The 24th George Old Car Show will take place at the PW Botha College grounds in George on 8 and 9 February 2020. As one of the largest shows in the land, it has something for everyone and this year it gets even better, with involvement from the Scribs Benzeum.
The Scribs Benzeum is a personal collection of Mercedes-Benz vehicles and a passion project for Waldo and René Scribante, who see it as a way of giving back to a community that has given them so many wonderful memories over the years. Mercs have been with Waldo from the very beginning – one of his earliest childhood memories is that of crossing Prince Alfred Pass in a 1960 Mercedes-Benz Ponton 219 with his parents while towing an old caravan, en route to a holiday on the Garden Route.
The memory of that Ponton stuck with him and inspired a love for cars. As a schoolboy he’d constantly look out for old cars to repair or restore. He bought his first car after completing his studies, a 1965 Merc 300SEL which he has kept in immaculate condition. He then followed it up with a ʼ63 Mercedes-Benz 220SE Coupé.
As time went on, more cars were added to the mix and the Scibs Benzeum now has everything Mercedes from a taxi and ambulance to Waldo’s favourite 1913 Benz, which he bought at an auction in Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal in 2000. The car turned out to be even rarer than he thought, and René loves driving it at rallies and tours such as the annual Veteran Tour, which will precede the George Old Car Show.
George isn’t an all-Mercedes show, though – there will be almost every classic make you can think of. A highlight has to be the central display area which will focus on LDVs (that’s bakkies to you and me). Workhorses already signed up to star here are a 1960 Austin, 1958 Borgward, 1925 Chevrolet, 1960 Chevrolet El Camino, 1965 Datsun, 1957 DKW, 1973 Dodge, 1915 Ford Model T, 1929 Ford Model T, 1937 Ford V8, 1957 Ford Ranchero, 1946 GMC, 1954 International, 1951 Mercedes-Benz 170V, 1956 Mercedes-Benz 180 D, 1969 Morris, 1948 Studebaker and a 1968 Toyota Corona.
Ferrari is another featured marque, with the club set to bring 17 examples of the prancing horse badge. Not to be outdone, the Valiant Club will celebrate 60 years with its display and Volkswagen’s Auto Pavilion will once again bring some of its museum stars. Organisers are also promising some surprises in the form of vehicles that the general public are not even aware of and probably will never see again.
For more information on the show, please contact Klaus Oellrich on 076 764 0897, or visit www.scocc.co.za.