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There are many motoring enthusiasts who are convinced that the Knysna Motor Show can now claim to be the premier car show in South Africa. A perfect setting within a stone’s throw of the Knysna lagoon, brilliant organisation by the Garden Route Motor Club, and a turn-out of the country’s premier classic machinery have contributed to this widely-held view.
This year’s show on Sunday April 28, 2019, promises to be the best yet in the event’s eight-year history.
A look down the list of entries for this year’s show is mouth-watering for anyone who has even a passing interest in motoring. All the great names will be present on the lawns of the Knysna High School Sports Grounds. And what’s more, there will be cars and motorcycles of every era and genre that will appeal to a wide range of tastes. This year’s Knysna Motor Show is history in the making!
Supercars
The 2019 line-up of modern supercars reads like a who’s who in the world of exotic machinery.
Show stoppers will be the rarely seen Pagani Zonda, Lamborghini Aventador and Lexus LFA. The list is endless with Ferraris, a McLaren MP4-12C, Aston Martins, a Maserati A6GCS replica, a Zagato AC 378 GT, a pair of Mercedes-AMG SLS and a number of special Porsche 911 models. And there will be a stunning line-up of six Mercedes-Benz 300 SLs from the 1950s, the car that many experts believe gave birth to the modern idea of a supercar! These Teutonic masterpieces will be backed up by no less than 10 of the exceedingly elegant 190 SLs from the same era.
Image: Motorpress
A centenary of Bentleys
The Bentley Driver’s Club will be celebrating the marque’s centenary with a display of over 20 massive vintage and classic Bentleys. The earliest models will be the three-litre examples from 1922, while there will be a massive 4½ Litre on display, as well as numerous models from the 1930s, the 1950s and even the 1990s. In addition Bentley South Africa will be displaying some brand new models as well, including the stunning Bentayga SUV and Continental GT.
Image: Motorpress
60 years of Mini
The Mini will celebrate its 60th birthday this year, and there will be a display of over 20 beautifully-turned out classic Minis. Notable amongst these will be an early Morris Mini-Minor 850 from 1961, a jeep-like Mini Moke, a racing Mini Marcos, and a number of the wonderfully evocative Cooper S models from the 1960s which won glory on the race tracks and in the Monte Carlo Rally between 1964 and 1967.
Morgan turns 110
This year, Britain’s oldest car maker, Morgan, turns 110 years old! That is a remarkable achievement for a company that still hand-builds its classic-looking sports cars. At Knysna on April 28 there will be a turn-out of some 18 of these true-blue sports machines, ranging from a 1918 model to a 2017 model.
Image: Motorpress
Over 60 classic and vintage motorcycles on display
The motorcycle display is always of huge interest at the Knysna show and this year will be no different. Machinery ranging from a 1911 FN to a 1000 cc Honda Repsol MotoGP replica, classic teddy-boy era Triumph Bonnevilles, Harley Davidsons, and Italian Ducatis and Maserati motorcycles will set the two-wheeler pulses racing, And even the odd Vespa scooter will be perched alongside these magnificent machines, all resplendent on their centre-stands, and waiting for the admiration that is their due.
American fins and flash
Huge American cars from the 1940s and 1950s are always a drawcard. The sheer excess of automotive design in the post-war era leaves one gasping today, marvelling at the spirit of innocence and optimism that spawned these wonderful, chrome-laden machines. Cars on display in this sector will include an achingly beautiful 1958 Pontiac Bonneville, a 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, and movie star classics such as the late 1960s Plymouth Road Runner (Beep, Beep) and a Hudson Hornet from the 1950s.
Electric Cars – forward to the future!
For the first time at the Knysna Motor Show (but assuredly not the last!) there will be an educational display of electric vehicles. “The glimpse into our motoring future is being organised in association with the National Electric Mobility Programme, with an eye to enable, facilitate and mobilise the new era of electric cars”, says programme director Hiten Parmar. BMW will be showing two of its electrified vehicles at the show, and there will also be special charging units on display. All to educate the public!
Hill climb racers
Also on display on April 28 will be a number of classic racing machines taking part in the Simola Hill climb which takes place on the weekend after the Knysna Motor Show. These will include a 1928 supercharged Austin Seven special, a Fiat 131 Racing and a Fiat Abarth 1000 TCR and many more.
And what about the pre-1945 cars and the magnificent display of the Parnell Bruce collection? More great names include Lotus, Alfa Romeo, Avis, Jaguar Triump and MG, and they will all be there!
The above-mentioned are just a few of the 400 cars and motorcycles that will be on display, all turned out in their finest fettle. Last year the show drew some 8 000 spectators and the Garden Route Motor Club, in association with Sanlam Private Wealth, is expecting an even bigger attendance this year.
The Knysna Motor Show caters for everyone
“The wonderful thing about this show is that, as far as possible, it caters for everyone’s motorised tastes. The cars range from the mega-expensive to affordable, as do the motorcycles. From the dawn of the motorised age 100 years ago and more, to the techno marvels of more recent times. But they have all been chosen because there is something about them that gives them a unique place in motoring history,” says chief organizer Peter Pretorius,
“If it’s speed and glamour you are after, or an oddball motoring obscurity, the 2019 Knysna Motor Show is just the place for you. We will have close to 400 machines on display, and we guarantee that you will have your work cut-out to work your way through them all. And of course, if you need a break, we will have a range of wonderful food and drink stations on hand to cater to your every whim.”
And this is not all! ITOO Classics Car Insurance has sponsored a pulse-raising prize for two Knysna Motor Show visitors. It will include hot laps for two in a Pablo Clark racing Ferrari at the Festival of Motoring at Kyalami in August, VIP treatment, and return air tickets from any airport in South Africa. To qualify you have to visit the Knysna Motor Show on Sunday, August 28, 2019, to complete your entry to the lucky draw.
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 here.
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.
Contact details are: Peter Pretorius, email on peterp@afrihost.co.za, or by cell phone on 082 321 4724.
