With an exciting new venue, 99 classic cars to go on auction and SA's F1 Design guru Rory Byrne being inducted into the South African Hall of Fame as additional attractions, the annual Concours SA promises to be a spectacular event for lovers of fine automobiles.

Billed as the only multi-marque concours d’eleganceevent for classic cars in South Africa, Concours South Africa gets underway at Steyn City this weekend, from today (Friday 10 August) to Sunday the 12th. Eighty of the best cars in South Africa have been entered, ranging fromvintage machines from the early 20th century, to late-model Ferraris.

Greater diversity on offer

“We have once again received an entry that has surpassed our expectations,” says Concours South Africa organiser Paul Kennard. “What is extremely gratifying is the diversity of the entry this year. Cars range from the likes of a humble Ford Escort Mk I from the late 1960’s to a Ferrari 599 GTO from 2011, an extremely valuable supercar. Ages range from the early 1900’s from the pioneering days of motoring in South Africa to modern supercars. And we believe we have attracted all the iconic marques: Rolls-Royce, Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar, Aston Martin – they will all be represented.

“We also have some really interesting cars you wouldn’t normally associate with a concours event,such as an Opel Kadett Superboss from the early 1990’s, a Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen from 1983, as well as charismatic super sedans like M5 BMWs and an Aston Martin Lagonda, a car that is so unusual looking that it is difficult to categorise!

“And lending huge stature to the event will be a magnificent1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, one of five Rolls-Royces entered this year.”

With the rebirth of the Alpine brand, this A110 could be a good buy in the auction.

The judging of Concours South Africa 2018 will once again be under the direction ofWayne Harley,the curator of the Franschhoek Motor Museum.An extremely well-versed classic car expert with experience of international concours events all over the world, Wayne is a stickler for originality, and has held workshops on concours car preparation.

“I want to encourage owners to go the extra mile to secure the correct original hose clamp or period-piece valve cap for their cars, to add that final touch of authenticity.”

Wayne is famous for stating that in an event such as Concours South Africa, a perfectly preserved or restored Morris Minor can go head-to-head with a Porsche, Aston Martin or Ferrari and still come out a winner!

The judging will be finalised by lunch time on Sunday 12 August, and the winners of categories and the overall winner, will be announced at a ceremony beginning at 2.30 pm. Previous overall winners of Concours South Africa include a 1985 De Tomaso Pantera GT5 and a 1989 Ferrari F40.

Ferrari Daytona extravanganza

A big turnout of Ferrari Daytonas is expected at the Concours South Africa.

Another huge coup for Concours South Africa is that it will showcase an amazing array of some six Ferrari Daytona 365 GTB/4s, believed to represent just about the entire stock of this classic Ferrari supercar from the 1960’s that resides in South Africa.

“We are extremely proud to assemble what will be the most dramatic display of Ferrari Daytonas ever seen in this country,” says Concours co-organiser and long-time Ferrariaficionado,Greg Marucchi.

Venue and Schedule

The cars entered for this year’s event will gather at Steyn City from early Friday afternoon on 10 August at the entrance to Steyn City off Cedar Road, just beyond Dainfern. The cars will then drive to their demarcated positions in Nelson Mandela Park, inside the Steyn City Complex on lawns bordering The Creek.

Judging for the cars will begin early on Saturday morning on 11 August and continue through until lunchtime on Sunday, 12 August. The winners will be announced at a ceremony starting from 2.30 pm.

Tickets and Costs

Pre-booking is essential as there are no tickets at the gate. Those wishing to visit Concours South Africa should go on-line towww.concourssouthafrica.comor contact organiser Paul Kennard [email protected] by telephone on 082851 3300. Day admission tickets – including a picnic hamper and bottle of Protea wine – are available at R575 inclusive. Accompanied children under 13 can join the fun for free.

Rory Byrne recognized

On Friday evening, legendary South African Formula One designer Rory Byrne will be inducted into the South African Hall of Fame.The famous designer was responsible for all of the cars that carried Michael Schumacher to seven Formula One championship victories during the years 1994 to 2004. Rory, who was born in Pretoria, now lives in Phuket, having moved there after retiring from Formula One to pursue the other great passion of his life, scuba diving.

Rory’s induction will follow a Concours South Africa tradition established last year, when racing greats Sarel van der Merwe and Ian Scheckter were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Plit Portfolio Auction

Wayne Harley from the Franschhoek Motor Museum will again be leading the judging panel.

On Saturday evening, the biggest auction of classic cars ever seen in South Africa will take place when theConcours South Africa Auction is conducted by Coys of Kensington at the Steyn City venue. Concours South Africa’s association with Coys was established last year when its managing director, Chris Routledge, served as a judge at Concours South Africa 2017.

“This will be the first time that a classic car auction in South Africa will also be presented globally” says Paul Kennard. “Coys of Kensington have distributed the catalogue for this auction to some 25000 of their international clients, and telephone bidding for some of these very special cars is expected to come in from all over the world.”

At the very core of this auction will beThe Plit Portfolio,consisting of some 95 cars and motorcycles that will go under the hammer. The auction is expected to start at 5 pm and run through until about 9 pm on Saturday evening. Cars that have attracted huge interest include a rare 1935 Singer Le Mans with Fox & Nicholl coachwork,the oldest Jaguar XK120 in Africa,a competition-spec factory-built Porsche 964, a Renault Alpine A110 1600S, an Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale, a Maserati Khamsin prototype and some very rare motorcycles, including a mint-condition Honda CB750 K0.

One of the crown jewels of the auction may well turn out to be a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT 500 in completely original and unrestored condition!

To register to attend the CSA Auction, [email protected] book your seat.

Tickets will not be available on the day!

You may also be interested in;

108 Years of Alfa Romeo: 10 of its greatest (gallery)

Italian cars dominate glamorous Villa D'Este

Ferrari F40 wins at Concours SA (2017)