN
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Earlier in October the second annual Oily Rag Run took place, starting at FMM and ending at Crossley & Webb in Cape Town. Organised by FMM consultant engineer Dickon Daggitt, the event is for pre-1966 unrestored cars and the 122-km route took the entries from Franschhoek through Klapmuts out towards Philadelphia then through Durbanville on to Table View before running along the Bloubergstrand coastline to Cape Town.
Fourteen vehicles took part comprised a 1927 Dodge (Michelle Hambly-Grobler), 1929 Dodge (John Ryall), 1934 Ford Tudor (Richard Middlemann), 1936 Armstrong-Siddeley (Peter Truter), 1948 Chev Fleetmaster (Hilton Franz), 1949 Chev Fleetmaster (Jeremy Schaffer), 1951 Riley RMB (Edgar Bisschop), 1953 Austin Champ (Nick Middlemann), 1957 Morris Oxford (Adrian Denness), 1958 VW Beetle (Adriaan Louw), 1958 VW Kombi (Jason Furness), 1959 Austin-Healey 100/6 (Roddy Mills) and 1965 Sunbeam Alpine (Toeks Cross). The 1928 Rugby Tourer entered by FMM and crewed by Donny Tarentaal and Wenstley Witcomb sadly did not finish – a fuel problem proved elusive to locate on the side of the road but was quickly resolved once back at FMM. As a result, the crew brandished a yellow card...
Overall winner and recipient of the FMM-sponsored trophy was Michelle Hambly-Grobler in her Dodge, Michelle typically taking to the occasion by appearing in period dress. By popular vote, the winner of the Crossley and Webb Skorokoro Shield for the ‘most oily rag car’ (ie, the tattiest...) was Richard Middlemann in his Ford Tudor. MM
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An alphabetical series of short driving impressions of some of the museum’s car collection. This month we show a V for Victory while celebrating the 60th anniversary of a classic Swede.
The Volvo 122S – otherwise known as the Amazon – was introduced to the world for the first time 60 years ago. It had its première in the Swedish town of Örebro September 1956, the car differing greatly from the common perception of what a Volvo should look like. The shape had features drawn from Italian, British and American designs put together by 26-year-old Jan Wilsgaard, who went on to become Volvo's head of design for many years.
The new car was the company's second post-war model, following on from the PV444, and was named Amason – spelt with an 's' – after the fierce female warriors of Greek mythology, the Amazons. However, German motorcycle manufacturer Kreidler had already registered the name, which meant the name was unavailable in a number of key markets. A deal was reached to allow the Volvo model to be known as Amazon in the Nordic markets. Volvo then began its tri-digit nomenclature and the line became known as the 120 Series. In the rest of the world, the standard model was known as the 121, while the 122 was used for the sportier model. The estate version with a standard engine was called 221, while 222 was used for estates with the sports engine. However, the car is now known as the Amazon around the world.
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Between 1957 and 1959, all cars were painted two-tone, but from 1959 it became possible to buy a single-tone Amazon, with 1961 becoming the final year of production of two-tone cars. The 1958 Amazon Sport was developed for customers who wanted more power. Twin SU carburettors and a sportier camshaft helped increase the 1,8-litre B18’s engine power output to 63 kW.
In 1959, Volvo's patented three-point seatbelt became a standard feature in the Amazon – a world first. February 1962 marked the introduction of the estate version, which featured a horizontally-split tailgate. The sportiest version of the Amazon was the 123 GT, which borrowed its engine from the 1800S sports car. The 123 GT was launched as a 1967 model, offering 86 kW and overdrive.
Product development on the Amazon continued despite the introduction of the Volvo 140 Series in 1966. Both the Amazon and the 140 Series received the new 2.0-litre B20 engine for their respective 1969 iterations. The bigger capacity provided a slight increase in power and higher torque at lower revs.
