The annual Cars in the Park motoring spectacular will be back at the Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria after a three-year break to celebrate the event’s 40th anniversary. The organisers, the Pretoria Old Motor Club, were all set to mark this anniversary in 2020, but the Covid-19 lockdown put paid to events.
This year the event will be run on 31 July instead of on its traditional date on the first Sunday in August. The reason is that the first Sunday in August falls over a long weekend, which would severely affect attendance as many people would be going away for the holiday weekend.
Recent Cars in the Park events have attracted over 2 500 classic and special-interest cars, and up to 12 000 spectators. With the pent-up demand for car shows after two and a half years of lockdown, the organisers are expecting one of the biggest turnouts ever.
This year Lazarus Motor Company is celebrating its 65th birthday at Cars in the Park and will be hosting a huge display. Amongst the special Fords Lazarus will be displaying is a 1957 Thames Trader transporter that has been converted into a race car carrier, a 1957 Ford Thunderbird and three spectacular Ford GTs. Lazarus owns the only 2020 latest-generation Ford GT in the country, and this car will be flanked by a 1966 continuation series Mk1 Ford GT and a 2005 Ford GT. Other notable cars on display from Lazarus will be a recently restored 1960 Jaguar XK150S, some early Land Rover Defenders and a mint, completely original Ford Mustang Mach 1 from 1972 with less than 40 000km on the clock.
The Austin 7 car club will be celebrating the centenary of this remarkable little English car at Zwartkops on 31 July. The Austin 7 was announced in July 1922, and this tiny 750cc four-cylinder transformed the British motor industry in its 13-year production life. Some 290 000 were produced and many found their way to South Africa.
With 120 car clubs exhibiting, you’re sure to see your favourite classic car on display at Cars in the Park. The sheer volume of classics and other special-interest vehicles at Cars in the Park means that it is essential to get to Zwartkops for the opening time of 8am if you want to see the whole show.
Spectator entry fees are R120 per person (R100 if booked through iTicket). Entrance is free for children under 12, as well as for drivers of classic cars built before 1985. Gates for exhibitors open at 6am and the show runs until 4pm on Sunday.
For more information, visit the Pretoria Old Motor Club’s website or the club’s Cars in the Park Facebook page.