Concours South Africa’s very first pop-up event was a sure-fire success.
Held at Johannesburg’s foremost upscale dining & shopping destination, Linksfield’s “The Neighbourhood Square”, the celebration of classic cars attracted 57 entries when it took place last Sunday, 14 November.
Initially slated for just 40 cars – the organisers were overwhelmed by the positive response.
Says Greg Marucchi of Concours South Africa, “Our expectations were exceeded! Ultimately, we planned to preview the “concours d’élégance” culture in the good quality company and The Neighbourhood Square was the ideal venue. My colleagues and I were blown away by the enthusiastic response.
“There were 57 collector cars in total and we were delighted to sense the enthusiasm of shoppers who excitedly viewed and voted for the delectable cars on display”.
Open to any automobiles launched before 2002, Concours South Africa at The Neighbourhood Square attracted a vast selection of models ranging from a Suzuki SJ410 utility vehicle and Rolls Royce and Bentley saloons right through to a selection of fire breathing V12 Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
Crowd favourites included the orange Mini Moke, a sleek Jaguar XK 150 roadster, two “Made in SA” 90’s sports icons namely the Opel Kadett “Superboss” & the BMW 325iS “Gusheshe” as well as the original James Bond-style Lotus Esprit from 1977.
Best of Show went to the 1969 Dino Ferrari 246 GT which has recently been the subject of an extensive eight-year, nut & bolt restoration.
Unlike the full-blown Concours South Africa competition, cars here were judged simply on their kerb appeal. “No Concours judging took place,” said Marucchi, “The Neighbourhood voted, and the sexiest car won!”
Concours South Africa proper will definitely take place next year, watch the media or check out the website for details www.concourssouthafrica.com. In the meantime, Nikki Savides Kruger of The Neighbourhood Square and the ConcoursSA team are exploring another pop-up for early in the New Year.
Concours South Africa at The Neighbourhood Square had pulses racing https://t.co/iyAVG4vGZt #ArriveAlive #PulsesRacing #ConcoursSouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/LqdXvhjuun
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) November 23, 2021