Beauties on display at resurrected Knysna Motor Show

The 2022 Knysna Motor Show made a remarkable comeback this past weekend with a wide variety of exquisite cars showing up to wow and entertain spectators.

It was a warm, sunny and windless day in Knysna, a perfect setting for a car show. Unlike previous iterations of the Knysna Motor Show, the 2022 event took place in the picturesque Thesen Island Harbour Town. 

The smell of freshly ground coffee beans filled the air and by 10am the parking lot was brimming with cars sparkling in the sunshine. 

The Knysna Motor Show is organised by the Garden Route Motor Club and interim chairman, Brian Bruce commented, “At no time did we pretend or intend to replicate the previous open-field Knysna Motor Show. Covid has changed our world and we needed something new and exciting to bring people to the show. In our selection of Thesen Island as the venue, we were able to keep our development costs to a minimum and so could halve the previous gate charge. This made it more affordable for our community, which has been severely hit by the almost complete collapse of tourism to the town and region.

The show attracted a spectacular array of cars including a selection of classics due to take part in Classic Car Friday at the Simola Hillclimb which takes place on the famed 1.9 km stretch of twisty tarmac in what is known as the jewel of the Garden Route, Knysna, from 6-8 May 2022. 

Some notable Hillclimb classics included Ron Hollis’ Jaguar E-Type as well as a selection of cars from local collector, Brian Bruce’s Classique Edge, including a Jaguar D-Type, a Ford GT-40 recreation and a Ford Model A, the latter of which will be driven up the hill by Cars.co.za Journalist, Gero Lilleike, at the Simola Hillclimb. 

There was also a fantastic display of Austin Healey models participating in the 2022 Austin Healey Club of Southern Africa National Tour in the Southern Cape as well as a fine selection of Cobra replicas that seemingly never fail to satisfy onlookers.

“We invited participation in the event from a few youth clubs focused on modern car customisation and modification. This is a new initiative to blend historic and modern classics into a common space - For the Love of Cars” says Bruce.  

The Italian marques were also well represented with a fine Ferrari 365 GT and even a rare Lamborghini Jalpa. A bright yellow, modern-day Alfa Romeo 4C was a smash-hit with the kids, as was, of course, a menacing-looking Huracan.  

The event also showcased some special South African cars including two Shelby Mustangs (Shelby SA) as well a 1967 Shelby GT500 from Hi-Tech Automotive whom also brought an exquisite AC Zagato, Rossion Q1 and a Daytona Coupe for spectators to ogle.

For fans of American classics, the chrome and fins on display from brands like Cadillac, Mercury and Ford were particularly satisfying, while the Germans were also out in force, with a spectacular Jagermeister-branded BMW 635CSi and Mercedes-Benz (W100) 600 catching the eye.

A GSM Dart also made an appearance as well as SentiMETAL’s very own 1992 Opel Kadett Superboss which drew much attention from onlookers. The SentiMETAL Shop was also a major attraction, giving show-goers the opportunity to purchase model cars, prints, clothing, artwork and Hot Wheels for the kids!

Overall, the event was a resounding success with more than 2000 visitors on the day and with 120 cars on display. Based on the success of the 2022 Knysna Motor Show, it’s likely that Thesen Harbour Town will become the new home for future iterations of the show. 

“Our most important success was simply holding the show. So while this Show was essentially local, we look forward to future years where with sufficient advance planning, we will attract more provincial and national interest among owners, to bring and display their special cars to a public that wants to experience this phenomenon – For the Love of Cars,” concludes Bruce.