Yesteryear's classics at Motor Show

KNYSNA NEWS - The Knysna Motor Show, a one-day event showcasing top-quality classic cars, is around the corner.

A standout feature of the event, taking place on 29 April, will be the historical display of production sedans and sports cars only available in SA. These cars date from present day back to the 1950s and chart the amazing engineering and design ingenuity that exist in our country.

Lovers of these classics and classic cars in general will be able to view them on the Knysna High School sports grounds, where there will also be loads more on offer.

As promised in the previous edition of the Knysna-Plett Herald, here are some more of the SA classics that will be on show.

Marauder Sports, 1971-1974
The Marauder was a steel-chassis, fibreglass-bodied sports car built in Randburg in the early to mid-1970s by enthusiast Peter Meefan.

It was sold as a kit or in built-up form and was modelled after the Lotus 7, built in the UK and designed by Colin Chapman. Typically, Marauders were fitted with the popular Ford Kent cross-flow 1600cc four-cylinder engine, and Ford Escort running gear.

It is believed that over 50 were built. A surprising number survive today.

The incomparable Ford Capri Perana V8 of Basil Green.

Ford Capri Perana V8, 1971-1973.
Arguably the most iconic SA-developed performance car, the Ford Capri Perana was devised and built by race driver and speed shop owner Basil Green of Johannesburg.

This magnificent car offered “Ferrari performance” for a fraction of the cost in the early 1970s, and it was hugely successful on the race tracks too, providing countless wins for the likes of Bobby Olthoff, Basil van Rooyen, Koos Swanepoel and Peter Gough.

The basic ingredient was a hot 302 cubic-inch Ford V8 slotted into the body of a Capri 3.0-litre, with suitable mods to cooling, suspension, gearing, and also to the colour schemes, which were distinctive in yellow or red with contrasting black bonnets and striping.

Over 300 were built and sold to lucky enthusiasts in the wild and woolly early '70s, before the fuel crisis of 1973 bit hard.

Capri Perana V8s had a 0-100km/h time in the mid-six second bracket and a top speed just shy of 230km/h.

Chevrolet Firenza Can Am, GM's answer to Ford's Capri Perana.

Chevrolet Firenza Can Am, 1972-1973
They only built 100 of these cars, designed to do just one thing, which was to vanquish the nightly Capri Peranas. And they did just that, thanks to inspiration of race drivers Basil van Rooyen and Geoff Mortimer, who were closely involved in the development. It was Basil who specced the amazing 228kW Z28 Chevrolet V8 for this car, built for racing in America.

It was wild, fitted with a four-speed Munci gearbox with a first gear so tall it could almost run to 100km/h without shifting. It ran a verified 0-100km/h of 5.5 seconds; with a top speed exceeding 230km/h. Distinguishing features include the aluminium boot spoiler and Personal alloy rims, as well as a Personal steering wheel.