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Feb
21
On the way from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein we found a couple of new livestock trailers parked at a service station. Looked like one of the animals just loved the motto on the DairyBelle delivery truck and enjoyed a ding dong day. Sometimes, advertising really does reach an audience 😉
Feb
18
It just happens sometimes, that you are in the right spot at the right time. Imagine walking past a vintage Shell petrol pump that is blocked by a boring new car, thinking you mustn’t forget to take a picture of it on the way back. And as you walk back an hour later after a cup of baie lekker hot chocolate and a biscuit, there is a matching vehicle parked right next to it. In this case a yellow Datsun 1200 GX with beautiful patina. A couple of minutes later it was gone again. This really happened in Pilgrims Rest, back in 2007 – imagine the smile it put on my face! 🙂
Feb
16
After looking at the famous Clachan Bridge and checking out the slate pits on Easdale Island, we deliberately took a ‘wrong’ turn on the way back to Oban. Taking such a turn usually isn’t such a bad thing, as it often leads to interesting places. In this case we ended up at the Cuan-Seil ferry across the Cuan Sound. Quite literally at the end of the road, we found a nice Scorpion Sports Cruiser called Hot Lemon. The lettering on the side pointed out, that this particular boat holds the record for the fastest loop around the UK at 31 hrs and 22 min. Check out the Hot Lemon website, to read about many more records they set. The little boat in the water was in a rather sorry shape and isn’t going to to set any records soon with the engine partially submerged.
Feb
16
A sunny weekend at the Blyde River Canyon. We took a little detour to visit the provincial heritage site Pilgrims Rest in the Mpumalanga region. A tranquil little town that dates back to the Transvaal gold rush in 1873. The Massey Ferguson 165 tractor we found resting there wasn’t quite that old. While taking pictures of it, I had a look at the side facing the corrugated iron shed. And… surprise! The hood featured a sticker from a German Opel dealership! Auto Thielmann in Aerzen. Ever since then I’ve been wondering how the sticker ended up on a tractor in a rather remote part of South Africa. The dealership still exists today, but has a different phone number.
Feb
11
Considering the name of this blog and the nature of the subject pictured here, it really wasn’t easy to find a suitable title and words to describe this unusual vehicle I spotted in Barberton, South Africa. Let’s just look at it from a technical point of view, shall we? The base vehicle is a short wheelbase W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The chassis has been stretched and a third axle has been added. The wagon body is covered with vinyl and utilizes W124 taillights and probably a few other bits and pieces of the same donor vehicle.
Feb
09
Easter weekend 2013. Having a full day to drive from San Sebastian to Porto provided me with the much loved opportunity to leave the boring Autopista and explore the country on rural roads along the Camino de Santiago. I entered a town somewhere between Burgos and León early afternoon, soaking in the blue sky and the sun after a very long and dark winter. Nobody around, no wind, no sound. Absolute silence, not even a bird singing. The Citroën 2CV just sitting there under the blue sky. Taking a picture almost felt like disturbing the peaceful siesta. ¡Perdón!
Jan
25
Visiting the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Capetown sure was an awesome experience. Beautiful plants and trees, the Table Mountain in the background and the perfect weather and light for taking pictures. While leaving the venue and turning onto the main road, I spotted a rare classic Triumph 2500 sporting a rather modern touch. Quite tastefully done, actually.
Jan
23
Austin Six | A vintage car that has never been fiddled with
I stopped to refuel my car at a local petrol station in Alexandra, New Zealand. It was a chilly winter morning, the air smelled like snow. A vintage Austin Six pulled up and the owner also started refueling. It’s always easy to start a conversation with a fellow car enthusiast. He told me that his grandfather bought the car brand new and it got handed down to him eventually. The car has apparently not been fiddled with since new! A couple of accessories, new spare parts now and then – but no major repairs. It has never been repainted and had a wonderful patina inside and out that told all the stories of many years and miles. The gentlemen even asked me if I would like to drive it around the block. Thank you, sir!
