COLLECTION: Hannes Pienaar's treasure trove

Residing just outside of Cape Town, medical specialist Hannes Pienaar has a varied and interesting car collection. He opened the doors to his treasure trove for us and shares how his love for classics developed. 

Words and Images: Wilhelm Lutjeharms 

From outside, it looks like an unimpressive suburban garage big enough for two or maybe four cars... but that’s way short of the mark. The door to Hannes Pienaar's garage opens to reveal a cavernous space filled with a mouth-watering selection of highly desirable classics as well as some more contemporary cars. 

• Find a classic Mercedes-Benz for yourself here.

This 35-year-old collection is a mix of restored Alfa Romeos, some still with that wonderful patina of older cars in top nick, plus a few examples still needing some attention. Hannes explains that it was the older Alfa Romeos that laid the foundation for his passion in cars. We featured him three years ago with his Alfa Romeo GTV6. (see video below)

His collection of cars has also provided Hannes with some special memories, from a road trip around Lesotho in a 1983 Alfa Romeo 2.5 GTV to exploring the vast Northern Cape in his unique Mercedes-Benz W124 560CE. That Benz is a fascinating case. The only one of its kind, it was a special project by Mercedes-Benz SA and AMG employees for one of the company’s directors, and has been verified at around 300 km/h. 

Although there is a wide variety and distinct period differences throughout the collection, the common theme is two-door cars of the sportier persuasion: “I have a deep interest in all cars but sports cars and coupés are my main interest.” 

• Find a classic Ferrari for yourself here.

There are even some vehicles parked offsite, including a 1958 Series 2 Land-Rover SWB and, until recently an even rarer, unrestored 1953 Mercedes-Benz 170d bakkie that, until 2010, was actually doing farm duties in Namibia. 

“Apart from two-door cars, I enjoy the torque offered by large-capacity engines, which is why I have several V8s in the collection. But, you’ll notice they are all European V8s and not American V8s...” 

• Buy a limited-edition print of the Alfa Romeo GTV6 3.0 here.

“My father had an interest in vehicles and my love of Alfa Romeo definitely comes from him, as well as my uncle. The latter participated in rallies with Alfa Romeo Giulias and drove Alfas his whole life. I still remember the Giulietta Ti my father bought when he was a general practitioner in Caledon.”

“My father used to say, if I got my medical degree cum laude, he’d buy me a new Alfa Romeo. Needless to say, I received a secondhand Alfa [chuckles]. My first one was a 1979 1500 Sprint I inherited from him when I turned 21. It had 120 000 km on the odo but I immediately took the engine out and installed a Veloce powertrain. It then ran like the clappers!” 

• Find a classic Alfa Romeo for yourself here.

Around 70% of Hannes’s collection consists of Italian cars, with the rest consisting of German and British cars. However, it is the two prancing horses at the entrance of the garage that are the pinnacle cars of his collection. 

“It was a 250 Lusso that was my first Ferrari memory… but not a real one like you might expect. It was a Matchbox model. It was a green one and I just remember that it was a beautiful little car for me. Ferraris that I remember in the Cape Town area as a child were a few Boxers and 308s. As a student I remember seeing a Daytona in a shop. I vividly remember that it was not a plexi-glass model but one featuring the pop-up headlights. I remember thinking that I wouldn’t mind owing one of them.

That dream almost came true a few years ago when I could have bought one for about a fifth of what they are worth now. The idea was to buy it together with another friend and collector, but in the end it didn’t materialize. However, the love for Ferrari flowed from my interest in Alfa Romeos.”

“The first Ferrari I bought was this 1989 328 GTB in 2004. As an enthusiast, I always wanted a Ferrari at some stage. What appeals to me about the 328 are the classic Pininfarina lines – after all, most of us grew up to some level with the hit TV series Magnum P.I. This car was a relatively affordable acquisition. What I like about the 328 versus the 308 is that it looks slightly more modern, it has a stronger engine and it has ABS brakes. 

This example was manufactured in the final year of production and is not as slow as you might think. Also, I like coupes, I’m not a big fan of convertibles or targa top/GTS models. The former body types are just more solid and handle better. Also, in my opinion, this particular car offered the perfect color combination, the red exterior body color with the classic tanned leather interior. Park a 308 and 328 next to each other and you will be surprised how different they are. 

Hannes enjoys taking his cars out, and one of his most memorable trips was after he purchased the 328. “I’ve had the car for 18 years now and I’ve taken it onto a circuit before for a track day, I’ve also driven it to the George Old Car Show for a weekend away. 

The car has always run effortlessly, but I do make sure it gets serviced regularly. It was recently given an expensive but complete service and now runs even better. One of the most enjoyable trips I’ve ever done, not only in this car, but in general, was when I drove it down from Johannesburg to Cape Town after the deal was done – it was really unforgettable, especially as it always was a dream of mine to do such a trip with a Ferrari. Older sports cars need to be driven and experienced in the way their makers intended when they were developed.