When it comes to South African car royalty, you cannot overlook the Mzansi motoring specials from Part I of our series. These include all the cars any local aficionado can rattle off the fingers of one hand. Nissan Sentra, VW CitiGolf, Opel Superboss, BMW 325 iS and the Ford Sierra XR8, of course.
Nevertheless, we listened to your feedback and, frankly, are astonished at the level of local knowledge. We didn’t include anything too obscure in that first list. But with the assistance of such astute readers, we can delve deeper into South African car royalty this time round.
SOUTH AFRICAN CAR ROYALTY
Our initial list of South African-only motoring icons fixated on cars built exclusively for the local market. Nevertheless, while less popular (and therefore rarer), there are plenty more rides that qualify as South African car royalty. And will no doubt fetch a pretty penny to this day at auction. So, let’s set the ball rolling once again … Â
CHEVROLET FIRENZA CAN AM
The first comes from the mind of South African racing legend Basil van Rooyen. He managed to convince General Motors that he could fit a Chevy 5.0-litre V8 in a Firenza GT coupe. 100 cars were built for homologation purposes in the early ‘70s. Plus six for local racing. The engine delivered 216 kW and 400 Nm of torque. That’s a lot for a car lightened to 1 100 kg. The zero to 100 km/h sprint of 5.4 seconds is seriously quick even by today’s standards. Power was sent to the rear axle through a Borg-Warner limited-slip differential and it slid spectacularly, too!
FORD CAPRI PERANA
No list of South African car royalty can be without the legendary Ford Capri Perana. Like many of the cars on our previous list, it was developed in the early ‘70s to satisfy racing homologation. Moreover, it was the brainchild of one Basil Green. He combined the European Ford Capri body with a Ford Windsor 5.0-litre V8 engine. 205 kW and 270 Nm of torque wasn’t comparable to the ‘little Chev’ Firenza. And the Capri Perana was quite a bit heavier. Nevertheless, it still accelerated from zero to 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, which was mighty impressive for the era. Each vehicle was hand-built and featured plenty of special badges and exclusive touches. It’s believed only 500 vehicles were produced (till 1973). This makes them highly sought-after collectors’ items around the world today.
BMW SHADOWLINE
Yes, yes, yes, we included the E30 325iS ‘Gusheshe’ in our previous list of South African car royalty. But we can drill a little deeper and include the Shadowline package, too. This was a South African-exclusive performance model developed during the apartheid era. International sanctions prevented BMW South Africa from importing the E30 M3. So, with a fully fledged factory in Rosslyn, Pretoria, the firm created its own high-performance alternative in 1991. The 2.7-litre straight-six motor was an evolution of the standard 2.5-litre engine. And it produced around 145 kWand 226 Nmof torque. This ensured a zero to 100 km/h sprint of 7.4 seconds. However, distinctive to the Shadowline package was its add-ons. Unique 15-inch BBS alloy wheels, sport suspension, limited-slip differential and a close-ratio gearbox.
FORD CORTINA XR6 INTERCEPTOR
The Ford Cortina XR6 Interceptor is South African car royalty through and through. Even if it’s got a checkered past. Its roots are as a specialised high-performance police vehicle. And it was put into service at the height of early ‘80s apartheid. Built at Ford South Africa’s Silverton plant near Pretoria, it underwent significant modification from the civilian Cortina XR6. 118 kW and a throaty burble was the result from the modified 3.0-litre Essex V6 engine. Zero to 100 km/h in 8.8 seconds was more than enough for its pursuit duties. And the suspension, brakes and transmission all needed upgrading. Experts believe approximately 250 XR6 Interceptors were built. However, they were never legally sold to the public. Thus making them an intriguing example of South African automotive history.
ALFA ROMEO GTV6
In many ways South African car royalty is defined by the Alfa Romeo GTV6. Once again, built to satisfy Group One racing homologation rules, the GTV6 was produced between 1983 and ’85. The 3.0-litre V6 ‘Busso’ engine was bored out from the standard car’s 2.5-litre motor. 136 kW and 222 Nm of torque was the result. Thus giving it a zero to 100 km/h sprint time of 8.8 seconds – bang on for the era. Various parts were imported by Alfa Romeo South Africa from the Italian firm’s Autodelta performance division. The model featured distinctive ‘3.0’ badging, making the mere 212 units built highly coveted among collectors today.
DID WE LEAVE ANY SOUTH AFRICAN CLASSICS OUT?
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