Spring came early once again at the 2025 Cars in the Park
Perfect weather blessed the thousands of classic car owners – and the many thousands of spectators that made the pilgrimage to Zwartkops Raceway near Pretoria – for the 43rd rendition of the Cars in the Park on August 3, 2025.
For more information on Cars in the Park and other classic car news, go to www.pomc.co.za
“Every year we hold our breath and bite our nails before the event, and this year things were even more tense regarding the weather,” said Frik Kraamwinkel, chief organizer of the event hosted by the Pretoria Old Motor Club. “This year the weather forecast was for a maximum of 14 degrees for the Sunday, and by Pretoria standards that is close to freezing! Staging an event like this is expensive, and we were concerned not only for the classic car owners and spectators, but also for the 160 stall holders, whose livelihood depends on a good payday at our event.”
Fortunately, the massive number of people that crowded the racetrack grounds could discard their early-morning jackets and beanies almost as soon as the gates opened at 8.30 am for spectators. Temperatures rose to springtime or even summer temperatures to enable everyone to enjoy the biggest car show in the country and take in the splendor of over 2 500 classic and special-interest cars and motorcycles that had begun queuing to put their cars on display well before dawn.
The last time bad weather spoilt a Cars in the Park event was in the early 2000s. Yet even for those who make Cars in the Park a must-not-miss event each year, the sight of all those unusual machines gathered in one place never ceases to amaze, and the 2025 event was no different. It is a testimony to the far-sightedness of POMC who organizes the event, that a car show that was first organized 44 years ago and was once reserved for veteran and vintage machinery has, for the past two decades, been open to owners of any vehicles of special-interest cars and bikes, be they 100 years old or brand new.
“This year we had a number of dealerships displaying their vehicles and these included Triumph Motorcycles, the newly re-introduced MG brand and cars from multi-franchise outfits like CFO Mobility and Midmark Motors. Most people, even the ones interested in cars, don’t have the time to visit showrooms to check out the latest offerings. Here we can expose these new vehicles to people who are guaranteed to be interested in cars. “Otherwise,” said Kraamwinkel “they wouldn’t be attending an event like Cars in The Park. And although advertising has become hugely sophisticated with print and electronic media alike that keeps proliferating, nothing, but nothing, beats seeing a car or motorcycle in the metal.”
Colin Lazarus, owner of a giant multi-franchise dealership in Centurion, was once again prominent with his selection of new cars and his extremely special cars in the pit area, such as two Ford GTs, a Ford GT40 and a 1957 Ford Thunderbird.
All around the track there was a feast of cars and, indeed, bakkies on display. Most notable were the (many) dozens of Datsun 1200 and Nissan 1400 pick-ups that were built here in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. Small Nissan bakkies are a cult in places like Pretoria, Benoni, Krugersdorp, and other Gauteng cities. And all of these workaday bakkies are hot! Special rims, lowered suspensions, custom paintwork on the bodywork, even more radical paint-work on the engine, and evidence of even more radical modifications to the engines. Fuel injection systems, branch exhausts, and giant turbochargers are all evidence of the radical enthusiasm that exists for these little half-tonners.
At the other end of the scale, you had the special invites section at Cars in The Park, which as usual was hosted in the undercover section of the pit area. Stand-out cars were the 1937 Cord 812, owned by Sakkie van der Walt, the 1940 Lincoln V12, and a 1939 Chevrolet Business Coupe in pristine paintwork. Tom Linley’s Velocette trio of motorcycles, ranging from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s was an eye-catcher if you knew what you were looking at: Overhead camshafts in the 1930s? That trick only came into mainstream bikes sold here in 1969 with the Honda CB750 Four!
The most interesting special invite was the DKW F7, a cute little sports car from the late 1930s with fabric body work which made it extremely light, and a twin-cylinder two stroke motor. About 99 per cent of the Cars in The Park visitors would not realize at first glance that this was a DKW, that it was a two stroke, and that all DKWs, even those available here in the 1950s and 1960s, were extremely fast for their size. Giant-killers in fact. The car on display in the Special Invites section is owned by Corne Fourie.
There were the usual oddballs, like a late 1930s Dodge sedan mounted on a Mitsubishi bakkie chassis, raised high off the ground and fitted with large wheels and off-road tyres. The only clue to its pedigree was the ram figurine mounted on top of the radiator grille (there is a Dodge Ram pickup available in the USA in 2025). There was also a weird and wonderful Mad Max replica based on a trashed Sierra body and included a very realistic submachine gun on the bonnet!
Getting back to off-roaders, the 4X4 club – one of over 100 clubs represented at Cars in the Park this year – had a massive display of mainly new perfectly turned-out-vehicles. Many of them were fitted with the most desirable off-road gear such as roof racks and the like. A huge contingent of this display was made up of Suzuki Jimnys, a modern cult vehicle that has captured public imagination like wildfire.
All in all, it was yet another wonderful rendition of Cars in the Park. And as usual, one that the whole family can enjoy at rock-bottom prices for an unforgettable experience. Next year (also, as usual) will be even greater.
For more information on Cars in the Park and other classic car news, go to www.pomc.co.za
Getting back to off-roaders, the 4X4 club – one of over 100 clubs represented at Cars in the Park this year
The last time bad weather spoilt a Cars in the Park event was in the early 2000s.
