As predicted, Bobby Nitro hardly knew where to go first on entering the gates at the Cape Town Motor Show (CTMS) last weekend, so he headed off in the direction of the loudest noise, followed swiftly by the shiniest metal.
Like something that a cross between a homing pigeon and a magpie would do.
Anyway, to extend the metaphor, the CTMS was definitely a place attracting birds of a feather. Particularly the new exhibit, Dusty Rebels and the Bombshells, which drew a crowd partial to low-slung rat rods, unique finishing touches, stressed steel, tattoos, impossible adventures and hilariously coarse humour.
As Bobby entered the area, he was given two rat rod stickers by a stall owner, “een vir jou vrou se kar en een vir die grassnyer.” Turns out Frikkie Viljoen of Rat Rod South Africa was preparing cars for the renowned SEMA show, which is quite a process.
He also spoke of getting geared up for a big gear head project next year, which involved a build-off and a hair-raising overland trip in the US of A, bridging the 1300 miles from Nebraska to Las Vegas, known as the RATical Rod experience.
FANTASY RIDE: McLaren 540C Coupe in the Grand Arena at Grand West
Moving along to the drifting, Bobby passes three mutant desert vehicles that defy description, save for the common theme of stitched canvas and creatively repurposed junk.
These vehicles turned out to be a favourite for the kids, who could be seen going off on imaginative adventures as their dads peered wistfully at the nearby Porsches.
XS Productions, as always, ran an efficient Drift scenario, taking brave passengers for rides with up to four cars at a time on the pitch. Always a crowd puller, the sheer noise of the Drift area pulls petrolheads from afar, as they can hardly resist the rumble and screech of tyres.
Similarly, but in a more shall we say sophisticated vein, the Two Icons Tour, comprising Jaguar’s Art of Performance tour and Land Rover’s Above and Beyond tour, gave punters the opportunity to witness first-hand capabilities of top vehicles in the marque.
GOING WAY BACK: What's a motor show without the Classics on display
Lines to get into cars were long, but worth the wait if you got to get behind the wheel and experience the “Ice Road” course in the hands of a skilled instructor.
The Market Hall presented a wide variety of high-end aftermarket goodies, car care products, tools, trimmers, sound and graphics all touted by keen salespeople to the curious crowds. The Dunethrasher caught Bobby’s eye, a custom built sand rail pipe car imported from the USA and, when the final bits are attached, will apparently be run in adventure tours on the Atlantis dunes.
In the outdoor area Bobby met a gentleman who wanted to give him a radical 4X4, but on further investigation it turned out to be a raffle of sorts and Bobby had to buy a ticket, and he was sorely tempted to do so, with the prize being a custom built, crowd-funded and designed 4X4.
CROWD-FUNDING IDEA: The Jeep that was upgraded and raffled
Started by two brothers-in-law plus another bro, The broject, as it is known, is kitting out a Jeep Cherokee and turning it into “something special”, an offroad contender, through their sale of T-shirts and 4X4 apparel.
The Jeep gets upgraded according to the number of T-shirts sold. All very interesting, and a rather unique approach tat that, leveraging on the crowd-funding idea.
Then from there into the Sun Exhibit, to view the bikes and gadgets. This is one easy place to find yourself relieved of your cash, and fast, in a good way. Bobby saw many “just got to have that” items, from a kwaai dry bag to another raffle prize, this time a beautifully done out Ford F150 wagon.
ROUGH AND RUGGED: The Wildebeest 4X4 track
The Grand Arena, as the name suggests, boasted a collection of top brands bringing out their best from their stables, with many a vehicle to fantasise over, up close.
Then as part of their social upliftment gedagte, CTMS in partnership with BP Southern Africa, and Orliflex, a Johannesburg-based transport and logistics company, coordinated an initiative to bring much-needed water to Cape Town.
Four trucks loaded with about 60 000 litres of water arrived with great fanfare at the Cape Town Motor Show, and the water is destined for use by several charities that care for vulnerable children, people with disabilities and animals.
Sarita Gerber, Managing Director of Orliflex, said of their involvement: “In November last year we organised a prostate cancer awareness convoy of trucks during which we raised funds for prostate cancer research, so when we arranged to send trucks to Cape Town for the Motor Show, it seemed an obvious opportunity to assist Cape Town to receive water.
With what looked to be well over 15 000 people through the gates each day, this is the kind of show that we hope will go from strength to strength and put Cape Town on the map, globally, for it’s motor show.