Record number of cars at latest SentiMETAL Gathering

With an estimated 200 cars in attendance, the SentiMETAL classic car community continues to grow. The final Gathering of 2019 at Lourensford Estate's Abru Motor Studio attracted some real stunners.

"The first SentiMETAL OutRun took place exactly one year ago with 7 cars, and to see around 200 cars show up one year later in a beautiful setting such as Motor Studio at Lourensford Estate," can be rather emotional, said Master of Ceremonies, Ciro de Siena, when thanking those in attendance.

Celebrating 120 years, Opel was the featured brand at this event. The 1955 Kapitan on the right was the oldest Opel to participate.

It was also the first SentiMETAL meet to have a sponsor in the shape of Liqui Moly. "Having a sponsor allows us to put on a better event," explained Hannes Oosthuizen, SentiMETAL project manager. "We think Liqui Moly is the ideal partner for SentiMETAL, and thank them for their support.

Anthony Ilchilcik's stunning 1959 Cadillac was awarded the prize for most original/unique car at the event.

Participants started gathering at 3 pre-determined meeting spots in the Western Cape before driving together towards Lourensford and Motor Studio, an ideal venue for a petrolheaded event such as this one. "The feedback on Motor Studio was incredible," says Oosthuizen. "We'll definitely be back!"

Cute 1972 Peugeot 304 Coupe joined by period Mazda RX-2.

Another first for this Gathering was to have a "Featured Brand", in this instance German marque Opel, celebrating its 120th anniversary. A large number of Opel supporters showed up with cars from almost all eras - the oldest being a stunning 1955 Kapitan. But it was Shabir (Mo) Hoorzook's stunning red Superboss that drove away with the prize (sponsored by Liqui Moly), for the best Opel of the day.

The oldest car to make the Gathering was this 1930 Peugeot 201.

The 3 judges (Cars.co.za's Hannes Oosthuizen, Ciro de Siena and Motor Studio's Ewald Fendler) identified Jaques Wessels' stunning black Porsche 356B as the most stylish car on the day (he wins a professional photoshoot of him and his vehicle), while Anthony Ilchilcik's flamboyant 1959 Cadillac Coupe De Ville was judged as the most original/unique car of the show, particularly as it was finished in what is called Wood Rose Pink Metallic! He wins a day's venue hire at Motor Studio.

Jaques Wessels' immaculate Porsche 356B drove away with the prize of the most stylish car at the event.

But there were many other highlights, including some head-turning Peugeots. A real old-timer was a 1930 Peugeot 201, but there was a stylish little 1972 304 Coupe and a neat 1968 404 sedan, too.

Fins for days on this 1958 Chrysler Windsor!

A very large number of American cars were present, including a 1958 Chrysler Windsor and an immaculate light metallic green Ford Mustang that has done only 64 000 miles since new. Also catching the eye, as always, was Jess Goedhals' Dodge Viper GTS (feature car of episode 11), a black Chevrolet Camaro that obviously packs some extra punch and a dropped, rat-rodded Chevy C10 pick-up.

You don't find these in this condition anymore - 1984 Toyota Corolla Liftback TRD.

Heading over to Japan, and a stand-out car was a very neat (and very rare, these days), 1984 Toyota Corolla Liftback TRD, a third-generation Supra and a couple of rare Mazda rotaries. A cute arrival was a Daihatsu Copen.

Josh Spencer's Jaguar E-Type almost stole the show, again. Such a beauty!

And then there were the British. Josh Spencer brought his beautiful E-Type (featured in SentiMETAL Episode 1) but his was not the only E-Type in attendance, as a stunning yellow Roadster also showed up unexpectedly. A bright red little Leyland Mini 1275 E turned many a head, as did a Lotus Esprit Turbo, Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and a 1964 Triumph TR4A. 

Uniquely South African, this GSM Flamingo may sport modern wheels, but it looked absolutely gorgeous.

And so the list goes on, and on... Examples of the GSM Dart and Flamingo brought a more South African flavour to the event, and a mixture of other European delights gave the audience plenty to look at. Crowd favourites included four Volvos (850R, 850 T-5R, P1800 and PV544), a variety of Bimmers (E34 M5, E46 M3 and several E30s) and for those with more modern tastes highlights were the Mercedes-AMG GT, Audi R8 and Lotus Exige S.

Loads to see inside Motor Studio, too, as the crowd joins the queue for a caffeine injection.

Inside Motor Studio, the visual delights continued, with several bright red Italian and British beauties on display, and the SentiMETAL store selling some of its limited edition prints. The day was in aid of a worthy cause, with a percentage of the proceeds on the day destined for Camphill West Coast, a facility that provides care for intellectually challenged adults, but does so with purpose, creating quality products in a natural farm setting. Find out more about Camphill here. 

The next SentiMETAL Gathering is scheduled for Gauteng in February 2020. Watch this space.

For a more comprehensive photo gallery, go here.

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