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Between 1957 and 1959, all cars were painted two-tone, but from 1959 it became possible to buy a single-tone Amazon, with 1961 becoming the final year of production of two-tone cars. The 1958 Amazon Sport was developed for customers who wanted more power. Twin SU carburettors and a sportier camshaft helped increase the 1,8-litre B18’s engine power output to 63 kW.
In 1959, Volvo's patented three-point seatbelt became a standard feature in the Amazon – a world first. February 1962 marked the introduction of the estate version, which featured a horizontally-split tailgate. The sportiest version of the Amazon was the 123 GT, which borrowed its engine from the 1800S sports car. The 123 GT was launched as a 1967 model, offering 86 kW and overdrive.
Product development on the Amazon continued despite the introduction of the Volvo 140 Series in 1966. Both the Amazon and the 140 Series received the new 2.0-litre B20 engine for their respective 1969 iterations. The bigger capacity provided a slight increase in power and higher torque at lower revs.
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A total of 667 791 Amazons were built between 1956 and 1970, making it Volvo's most manufactured model at that point in time. The Amazon was responsible for turning Volvo's attention from the domestic market to export markets – around 60% were sold outside of Sweden. It was also the first Volvo to be assembled outside of Sweden. In 1963, a plant in Halifax, Canada built cars for the North American market. Later, Motor Assemblies Ltd of Durban began manufacturing the car. However, Volvo’s biggest investment was in the Belgian city of Ghent, which began with an initial capacity of 14 000 cars per year. On 3 July 1970, the last Amazon was built at another Volvo plant in Torslanda. It was dark blue and was driven straight into the collection of cars that later became the Volvo Museum. However, the last Amazon to be assembled in the world was made in South Africa on 18 December 1970.
FMM’s 1970 122S Amazon was built at Motor Assemblies in Durban in 1970 and thus is one of the last – coincidentally it is painted dark blue. It cost R2 825 and 1 555 examples were sold in this final year. The B20B 1 986 cm3 engine fitted to the 122S delivered 88 kW at 5 800 r/min and 166 N.m of torque at 3 500, and was mated with a four-speed all-synchro manual gearbox. (There was also a 122 model with a B20A engine that produced 67 kW.) The B20B carried over into the 140 Series Volvos.
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The 122 was very successful in local motorsport under the Lawson Motors banner. Francis Tucker and Raggy Schjolberg won the 1966 SA Rally Championship in a Volvo 122S, and in 1967 Jan Hettema and Robbie Broekmeyer repeated the feat. In
1966, Hettema and Christo Swanepoel participated in the Monte Carlo Rally with a 122S and the following year Hettema also won the inaugural Roof of Africa Rally also in a 122S. During this time, the 122S scored class and Index of Performance wins in the legendary Kyalami 9-Hour Endurance races. Volvo won the Manufacturers’ Category of the SA Rally Championship in 1968 and 1969.
Sturdy, well-built and bearing the patina of time, the Amazon 122S is one of those immediately inviting cars drive. Suspended on double wishbones up front and trailing arms at the rear, the car provides a comfortable good ride and secure handling. Servo-assisted all-disc brakes provide plenty of stopping power: a CAR magazine road test recorded a 10-stop average time of 2,9 seconds from 80 km/h. Straight-line stability is impressive, too, the big plastic steering wheel reasonably weighted, with four turns lock to lock. Er, what’s this? Oh, the badge is upside down... With 3% more power and a 9% increase in torque at 500 r/min less than the B18, the engine pulls well and emits a slightly throaty burble. Performance-wise, the test car achieved 0-100 km/h in 11,7 seconds and reached a top speed of 162 km/h.
It is easy to understand why the car was so popular. It still turns head after six decades and possesses timeless style and charm. The Amazon remains as one of the most iconic models in Volvo's history, and deservedly so. MM
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Motor Museum will be held on 22 and 23 October. Few places other than Anthonij Rupert Wyne’s L’Ormarins estate allow for the friendly meeting of cars and wine, and at MMF@FMM car lovers and movie fans can combine their passions and relive the drive-in (indoors!) experience by watching motor-themed movies while seated in a classic 1930s, ’40s or ’50s car from the museum’s famous collection.
