According to Concours South Africa organiser, Paul Kennard and his team of judges, the presence of international judges and a high degree of overseas interest will raise the bar for the standards of classic car restoration in South Africa.
Heading up the judging panel once again for 2017 is the curator of the Franschhoek Motor Museum, Wayne Harley, who has been steeped in the classic car ethos for decades, and has also witnessed some of the world’s great Concours D’ Elegance events in Europe.
“The fact that our classic cars are located thousands of kilometres away from the hotbed of the classic car arena, in Europe and America, will have no bearing on the standards of judging. The fact is, 99,9% of our cars have their roots outside of Africa, and we need to be getting our cars up to international standards. And, judging by last year’s event, we are not far off that. The world is a small place now. Parts and knowledge are only a click away!
“Every car will be judged on its merits, not what it cost, or how many horses it has under the hood. If the guys have done their homework, and their presentation is top class, you can have a situation where, indeed, a humble Beetle may just blow a Porsche away, for overall honours,” says Harley.
“Age and scarcity obviously play a part in judging, and this is why we have added extra classes this year. We have also created separate classes for restored cars and preserved cars. This is not to make our lives as judges easier, but to be fair to the participants,” concludes Harley.
Says Kennard: “We are hosting a special conference on international classic car values on the Thursday at Sun City, to kick off the weekend. South Africa is very much part of the global classic car community now, with lots of interest in our wealth of classic cars here, which have been preserved over the past 100 years.
“Of course, winning an award at Concours South Africa can only add an appreciable value to an individual car. But we see the impact of Concours South Africa as much broader than merely adding to a car’s price tag. We are staking our claim in the international classic car community, exposing the world to our unique motoring history here which over the past century has seen cars from Europe and the USA, as well as locally-developed unique models, create a motoring tapestry that is unique in the global arena.”
Concours South Africa will run over four days at Sun City, starting with an international conference on Value in the Classic Car Market held on Thursday, 3 August 2017. Final judging will be held on Sunday, 6 August 2017 when the winners will be announced at a prize giving.