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Jan
13
Somewhere in the Free State, south of Bloemfontein. We are on our way from Capetown to Johannesburg on the N1, being treated to a stunning sunset in the beautiful landscape. The road ahead is straight and smooth. We stop at a little rest area under a bridge and find a pair of tired looking Mercedes-Benz trucks, sitting peacefully on a flatbed trailer and enjoying the warm light of the low sun.
Mind you, the lorries of the New Generation are considered classics by now in Germany and eligible to wear Historic license plates.
Jan
12
The Citroën 2CV got it’s name from the French taxing system. Deux Chevaux (2CV) meaning two (tax) horsepower. While driving through the south of Spain in 2013, we found one that featured the name on the bonnet, quite literally.
Jan
07
Swaziland, February 2008. Just before we left the the beautiful Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary, two Toyota HZJ 78 B̶u̶s̶h̶t̶a̶x̶i̶s stretch limos pulled up at the visitors center. They looked like rather luxurious vehicles for long-distance traveling – but due to the decreased break-over angle caused by the extended wheelbase, the off road abilities might not be that great any more. Still far better than most SUVs, though.
Jan
05
We visited the Isle of Mull on a rather wet day in October 2013. Because most cats don’t enjoy rain, we unfortunately didn’t see the famous Tobermory Cat while visiting the beautiful town. However, we did find the not yet famous Tobermory Caddy.
Jan
04
Sodwana Bay is a famous fishing and diving spot in South Africa. The beach is accessible for all wheel drive vehicles and boats are launched directly from the beach without a concrete slip. The salty water from the sea and the heat add quite a nice patina over time. This rusty but trusty Ford F-250 4×4 has apparently seen many seasons launching boats…
Jan
02
In December 2007, we decided to spend a weekend in Swaziland. For a more adventurous feeling, we decided to take the scenic route and enter the country via the Bulembu border post. We refueled the car at a Caltex station in Barberton, where I found this bright blue Ford Cortina Bakkie. The tow truck conversion was neatly executed and the vehicle looked to be in good shape, despite it’s obvious age. The owner was wondering why on earth I would like to take pictures of his old bakkie, but granted his approval. Thank you, sir.
Jan
01
Early October 2013, on our way from Glasgow to Kilchrenan. We stopped briefly at Loch Lomond to take a quick look around.
The day was cold and grey, but the Volkswagen T3 Camper we found in the parking lot was beautifully painted with bright colors.
Sep
21
RD 6089 near Terrasson-Lavilledieu, on a grey morning. Cruising along with the local traffic… I spotted something based on the Renault Trafic on the side of the road: the Winnebago LeSharo. I have always liked how the French design of the base vehicle integrates well with the American style camper body. If you look at other Winnebago motorhomes of the same period, you can even see a familiar resemblance. Being flanked by a US-spec Peugeot 504 Break was a nice coincidence. The dealer had many other interesting vehicles for sale, some of which you will sooner or later find here at Drive-by Snapshots.
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Apr
01
Yesterday’s blog post was about French guys traveling to Morocco in a fully kitted-out LandCruiser 4×4. Considering that there are not many paved roads in the desert, it’s probably a wise choice. But what if somebody from Morocco wants to travel to France? There really is no need for a hard-core 4×4 on the roads of mainland Europe. Using something more suitable for long distance traveling on smooth roads is the better choice, isn’t it?
While waiting out a heavy thunderstorm at a service station near Seville, I spotted a BMW X5 sporting a yellow license plate I’ve never seen before. A closer look, after the rain stopped, revealed that it was from Morocco…
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Apr
24
Cars parked under trees in South Africa
BMW / Drive-by Snapshots / Ford / Mercedes-Benz / Mini / Porsche / Renault / South Africa / Toyota Posted by Sebastian
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Sometimes, 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.
Apr
15
The 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.
Jun
06
In 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?
