Sao what?

South Africa: a country with a fascinating domestic motor industry (Austin Apache, Ford Sierra XR8 and Volkswagen CitiGolf to name just three of the interesting cars built there) but not one known for exports. Apart from the Ford P100, which doesn't really count as it was a pickup truck or 'bakkie' in the vernacular, you'd probably struggle to think of any South African car that was officially imported to the UK. In fact there has only ever been one and it has long since vanished into automotive oblivion. What was this mythical beast then? Read on to find out...

An even more Unexceptional day

Today saw the return to Whittlebury Park of Hagerty's Festival of the Unexceptional, which I first blogged about last year. Now in its third year, it is an event that just keeps getting better and I can honestly say this was probably the best car show I have ever been to in terms of the type and variety of exhibits (and it's completely free of charge too). This year the date had been moved to avoid clashing with the nearby Silverstone Classic, having established itself as being strong enough to stand alone, and this seemed to do wonders for visitor numbers, as of course did the fine weather.

Allegro points the way to the field of wonders...

The collectability paradox

One question I am often asked is why I buy collectable models only to destroy their originality by repainting or converting them, as surely that is a waste of a rare and valuable collectors' item and I'm losing a large sum of my hard-earned money in the process. I approach my collecting with a healthy dose of realism so I justify it purely as an interest that makes me happy and not one that makes me money, and it is taking a common mass-produced model and creating something personal and unique from it that gives me most pleasure. Sadly for those who believe the hype, logic dictates it is very rarely the case that something advertised as a 'collectors' item' will ever actually become collectable, and buying these models as an investment is extremely unlikely to pay off.

Chris Evans and New Top Gear

Love it or hate it, you can't ignore BBC Top Gear and its new incarnation has certainly provoked a huge reaction right from the start, culminating in Chris Evans's recent resignation after making a single series. The show has always had a very vocal fan base, many of whom have been very quick to criticise everything the new presenters do and had already written off the latest series as a failure before it even aired simply due to the absence of Jeremy Clarkson. I took a more open-minded approach and tried to watch it without letting my preconceptions of how it used to be influence my view too much, but I do feel Evans may have made the right decision as despite his best efforts he just didn't seem to gel with the show and wasn't the right man for the job.

The holy grey grille

It's all about that Base...

It's amazing how certain car registration marks become memorable considering they're just semi-random combinations of letters and numbers. Take GVG 510Y for example. This may not be particularly famous and probably means nothing to most of you, having never been owned by a celebrity or featured on television, but the car spotting community on Flickr will recognise it immediately as a legend among them, and those lucky enough to have encountered it speak of it in hushed tones of reverence.

Why are those guys looking so happy to see a crusty old Sierra?

So what is the vehicle this ordinary-seeming numberplate belongs to? A priceless supercar? Maybe a unique prototype? A car involved in an historic event? Nope, to the casual observer it's nothing more than a grotty old Ford Sierra that looks fit for scrap and isn't remotely exciting, so what's so special about it? Well, it's the only known surviving example of the rare early base model with the unpainted grey plastic front grille, long thought to be an extinct or mythical beast that existed only in the brochure and was never actually built, so the discovery of this specimen in the wild a few years ago caused a sensation among those who appreciate the underdogs of the motoring world.

Shitefest shenanigans

I've just returned from a fantastic weekend at a festival in a muddy field attended by people from all corners of the UK and beyond. No, not Glastonbury - I'm talking about Shitefest, the annual get-together for members of the Autoshite.com forum. Past Shitefests have been held in Wiltshire, Yorkshire and Wales, but this year I was able to attend for the first time as it took place not far from home at a secret location in north Buckinghamshire.

So what is Autoshite and what is Shitefest all about? The forum's ethos is hard to define but it sits on the fringes of the classic car movement and encompasses aspects of bangernomics and what the Germans call Youngtimers. Some members have cars that are true classics but it's mostly about unloved everyday transport of the recent past, with cars present dating from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Shitefest first came about in 2012 and is a very informal gathering where forum members get together to admire each other's cars and have a good time, usually with at least one optional visit to somewhere nearby of transport-related interest.

Corgi disappoint again

Six months ago I bemoaned how disappointing Corgi's release schedule for the first half of this year was, and predicted that the Original Omnibus Company models to be released in the second half would be little better. The full release schedule is due to be announced tomorrow but the list of OOC releases was made available by another website today and it gives me no pleasure to say I was right and the first words that came to mind on viewing the list were 'dismal' and 'pathetic'. I was hoping this was incomplete and there would be more to follow, but nothing was omitted so there is even less variety than last time and this batch of releases is far worse than I imagined it could ever be. If you don't like modern Wrightbuses then there is nothing here for you.

Rainy Gaydon and the Truck Show

The British Motor Museum at Gaydon seems to be something of a second home for me at the moment, this being my fourth visit in a year. Just a fortnight after last time I was back again for a repeat of the Classic Truck Show, and in case you're wondering this was a deliberate decision so I could have plenty of time to look around the Collections Centre on my previous visit and wouldn't be rushing around this time trying to see everything in one day, knowing the size of the truck show.

The most apt numberplate of all?

Nora Kudrjawizki's World of Violin

A look through my music library can be an interesting experience. Alongside some world-famous artists that everyone knows are a growing number of obscure and unfamiliar names, and my ambivalence towards the modern mainstream chart scene means I take great delight in seeking out rare gems from lesser-known artists. You may have thought Ray Wilson was an unknown, but he is practically an A-lister compared with the subject of this piece, the delightful Nora Kudrjawizki. I guess that name means nothing whatsoever to you, and until recently it meant nothing to me either. Allow me to enlighten you.

The lovely Nora. So much more than just a pretty face.

Genesis play Polo

Remembering a rock band special edition

The late eighties and early nineties were the golden era of the special edition, with manufacturers and dealers alike jumping on the bandwagon. In those days when base models really were basic and had little more than a full set of wheels, many of these 'specials' involved simply taking the base model and tarting it up with some stick-on stripes, maybe a sunroof or a better stereo if you were lucky, and a daft name (who remembers the Nissan Micra Wave? Yes, it genuinely existed and was a factory-built model!). There were a few better ones though that really were special with decent performance and/or luxury upgrades, and a recent sighting at a show reminded me of an interesting but forgotten example that neatly combines my interests in cars and music, but the version we got in the UK sadly wasn't a patch on that available elsewhere.

In the mid 1990s, Volkswagen became the major sponsor for European tours by several of the world's biggest rock bands, and a suitably-named car was produced as part of this sponsorship deal. The first of these was Genesis, who in 1993 were at the height of their commercial success with the line up of Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, and were embarking on a mammoth worldwide tour following the release of the We Can't Dance album. This tie-up with Volkswagen led to the production of the Polo Genesis, not just any old special edition but one endorsed by the band themselves. What more could a fan want? Now you could listen to your new Genesis album while driving around in an official Genesis car...