Plenty to admire at the Franschhoek Classic Car Festival

Franschhoek might be known for being at the centre of the Winelands and for fine dining, but earlier this month, however, Franschhoek was abuzz with the sound of classic and performance cars. 

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Pictures: Supplied

Over the years Franschhoek has always been a stopover for all types of car and motorcycle enthusiasts. Whether it is for a coffee or a breakfast stop, you can be sure that on a Saturday or Sunday morning you are going to spot a special car or two. After all, several wine farms, restaurants, the mountain pass that leads to the Theewaterskloof Dam and the hiking trails in the mountains are just a few of the attractions that Franschhoek is known to offer. 

However, during the weekend of 5-6 October, the region's passion for the automobile was put on show. I’ve never seen the town so busy and filled with such a wide variety of cars, enthusiast and motorcycles.

Second edition of the Franschhoek Classic Car Festival

The reason for all the action was the second Franschhoek Classic Car Festival as well as a motoring display at the Huguenot Monument, which forms part of the festival, called “Forty of The Finest”. 

• Find a classic car to buy for yourself here.

Sitting at one of the small restaurants next to the main road, our heads were constantly swivelling as we spotted rare classic-, super- and modern classic cars passing by. The fact that the weather played along must have also lured enthusiasts to attend the festival which were running from the Saturday to the Sunday. A festival ticket also allowed you entrance to the Franschhoek Motor Museum as well as the Forty of The Finest display on the Sunday.

Following the event we talked to the founder and CEO, Theo Lötter, about the festival as a whole as well as the highlights on the display. In terms of the latter, he reiterated the success of this display is not only in the number of cars on show that attendees can view, but also the quality of these cars as well as the fact that there is only one car per manufacturer. Nowhere else in South Africa will you be able to see such a curated (and by invitation only) display of forty different manufacturers. 

It is difficult to pinpoint the stand out-cars on display (there were so many). There are some cars that we have featured here before, like the fully restored Ferrari 308 GTB. Another car, and the only one in the country, that was quite special is a 1938 Jaguar SS drop-head coupé. This car was in boxes for about four decades before it was fully restored. “The restorer said that the first place this car should head to is the Franschhoek Classic Car Festival. Most of the cars on display also have a very interesting story attached to them.

“Each year we also look at possible anniversary displays. This year it was the anniversary of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta (70th anniversary) – so we had a notable display of these cars, as well as that of the Ford Mustang which celebrated its 60th anniversary this year.”

This year the tickets sold out and some showgoers who hadn’t purchased tickets online, or arrived late in the morning, were not able to enter. It is clearly better to go online next year and purchase tickets in time. There are only a certain amount of visitors allowed on site for the Forty of The Finest display. 

“Remember FCCF is not only about old cars. New cars are already part of the festival – we had the very latest Ferrari on display for example – and pairing the latest car with classic and curated displays is our strategy going forward in the iconic Forty of The Finest section.”

“Going forward, the display at the Franschhoek Motor Museum will never be in access of 50 to 80 cars, also specially selected vehicles. The curated display at the monument, which is in total 150 cars, are also carefully chosen. As has been the case this year, as well as going forward, we will take anniversaries and motoring tours into consideration. This year, for example, the Rivals Tour formed part of the show as it ended here and all the attendees could also take a closer look at these cars.

“The 2024 event exceeded all expectations, and the feedback from participants and visitors has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re already looking forward to improving the experience for the 2025 event, and we are determined to make the Franschhoek Classic Car Festival the premier car event in South Africa with international relevance.” 

Make a note to start looking for ticket sales during the third quarter of next year to not miss out on the third instalment of this show.