South-African Specials shine at show

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Slowly but surely Specials are coming out of oblivion. The number of reactions we received on the Swaab Special / Hirondelle lately proved it once again. But it's not just here, even in South-Africans appreciation for the Specials scene is prospering. And some great news about the 2018 Knysna Motor Show, held on 29 April 2018, has reached us. Over there, a historical display of production sedans and sportscars made in South-Africa will be shown. These cars date from the 1950s to the present day and will show a variety of ingenious vehicles.

Among the cars on display will be a Protea (made from 1956 to 1958 and as seen above), which was designed and built in Johannesburg by a team led by sportscar enthusiast John Myers. The Protea was the first fibreglass-bodied car to be built in South-Africa. Another local early adaptor to the wonder material of the 1950s was the GSM Dart (1958-1965). GSMs were built in Cape Town but later also in the UK, under the GSM Delta moniker. The GSM Flamingo (1962-1965)with its distinctive split-window rear window followed the Dart when GSM realised that many South Africans wanted a more sophisticated sportscar and will be on show in Knysna, too.

There's more. How about a Renault Alconi (built between 1964 and 1967) after two Johannesburg racers and and tuners, John Conchie and Eric ‘Puddles’ Adler, came up with a hotted-up version of the Renault R8 that were homologated and listed for sale as official products with full factory warranty. Or the Marauder Sports (1971-1974) from Randburg in the 1970s by Peter Meefan? Better known, perhaps, is the Ford Capri Perana V8 (1971-1973) dreamt up by Basil Green of Johannesburg, who shoehorned a Ford V8 in a Capri, offering Ferrari performance for a fraction of the cost...

(Picture and info Clasic Car Africa)

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