The two-day festival includes four movie screenings, presented in a way that could only be possible at a motor museum on a wine farm. Festival goers will get to view the automotive exhibition – including a display of cars with links to well-loved movies – taste wines from the Anthonij Rupert range, enjoy a movie screening from the seat of a special car (glass of wine in hand) and round off the experience with a roadhouse burger and gourmet milkshake in the museum’s Pitstop Café.
The movies selected for screening are:
- The original The Italian Job (1969), loved for its car chase involving three Minis and starring Michael Caine and Noël Coward.
- Vanishing Point (1971) that brings together Barry Newman, a collection of counter culture characters and a white Dodge Challenger in an epic 15-hour race.
- Midnight Run (1988) features a host of American cars, from a Ford Crown Victoria to a Chevrolet Caprice, in a caper starring Robert de Niro as a bounty hunter on a trying assignment.
- Thelma & Louise (1991), in which a fishing trip gone wrong sparks a flight from the law in a ’66 Ford Thunderbird. Star-studded with Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Brad Pitt and Harvey Keitel.
For the lunch-time event, festival-goers arrive at 10h00 to view the museum’s cars as they taste Anthonij Rupert wines. At 11h00 the movie starts with everyone seated in a car. Afterwards, there’s the roadhouse meal at the Pitstop Café to look forward to. The evening event follows the same format and commences at 16h00 with the screening at 17h00.
Bookings are through www.webtickets.co.za . The ticket price of R395 includes the movie, the road house meal, a tasting of various wines and a visit to the motor museum.
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The annual Western Cape gathering for all Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile and Pontiac owners takes place on 23 October. The event will be based at the Croydon Winelands residential estate, near Kuils River.
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Oct 22: Extreme Festival Round 11 and GTC, Kyalami
Oct 23: Triumph Club Classic Centenary Run, Century City, Cape Town
Oct 23: Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Pontiac Gathering, Croydon Winelands, Kuils River
Oct 29: Classic Cars at the Mall, Tshwana Chinese Mall
Oct 29: Crankhandle Houw Hoek Rally
Oct 30: Studebaker Show Day, Irene
Nov 5: Inland Championship races Round 9, Kyalami
Nov 6: Cape Motor Show, Killarney Raceway
Nov 6-8: Fairest Cape Tour
Nov 12: Africa Endurance Series Round 6 and Power Series Round 9, Killarney Raceway
Nov 13: Japanese Classic Car and Bike Day, POMC Clubhouse
Nov 13: Crankhandle Camps Bay Hillclimb breakfast run
Nov 19: Historics Tour Round 6, Kyalami
Nov 19: 3-Hour and Border Historics Tour Round 5, Scribante Raceway
Nov 19: Track Day, Dezzi Raceway, Port Shepstone
Nov 26: Extreme Festival Round 12 and GTC, Zwartkops
Dec 3: Historic Tour regional Round 6, East London
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WHERE, WHAT TIMES
AND HOW MUCH
The Franschhoek Motor Museum is situated on the L’Ormarins Estate along the R45 in the Franschhoek Valley in the Western Cape, which is approximately a one hour/75 km drive from central Cape Town.
Opening hours are Monday to Friday 10h00 to 18h00 (last admittance 16h00), Saturday and Sunday 10h00 to 17h00 (last admittance 15h00) – the museum is open on most public holidays.
Admission prices are R60 adults, R50 pensioners and motor club members (with membership ID), R30 children (ages 3-12).
Guided tours are available upon request. An on-site delicatessen serves food and refreshments, while tasting and purchasing of the estate’s wines is also offered. Modern ‘charabanc’ rides through L’Ormarins to adjoining wine farms are also available.
Tel: 021 874 9000 Fax: 021 874 9100 E-mail: fmm.co.za Web: www.fmm.co.za
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