Spectators, officials and entrants could not have asked for a better setting on the day. With the sun out in full tilt, a reprieve from the cold winter weeks that now fortunately seem to be drawing to a close, the Mall of Africa (Waterfall City Park) shone and glistened in all its glory.
The BMW Car Club of Gauteng had celebrated its 42nd anniversary of the prestigious Concours d’Elegance on the day. This annual event aims to bring together fanatics, collectors and lovers of the brand in general, all under ‘one roof’ and with the common goal of showing appreciation towards the Bavarian powerhouse and all its offerings on display. Furthermore, this specific event coincided with the 50th anniversary of BMW in South Africa, a truly astounding milestone considering the evolution of the brand and the growing volumes of support from young and old alike within our Rainbow Nation.
Concours d’Elegance is a term of French origin, which means a “competition of elegance” and refers to an event where prestigious vehicles are displayed and judged. It allows collectors, as well as the general population of motoring enthusiasts and petrolheads, an opportunity to showcase their professionally maintained/restored vehicles – some of which would be deserving of a rightful place amongst the echelons of automotive royalty.
Over 20 vehicles were entered to participate in the actual Concours, which would be segmented into various classes for judging. The ‘Show and Shine’ category allows for a novice competitor to display their vehicle, without the requisite and more vigorous preparation needed for the higher Concours classes. The ‘d’ETAT’ category takes it a step further and requires that the vehicle being entered be 100% original and/or accesorised with period-correct extras from the relative BMW approved partners. The ‘d’ELEGANCE’ category allows for restored vehicles or vehicles that are not 100% original and which may have non-factory/aftermarket accessories installed.
Judging for the above-mentioned classes was a stringent process, with no dust-bunny left unturned. Armed with a clipboard, pen and white gloves, judges looked more like medical practitioners than actual automotive professionals on the day. This alone would highlight the seriousness of competition on the day. To form part of the crème-de-la-crème, vehicle owners/restorers would have to painstakingly ensure that their entered vehicles conform to the highest level of judge’s scrutiny that is expected at an event of this standing.
In addition to the concours vehicles, the spectators were treated to some of the finest eye-candy that Munich had to offer and some of which us South Africans had the unique opportunity to improve on with over 50 vehicles on display. As with any event such as this, the stunning vehicles from yesteryear were always going to garner the most attention. BMW’s M-division has a knack of creating time capsules that always age like fine wines and this years’ event had cemented that theory tenfold. E36, E92 and E46 M3’s, E30 333i’s, E39 M5’s, Z3 M-Coupe’s (of the AC Schnitzer variant), an absolute beauty of an E60 M5 (being 1 of 2 in the world with this specific colour combination) were just some of the extremely impressive models on display. The somewhat endless man-hours and painstaking restoration/detailing processes were evident in these beauties. Owners never strayed far from their valiant steeds and proudly engaged with bystanders who wanted to know more about these vehicles on display.
There was an impressive display of BMW Race Cars including two E9 3.0 CSL Batmobile replicas, the original 530 MLE Race car (unique to South Africa), the E23 745i race car (also unique to South Africa). There were four E30 3 series race cars and the original Deon Joubert E34 535i race car and an E24 Original Parts 635CSi replica along with an E46 M3 race car.
BMW South Africa also showcased their heritage fleet including the E12 530MLE, E26 M1 and E30 333i.
The day had progressed without any hiccups and when the time had come for the prize-giving, all eyes were fixated on the main stage, awaiting the results of the judges’ scorecards. Winners and runners-up were announced for each category and they strolled to the stage to the sound of applause from the crowds in attendance. Had your name been called on the day, you can rest assured that that moment would have been an extremely proud and exciting one for the winners. In fact, the winners were actually all of the spectators in attendance, who got to witness firsthand the passion and love our fellow South Africans have for cars. It is this love that unites many people from different walks of life and it is something that we can all be proud of.
Third place in Show ‘n Shine went to Bruce Ceprnich in his E46 M3 followed by Dion Williams in his E36/8 Z3 M Coupe Schnitzer with first place going to Dhiresh Dewnaryan with his immaculate E92 M3.
Third place in d’Etat went to Yaseem Cassim in his E36/8 Z3 M Coupe Schnitzer, second place to Nishar Karim in his E36 M3 and first place to Preenie Pillay in his E30 325iS.
Sanjay Madhav in his E30 325iS bagged third place in d’Elegance, with Hoosein Moolla taking second place in his E39 M5 with Ian Fischer taking the trophy in his E23 735i.
Guy Patron in his E60 M5 was second in d’Honneur preserved and Ross Cornelson took the d’Honneur preserved trophy in his impeccable E46 330 Ci Convertible.
The judge’s choice of the day was a beautifully restored 1938 BMW 327.
Special mention must be made for the sponsors ITOO, organisers including Johann Venter from Vantage Automotive Art and the BMW Car Club Gauteng itself. Such a momentous event would not be possible without the assistance of each and every person involved. Thank you for putting together this amazing event that just cements us as a car-loving nation…more specifically one that enjoys roundel emblems, in-line 6’s, (mostly) rear-wheel drive and German precision!
