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Apr
24
South African Nissan Bakkie 1200 & 1400
Reading the Speedhunters story about a properly built South African Nissan Bakkie 1400 reminded me of the time when I lived in South Africa. Digging through the pictures on my hard drive revealed quite a few pictures of these lovely little, but sturdy and tough, trucklets.
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Apr
14
Before writing anything meaningful about the pictures you see here, I must apologize for the bad quality. The pictures have been taken with an old compact camera, not really suitable to night-time shooting without utilizing a tripod. The area itself was a bit dodgy after sunset, so we didn’t waste any time digging out the better cam. Actually, I didn’t even look at the cars on display then and there. All in all it took no more than a couple of minutes to snap those pictures. Quite a nice display, I must admit. Would have been nice to drive stop by during opening hours.
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.
Apr
27
Taxis in South Africa. They may not always adhere to the street code of conduct and find make their own way around traffic jams. They may not always yield to somebody that has the right of way or cut in front of you. But – they do provide (more or less) reliable transportation for many people, who can’t afford to own a vehicle. I especially like the colorful and well kept ones in Durban. The old-school Toyota Hiace Siyaya is my favorite body style, even though the newer models have more safety features and are equipped with air-conditioning. I found these two beautiful Siyaya Taxis in Durban, near the uShaka marine world.
Jan
13
Kallies Quarry. A four wheel drive playground that features very steep tracks in some places, with deep ruts and a pond that requires wading through. This bone stock Jeep Wrangler did it without problems. A Jeep actually going offroad is a rather rare sight in South Africa, because most 4x4ers prefer either Toyota or Land Rover. This actually reminded me of the fun we had with Jeeps when I was living in Texas/USA, many years ago.
Dec
22
Frequent readers might remember the Ford Cortina Bakkie based tow truck featured here at Drive-by Snapshots earlier this year. There is more variety to this topic, though. On my way to Bloemfontein, I found this Ford Cortina Bakkie 4×4 for sale at a used car dealership. Admittedly a nicely executed four wheel drive conversion in mint condition. Actually, I wouldn’t mind at all owning something like that. Pure early 80’s style & function!
Dec
02
The goal of most tourists coming to South Africa and visiting game parks, like the Kruger National Park, is seeing the Big Five: lions, African elephants, Cape buffalos, leopards, and rhinoceros. As a rule of thumb, you must always look very carefully to spot the various animals in the bush. Take a look at the first picture and try to spot the big five hiding there. Do not scroll down yet, as it would spoil the fun! Take your time…
Dec
01
On our way from Johannesburg to Swaziland, we spent a night in Kapshehoop. We enjoyed very nice accommodation in a tranquil and peaceful little town. No fences, no locks on the doors and not a single security patrol car anywhere. On the next morning, after packing our stuff in the car and heading out of town, we found something unexpected in South Africa. An Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint Veloce, which quite nicely matched the “building” it was parked in front of. Mustn’t be easy to find spare parts for it in this remote part of the continent.
Oct
20
Small boats may be launched by hand.
Medium size boats may be launched by a rusty bakkie.
Big boats need something a bit more substantial in weight an power…
This is where the mighty Mercedes-Benz MB Trac comes in handy. This being a highly sought after machine even in Europe, you can imagine how surprised I was to find such a brute at the remote beach of Sodwana Bay in South Africa. To be honest, it was spectacular how the MB Trac launched catapulted the boat into the sea!
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Oct
20
Diving in Sodwana Bay always means getting up very early, before sunrise. The boats, divers and their equipment are shuttled from the diving base near the dune to the waterfront. A tough job in sun, sand and salt. Most diving companies use late model bakkies or 4x4s. Ocean Divers Pretoria still uses a Series III Land Rover, which has been rebuilt a couple of years ago. The vehicle is in good overall shape with lovely patina, but rust caused by the saltwater is already visible again on the drivetrain and suspension components. Thank you for keeping the old Landy alive!
Sep
01
Let’s suppose you just bought a brand new Toyota Hilux 4×4. It’s as bright and shiny as it came from the factory. No scratch, no dent, hardly any kilometers on the odometer. Everybody is admiring the beautiful black paint and chrome plated accessories, but you think there is something missing. You scratch your head and wonder which box you forgot to tick when you ordered the vehicle. Surely, something is missing. To find out, you head over to the FWDCSA Base4 club grounds and talk to the experts.
Aug
19
While staying at the famous Blue Sky Mining Backpackers just south ofDurban, I had the chance to snap a few pictures of their Toyota LandCruiser VX clay model. The model was excellently detailed to the smallest possible detail! Hella auxiliary lights, badges, wipers, a surfboard rack and even a set of mudguards – fantastic 🙂
Unfortunately it was rather big and heavy and therefore I couldn’t possibly buy it and take it back to Germany. Luggage weight restrictions on airplanes be damned…
