COLLECTION: Bonnievale Benzes

Situated in a beautiful valley only two-and-a-half hour drive from Cape Town is one of the lesser-visited wine regions of South Africa, namely Bonnievale. We visit a family who has been entrenched in this area for over 95 years and who owns a wonderful Mercedes-Benz collection.  

Words and pictures: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Apart from the beautiful, historic house and the stables, the building where the cars are housed is in a French industrial style, but fits in perfectly with the rest of the buildings on the farm. Classic car enthusiasts and classic car clubs are just some of the regular visitors who have had the pleasure of enjoying a sit-down dinner or lunch at the 40-seater long table, surrounded by classics from as far back as the 1940s. It is a truly inviting and stylish building. 

• Find the Mercedes-Benz classic of your dreams here.

The setting is completed by the automotive highlights parked on either side of the long dining table. These include modern classics like an R129 500 SL and R230 500 SL to true classics such as the stately W186 300 D ‘Adenauer’ and the W180 220 ‘Ponton’ Cabriolet. There are also a W108 280 SE, W116 350 SE and W111 230 S ‘Fintail’ to name a few. Lining the walls there are various display cupboards showing off more automotive memorabilia, models, watches and artefacts which the family and their forefathers have collected over the decades. But first, some background... 

The cars

Bertus Oosthuizen shares how his love for cars unfolded over the years. “My dad said I should acquire some real experience in the insurance field. So, I packed my suitcase and he sent me off to Laingsburg in 1981. At the time it was one of the first significant floods South Africa had ever experienced. It is one of the larger towns in the Karoo. I arrived 48 hours after the flood. I slept in the hotel on a mattress with all the other recovery and rescue staff, in rows next to one another. The recovery team, which I was part of, had a digger and someone would, for example, point out where his house was, and we would start digging.   One client approached us and said that he had a brand-new Alfa Romeo Alfetta 2.0 and that it was buried under the mud, but might still be there, as it was parked in his garage.

I asked my manager whether, if we could get the car out, whether I could buy it. I was given the green light and we got it out – completely drenched in mud. Back in Cape Town, my parents’ house had this long driveway, so I hosed the car down when it arrived. The neighbours were understandably upset, as buckets of mud came loose and flowed down the driveway, into the street.  But the car was cleaned up and I had it repaired and drove it for around a year. Even afterwards, when I drove the car and we went over a speed hump, I could hear some piece of mud falling off. I loved that car. That was the start of my love affair with cars.

“My love for Mercedes started with my uncle who owned a white Fin-tail with an oxblood red leather interior. I will never forget the smell of that cabin. He lived in Carolina (Mpumalanga), and that was the first time as a child that I experienced a Mercedes-Benz. I was around seven or eight years old at the time, but I remember that at the time I thought that this was a car I would like to own one day. 

“At that time my father and his brothers were still driving Fords and Chevrolets. The first Mercedes-Benz my father bought was in 1974; it was a blue W116 280 SE and the last Mercedes-Benz my mother owned was a C107 450 SLC. My first Mercedes-Benz was a W126 280 SE that I bought in the early '90s.

“I have always bee of the opinion that one of the prettiest Mercedes-Benzes was the W108, and the green one we have is the first car which started the collection. I was always searching for a white one with red leather seats, the last ones that were sold in 1971 with the headrests on the front seats. But, they are very difficult to find... 

“After I got the W108, I was always on the lookout for something special. Having said that, a lot of our cars came to us by word of mouth, as the classic car industry in South Africa is relatively small and everybody is connected. Our collection really only grew once we finished building this car museum. For us it is the ideal setting to be able to dine between some of the most spectacular classics.

It is not an easy job managing a 20-strong collection of classic cars, but Bertus tries to do it meticulously.

“I try to maintain the cars using a roster. I will put a car on the trailer and take it to Robert Pascal, an ex-Mercedes-Benz technician who really knows his way around these cars. Once he has gone through the car and serviced it, I will drive it around Cape Town for a number of days, and then I’ll bring it back to the farm. That is my routine, but sometimes these classics can really throw a spanner in the works. We honestly try to drive them regularly, otherwise you will get into trouble.”

Jacques, their son, had his interest in cars piqued at a young age and he already has a number of favourites in the collection. “If I have to choose two cars from the collection, it will have to be the Ponton Convertible and the Adenauer. If I can sneak another one in there it will be the W111. It is really incredible for me to have grown up with these classic cars and the ambience they create. Then, also to be able to learn from my father regarding the maintenance of these cars and keeping them on the road.”

The cars are enjoyed by the entire family and often on weekends they be taken out for a trip as there are several good roads in the area.

Rozitha, who grew up on this farm, also has a long Mercedes-Benz heritage, and she fondly remembers the day her father bought his first Merc.

“My first Mercedes-Benz memory stems from when I was 17. My father was single at the time and was looking for a bit of adventure. He bought his first 450 SLC. The dealership was in Bree Street in Cape Town’s CBD. I remember it very well, the car had a beige exterior and this beautiful olive leather interior, such a classic combination. I just fell in love with that car and, needless to say, we drove her home that day.  

“He loved cars, so he has also owned other brands throughout his life. As a young man, he drove a (Studebaker) Silver Hawk, after that a Red Chevrolet Impala and then he entered his Jaguar era, which was followed by his BMW period. The 450 SLC he drove for a relatively long period of time. At a later stage he purchased a W210 1996 E320, with the registration plate CER 9. We kept this car and we still drive it from time to time. It was his last car. 

“Our Cars are like family to us. We cherish and take care of them, as we would our family.”

If you are in the vicinity and are considering to stay a night in the Bonnievale area, consider Angora Stud Guest Farm and Classic Car Collection. This is the ideal location for family or club outings, as well as conferences and other events.