Cars parked under trees in South Africa

Flag South AfricaSometimes, coincidences are funny. While finishing this blog post for publication, a friend sent me a link to an article over at speedhunters.com. Keith Charvonia wrote a great piece about finding project cars in the local neighborhoods of Tuscon, Arizona. I really love the article, because it described exactly what I’ve been doing for the last decade and a half: taking pictures of cars found along the roadside, without actually getting out of the car. Here is what I found during a one-week trip in South Africa. Albeit shot in various locations, all the pictures have one thing in common: the cars are parked under a tree.

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Ford Mustang 1965 Franshoek | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2012)

1965 Ford Mustang | A bright red pony in Franshoek

Flag South AfricaThe day we visited Franshoek featured rather dull colors, due to low hanging clouds and the odd rain shower. The whole town seemed to be muted. We unsuspectingly walked around a corner – and found  a bright red pony! A rare one, too – being right hand drive. I’m not sure whether or not this 1965 Ford Mustang came from the factory like that. Might as well be a right hand drive (RHD) conversion, possibly from Desert Classic Mustangs.

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BMW E12 535i Bastos | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2011)

BMW E12 BASTOS | Old glory

Flag GermanyBack in the days when sex smoking was safe and racing was dangerous, many cigarette companies used race cars to promote their products. The French brand Bastos supported a number of teams and cars. Each vehicle featured the signature red/white color combo with Bastos lettering and gold accents, similar to the cigarette boxes. I found this Bastos liveried BMW E12 at the Nürburgring Tourenwagen Revival. The car seemed to be restored, judging by the shiny paint and lack of battle scars. Old glory, indeed.

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Volkswagen Beetle Pick-up | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2011)

Volkswagen Käfer Pickup

Flag GermanyWhile hunting for a project car, I found this excellently crafted Volkswagen Beetle Pickup. The vehicle belongs to the Hagenauer body & paint shop in Würzburg. The split rear windows are a nice touch, but the rear bumper and lights leave something to be desired. They could have created something that suits the overall appearance of the Beetle Pick-up better. But that’s complaining at a high level 😉

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Jeep / Renault 4 Conversion | Drive-by Snapshots by Sebastian Motsch (2010)

Willys MB Jeep with Renault R4 body conversion

Flag FranceIn June 2010 we took the scenic route through the Gorges du Tarn. Climbing out of the canyon and heading towards Le Puy, we drove past a service station somewhere in the rural Département Lozère. As always, I immediately slowed down to take a closer look and was once more rewarded by finding something rather unusual: a leftover WWII Willys MB Jeep that has been cross-bred with a Renault R4. The bodywork of the conversion looked very professional and is actually very clever, because the region sees a lot of snow in winter. Judging by the faded red paint and the rotating light on the roof, it might have once belonged to the local fire department. The markings on the left door indicate that it may have been used by the local garage as well, probably as a service or recovery vehicle?

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