The inaugural Cape 1000 starts this Wednesday, 9 March at 08:30 at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. Cars.co.za, which is a co-sponsor of the inaugural event, will be participating with two vehicles.

South Africa’s own “Mille Miglia”-styled classic car event was announced late last year and pays homage to the iconic Mille Miglia, a historic 1 000-mile race that took place in Italy from 1927 to 1957. The historic Mille Miglia saw some of the best racers of the time battle it out on the scenic roads of Italy – legends such Tazio Nuvolari and Stirling Moss will forever be closely associated with the Mille Miglia.

“Classic car culture is alive and kicking in South Africa,” says Hannes Oosthuizen, Consumer Experience Manager at Cars.co.za. “We are thrilled to partner with the Cape 1000’s organisers, and look forward to bringing all the glamour and excitement of this event to our audiences, across all our platforms, including Youtube.

“We were initially planning on competing in the event with our restored Ford Capri Perana, but as the vehicle could not be completed in time, we’ve had to make alternative arrangements,” says Oosthuizen. “Luckily there is a neat 1967 Citroën DS19 in the greater SentiMETAL collection, which will be driven by Cars.co.za’s own Ciro de Siena in the Classic category for cars produced before 1977.”

Cars.co.za will not only film the entire event to produce a full-coverage video to be released on Youtube afterwards, but also a documentary of De Siena’s attempts to complete the near-1 600km event in an unfamiliar 55-year old car, and to win. “Where do I even begin,” ponders De Siena.

“Firstly it is an absolute honour to be asked to be a part of the inaugural Cape 1000. Having grown up hearing stories and seeing old footage of people taking beautiful cars on unnecessarily long drives through Italy for no apparent reason, I have always wanted to do something like this myself.

“And that’s the thing, this is nothing but the love of motoring made visible. I know there will be joy and adventure and excellent camaraderie along the way and that’s what makes it all worth it.

“I will be participating in a stunning and iconic Citroën DS, a car that is significantly older than I am and excitingly features no air-conditioning. But I do love a challenge and I will be aiming for nothing less than victory!”

Ciro has had to receive driving lessons in order to learn how to operate theCitroën DS.

Oosthuizen will also be competing, as a navigator, in one of the oldest cars in the Cape 1000, a 1957 Austin-Healy 100/6. “I’ve always wanted to do a Mille Miglia style event, and the Cape 1000, which will take in some of the country’s best roads and scenery, seems like a great event to start with. I’m thrilled to do it in a Mille-Miglia class car, too! Hopefully I don’t get distracted by the scenery and let my driver down.”

The ’57 Austin-Healy will be passengered and navigated by Cars.co.za’s Hannes Oosthuizen.

How to follow the event

“We encourage petrolheads to follow the Cape 1000 not only on social media (on Instagram @TheCape1000) but also in real life by travelling to the selected locations to meet up with these exquisite machines,” organiser Ross Crichton says. Cars.co.za will also be posting updates on the event from its own social media channels.

Instagram: @carssouthafricaTwitter: @CarsSouthAfricaFacebook: @CarsSA

Registration takes place on Tuesday, March 8th at the Victoria & Alfred Hotel from 14:00 to 17:00. “Visitors are more than welcome to come and have a look at the cars,” says Crichton. “There is another opportunity at the Waterfront the next day, the 9th of March, from 8:00 am at The Silo Museum when cars will start leaving the V&A Waterfront at timed intervals.”

From the Waterfront the route takes participants on a scenic tour of the Western Cape that lasts four days, with Hermanus, Franschhoek, and St. Helena Bay being stopovers before the participants return to Cape Town on the 12th of March.

In addition to the starting point, enthusiasts who want to meet up with The Cape 1000 cars can also head to the following spots;

9 March : 08:45 – Camps Bay, Victoria Road9 March : 11:00 – Clarence Drive, Gordon’s Bay10 March : 09:00 – Gearing’s Point, Hermanus11 March : 08:30 – Franschhoek Main Road, Franschhoek12 March : 15:15 – Silo Museum, V&A Waterfront

About The Cape 1000

The first year’s entry list includes 36 spectacular cars, ranging from a 1956 Porsche 356 to a modern-day McLaren 720S. The event is run over the course of four days (five nights) and includes regularity stages, non-competitive track events and “a healthy dose of grand touring” according to the route planners, Dave Alexander and Di Dougmore.

The categories are;

1927-1957: Mille Miglia SpecificPre-1977: Classic1977-1996: Modern Classic1997-2021: Sports

The Cape 1000 is organised by Super Car Lifestyle (which also hosts Round Table Cannonball Run, Concours South Africa etc.) together with Cars.co.za, SCL Travel, Silvercrest Super Car Insurance, and Mix 93.8FM.

Beneficiaries of the Cape 1000 include the Motorsport Legends Benevolent Fund and Quadpara Association of South Africa (QASA).