The 28th George Old Car Show held on February 8 2025 drew a massive crowd to the Eden Technical High School grounds in central George. Near perfect weather – sunny alternating with mild cloud cover – contributed to making this one of the most memorable shows in the event’s history, which has seen it cement its status as one of the country’s best classic car events on the annual calendar.
Just over 12 000 visitors to the show were stunned by a unique array of veteran, vintage and classic cars, motorcycles, tractors and farm implement engines that totalled well over the 1 000 mark. And this year’s British theme saw the fields at the high school venue packed to capacity with entrants arriving from all parts of South Africa.
“The decision to switch from a two-day event to a one day show this year was a resounding success,” said Waldo Scribante, chairman of the organising club, the Southern Cape Old Car Club. “Even before the show officially opened at 9 am the fields seemed to be filling up with spectators, and they remained packed all day right up until closing time at 6 pm.”
Another good decision was to declare a special British theme for the 2025 show. An orchestrated campaign in the weeks leading up to the show resulted in more British-built cars streaming into the grounds than ever before, and many of these British classics were getting their first exposure to the greater classic car audience.
There was heart-warming support from the likes of MG, Triumph, Austin Healey, Morris, Austin, and more exotic makes like Aston Martin, Jensen, Morgan and the likes of Mini Coopers and British Fords such as Anglias and Cortinas, Vauxhalls and other workaday classics from various eras, starting with the tiny Austin Seven examples from the 1920s.
For many show-goers, the crowning glory was the magnificent Rolls-Royce and Bentley display on the top field, representing the “royalty” of the British motor industry. A selection of over 20 of these expensive British motoring monarchs had been assembled from owners arriving from all parts of the country. These included Bentleys with famous Le Mans Heritage from the 1920s and ‘30s and included a 4,5-litre Le Mans model that came from Cape Town and a Speed-6 example, representing the famous victory achieved at Le Mans in 1930.
“I was particularly pleased to see the spread between Bentley and Rolls models, and also to note that these cars that entered covered such a number of different eras”, said Waldo Scribante. “We had Rolls and Bentley models from the 1930s, progressing through the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s through to the modern day.
“It is amazing that the first Rolls-Royce arrived in South Africa in 1910, and here on the field in George we had a modern 2016 Phantom Limelight model that travelled up from Paarl for the show.”
One of the most eye-catching of the special Rolls-Royce examples was the Shooting Brake model owned by Brian Bruce of Knysna, with evocative wood-enforced estate-car bodywork commissioned in India, on an early 20/25 chassis.
The enthusiasm for the British theme also extended to other show genres. The Vintage and Veteran display opposite the main arena showcased some British cars not often seen, such as the 1925 Morris Cowley Bullnose example, as well as a stately white 1912 Rover Colonial with a magnificent warrior-like radiator mascot. More low-key was a mid-1920s Talbot Tourer in unrestored form, showing tantalising patina from its 100-year history. For the record, the oldest car on the show this year was a 1904 French car, a tiny single cylinder De Dion Bouton Model Q, owned by Tom van der Vyver.
One of the prize British exhibits on the A Field was the pristine red Aston Martin DB2/4 Mk III, an ultra-rare 1958 model. Owned by Mark Barendse of Knysna the car was discovered in the ‘70s in Vereeniging where it had been used to cart hay back and forth on a small holding! It has been beautifully restored to original spec by its previous owner, Ron Hollis, and features an optioned, period-correct high-horsepower engine that includes a set of triple Weber carburettors.
Another very rare classic sports car, that arrived unannounced at the show, was a mid-1960s Iso Rivolta, a rare exotic Italian supercar from the 1960s. It is the only one in the country and arrived in Johannesburg the late 1960s. From the 1970s it was stored by its second owner and who planned to restore it but never found the time. It has been residing in Port Elizabeth for the past seven years and finally recommissioned for the road by its current owner, Jarrod Hargreaves. Iso was previously known for its diminutive Isetta bubble cars but surprisingly built just under 800 Rivoltas which used a 5,3-litre Chevrolet engine in a stylish body, between 1962 and 1970.
As ever there was a magnificent display of cars from the Mercedes-Benz Club on the top field, and these were located alongside other German marques, such as BMW, Porsche, Borgward, Volkswagen and DKW. There was also an eye-catching Ferrari display, featuring amongst others a tasty 1990s 512 TR example.
There was once again an impressive turnout of tractors and farm machinery from the Suid Kaap Veteran Tractor and Farm Implement club and the line-up was described to the audience on the main field by the ever-enthusiastic and knowledgeable Andre Barnard. One of the tractors to catch the eye was the 1950s David Brown tractor, as Aston Martin sports cars built after 1950 used the DB initials when tractor manufacturer David Brown acquired the company in the late 1940s. Some current Aston Martin models still use a DB prefix.
The drive-by runs past the arena and SCOCC members tent were once again well received and were conducted by country of car-origin. The British car drive, which closed off the proceedings at 5 pm garnered a very strong turn-out, with several Morris Minors, MGBs, Triumphs, Rolls-Royce and Bentleys displaying the widespread presence and influence of British cars in South Africa over the past 100 years. One notable participant here was Vickee Fleetwood of East London, who was setting off from the show to drive back home in her unrestored 1959 Austin Healey Sprite, a frog-eye example that has been in her family since before she was born!
As ever there were a large number of American cars scattered across the main field, including a number of Ford Mustangs, Chevrolets, Ford Fairlanes and Valiants that owed their heritage to the American Chrysler group. It was good to see a few examples of “South Africa’s own car”, the Ranger, which was built by General Motors here in the early 1970s. The Ranger was essentially an Opel body with a Vauxhall grille and tail section and a few examples were actually exported by GMSA for sale in Europe!
The classic motorcycle display this year was extremely well-supported, and on the drive-by for bikes a number of eras were represented, dating back to the 1930s, and featuring some icons like AJS machines from the late 1950s, and superbikes from the classic 1970s bike-boom era, including a water-cooled Suzuki 750 GT three-cylinder model.
Once again the Eden Vespa Club from the George area showed lots of enthusiasm for their drive-by opportunity with scooter hooters blaring, and a number of large three-wheeler trikes, some with engines garnered from Volkswagens and Nissans, also made their presence felt.
With over 1 000 participants this year, it is not possible to detail each and every one of the wonderful historic machines that put on such a memorable spectacle. As show co-ordinator Alewijn Dippenaar had remarked at a pre-show gathering, one should keep in mind that every single vehicle on the field at the show represented someone’s passion. Passion for old cars, motorcycles and tractors, passion for locating them, restoring them, and driving them, sometimes over very long distances to be at the show.
The George Old Car Show represents a meeting place, a focal point for all that passion to mingle and energise. And the visitors to the show shared in that passion, spreading the word about a movement that is gaining momentum at a gratifying pace. And plans are already afoot to make the 2026 rendition of the show in February next year an equally rewarding experience.
