Pretoria Old Motor Club’s Cars in the Park set for Zwartkops Raceway

Pretoria - Pretoria Old Motor Club’s Cars in the Park will take place in Pretoria on Sunday, August 6, 2017 at the Zwartkops Raceway.

Classics on show

Cars such as the 1950s Ford and Chevrolets will be on display, as well as supercharged Aurburns and 1930s Model A Fords.

The show is set to commence at 6am at the Zwartkops Raceway and will be the 38th running of the Pretoria Old Motor Club’s annual Cars in the Park extravaganza.

Close to 10 000 spectators are expected to attend the event and will hope to have most of the 2 500 classics parked around the track by 8am.

Organiser Frik Kraamwinkel said: "Obviously we will admit classic cars all day, but the idea is to get them in as early as possible.

"We also have over 100 clubs coming, and some of these guys drive newer cars, but the driver will have to bring proof of club membership along.

Otherwise, they’ll have to park in the public parking areas." 

Drivers of classic cars will have free entry along with one passenger. Any additional adult passengers loaded in an old Zephyr or Pontiac or what-have-you, will pay the full admission price of R100, while children under 12 will be admitted free of charge.

One of the special attractions at the cars in the park is that each year previously-undiscovered classics emerge from lockups from around the country and head for this giant motoring celebration.

Fans can also expect to see car clubs displaying their classics, with Mercedes-Benz, Lancia, Alfa Romea and even the Buick and Cadillac clubs showcasing vehicles.

The theme for the Special Interest Invited cars this year is “Zero to 100” and cars from each decade from the 1900s to the 2010s will be represented by special Fords.

Kraamwinkel added: “This Ford theme is also in honour of our association with the Lazarus Motor Company for this year’s event, which started in 1957, and started selling Fords as early as 1961." 

The Lazarus Group is celebrating its 60th anniversary at cars in the park this year, and the company, which holds franchises for Ford, Mazda, Jaguar, Land Rover and Kia, will also be showing its own unique collection of classics, as well as the exciting Roush Mustang.

There will be well over 100 stalls selling motor-related paraphernalia, food and drinks, and there will be special entertainment for children as well as adults. 

Wheelchair race

SABAT will host a Power Wheelchair Race at 2pm on the Kart race circuit next to the Zwartkops pits.

CEO of the QuadPara Association of South Africa, Ari Seirlis said: "This year’s Cars in the Park promises plenty of fun and entertainment on the day. The pride of South Africa’s national vintage and classic cars, a glittering parade of shiny muscle cars and motorcycles will be on display.

"As an event, the SABAT / QASA Race Day is unique and a fine example of meaningful hands-on corporate social responsibility. There is a genuine relationship between our organisation and the team from SABAT.

“SABAT has provided our members with free batteries for powering wheelchairs over many years, and you cannot put a price on the importance of mobility. But it is so much more than that. The SABAT Retail Agents link up with our members around the country and go out of their way to support their mobility needs."

The gates to the public open at 8am, and the show will run through until 4pm.