COLLECTION: Ian Huntly's Italian Passion

Hidden away in a rural area of Gauteng was one of the most diverse collections of Italian cars and motorcycles. At one time collector Ian Huntly opened the doors to his collection for us during a morning’s visit before some of the cars were passed on to fellow collectors.

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Images: Kian Eriksen

It is truly a step back into history, more specific Italy’s history. As the roller doors are lifted, in front of me is a very interesting collection of some of Italy’s most interesting cars from the 20th century. There are several Fiat 500s, neatly park against the wall – one being a rare Auto Bianchi. I turn around and there are more Fiat cabriolets, sedans and coupés that fill the rest of the garage. That is not all, there are also a Ducati motorcycle and even a Maserati – I might just as well have been in a barn somewhere in the flowing Italian countryside.

• Find a classic Italian car for yourself here.

Ian Huntly has been actively involved in the Fiat Club of South Africa and is also the club’s co-founder. No wonder he breaths, eats and sleeps all things Italian. He shares one of his very first motoring memories. 

Early memories

“The earliest car I can remember is the dark grey Sunbeam Talbot 90 that my parents had. It was quite a car in its time. I also fondly remember the lovely sunroof it had.”

I ask Ian to point out some important cars in the collection. “The oldest car I own must still be restored. It is a 1936 Fiat 500 Topolino. The car I’ve owned the longest is the white Fiat 500 from 1970. It actually belonged to an engineer which worked on the government’s nuclear power systems. He bought it in France and then imported it into South Africa. It was driven through Europe as well as through Zambia. After I bought it, I restored it.”

It is clear that Ian has a very strong love affair with Fiat’s little 500. Unsurprisingly, it is for a nostalgic reason. “It is the 500s that actually started our love of Italian cars in our family. My father had a Ford Zephyr, and when he changed jobs he acquired a Fiat 500. The car never gave any problems in the 25 years we had it. I grew up with a 500 and also learned to drive in one. From here on my parents bought an 1800 six-cylinder and then a 124 sedan.”

There is such a wide variety of cars and Huntly can explain the story and history of each car in detail. “I had a small collection when we lived in Zimbabwe, but when I left the country I could only take one car with me, which was a 1962 Fiat 600 panel van.”

Rare models

Other rare models in Huntly’s collection are a couple of 2300 Coupés. “I remember seeing one in the mid-60s at a five-star hotel in Harare at night. These cars were around twice the price of a Jaguar E-Type!”  

The most interesting of these two is a prototype which it seems was built for the 1965 Turin Motor Show. It uses a 2300 chassis and it is believed that Moretti did this car for the show – a one-off. 

“They cheated a bit, using an Iso Grifo front end and an Alfa Romeo Giulia tail.”

Interestingly, the car entered the country with the Italian ambassador son’s in 1972. The car was sold as a second-hand car on the streets of Turin!”

There are a number of cars which are currently not in the garage, as Huntly is also busy restoring a few which will be finished in the future.  Huntly is also not afraid to get his hands dirty: “A Fiat 500’s engine or gearbox I’ll rebuild myself, but the bodywork I’ll send away to specialists.”

Apart from restorations and enjoying the collection, Huntly uses his cars to drive across South Africa. He has, for example, participated in a number of Pirelli Classic Rallies, which covers a distance of 1 200 km over a two-day period. The keys to the cars are also often passed to his wife. 

We walk to another building and Huntly open the shutter to another, smaller barn. Here most of his motorcycle collection is parked as well as several other unique and interesting cars. 

One of the highlight restorations in the collection is a rather compact car. A 1956 Moretti Tour du Monde 750 Coupé Turismo which was one of only three such cars that participated in the 1957 Cairo to Cape Town race. “I picked it up from a friend in Jeffrey’s Bay and restored it back to its original condition.”

Huntly points to one of the oldest Fiats in his collection: “This car has an interesting story. It is the second Fiat, an 1100, to be assembled by Fiat in South Africa at CDA at the Mercedes-Benz plant after the war in 1946”. Huntly is also only the second owner of this 72-year old car, which still features the original upholstery.

His motorcycle collection includes a 1978 Yamaha which he has owned from new. Apart from more Ducati motorcycles, there is also a gorgeous, dark blue 2013 MV Agusta F4 R superbike. Two wheels or four wheels, but it must be Italian.
As a number of cars have already left the collection since our visit, it is clear that this is an ever-evolving collection where selective classics finds a home for decades or is passed on to a fellow enthusiast.