Cars & Trucks & More Besides..

An eclectic collection of vehicle photos that are often less about the vehicles themselves.

From rust to dust, abandoned in the middle of nowhere. I would love to know its story. Did s/he fall asleep at the wheel and wake up in the shrubbery, the victim of a hit-and-run, an over-corrected drunken swerve, a stolen vehicle abandoned after a joyride, or just plain broken? Karoo.

The Truck from Car. Lamb dressed as mutton?

Further down is another pic of this relic, a Packard Clipper.

It was quite eerie, outside in the thick, deathly quiet, early-evening fog, waiting for a car, importantly with its headlights on, to come along this deserted stretch of road before the light completely disappeared.

Poles, converging lines, some leftover shimmering mirage from the day’s heat.. Another me kind of shot.

Freedom, so near, yet so far, the handle tantalisingly and agonisingly close, but fortunately/unfortunately depending, out of reach.

Polisiekar in front of me at the traffic lights. What was that band’s name, again? ;) Mossel Bay.

A beautifully restored VW Beetle at Long Beach Mall. As a former owner of three Beetles, including a LHD in London, I have a soft spot for them.

My first was a “consider it sold” situation. I had borrowed my boss's car, which he had on the market, when I had an altercation with a bus, no less. It was the bus driver’s fault, I hasten to add, but I was obliged to buy the VW for all of R250.

It looked like it had been attacked by a shark; three wheel bolts had sheared right through the door and column. Whenever it rained, the passenger side footwell (no pun intended) filled with water, even after my old school friend, “Stompie” van der Merwe’s best attempt at panel beating. Not so great for the date!

My last VW was a 1600 ‘whistler’.. No hassles forever.

Glory days over, this Ford’s final resting place. Near Knysna.

I’ve always admired fine curves, hence my latest acquisition, Steve McQueen’s old Porsche, well, a stolen photo of it, at least. Wow, what a beauty, it’s like the Immaculate Conception.

To be honest, I wouldn’t be seen dead in that, as sexy as it is, it’s waaay too ostentatious for me. I’d have to wear one of those rubber masks, with lots of flowing, tinted blonde hair. And anyway, where would the surfboard go? Oh wait, I’ll ask Man Friday to take the dust covers off the ol’ Range Rover.. ;)

Actually, my folks owned, for a very short duration, a pre-loved one of only two soft-top ie convertible Porsches in the country at the time. I think they bought it for R1.00 from a friend who needed to urgently shift some assets out of his name! ;)

But it didn’t take long for them to realise its impracticality for a growing family; it was a 2.5 seater at best. And one needed kidney belts and strap-on hats, to avoid arriving home as flame-grilled, carcinoma-infused Slush Puppies.

And another minor Porsche story. I had a friend, Bugs, who bought a Porsche 924, but he wasn’t allowed to join the Porsche Club, as those had a VW engine, or so I was told.

A Chevvie, complete with dummy passengers, permanently parked inside the aromatic warmth of a coffee shop in Stellenbosch. Only maintenance needed was a 2 bar pump up every month or so..

Just a case of overheating. Fortunately, I had some spare water for them. They hooted later, when overtaking me at speed.

.. and the ‘Sakmanne’ Rastas in technicolour.

Cape Town central. Red and red, or is that orange, or both, Erin? A nothing shot, should probably delete it..

Waiting my turn to turn..

Neglected, rejected, abandoned, dejected, looking for love, let’s get connected. Ford Cortina, Deluxe nogal, Aurora.

Just a composition. Paradise Beach. I was taking a minimalistic shot of the container when this car arrived, as if on cue. If I were adept (and fake), I’d give them all matchy-matchy red tops. I don’t do that stuff, but if/when I do, I’ll be the first to let you know.

I have a short post about containers here..

Bullet-ridden and belly-down, Aberdeen. It might even be where Bonnie & Clyde finally came to rest.

As Frank Zappa said/sang, in a parody of the era's fascination with cars with prominent tail fins, a stylistic detail popularized by American car manufacturers in the 1950s, “I dig the fins..”.. Here’s the song, but be warned, it’s risque, to put it mildly, so listen at your own risk! Do You Like My New Car? (Live At Fillmore East / 1971)

Snapped the woodchuck mid-chuck. The axle was groaning, I was concerned. Mamre.

That Packard Clipper again. The tractor is fully operational though, it’s used to haul the kelp harvesters out the water. More tractors here.. St Helena Bay.

My planned sunset walk with dog & camera at Silvermine Gate 2 was violently cut short.
This guy, on his phone (as per a witness, so allegedly), probably wondering why there’s no reception on top of OKW, hit me at about 75kph, almost ramming me into the oncoming traffic. The bang was so loud that my ears haven’t stopped ringing since.

But that’s a story for another time, it’s still sub judice.

His Hertz rental car, a complete write-off. My beloved Nissan Hardbody, technically a write-off.

On the police report, he said the sun was in his eyes. Really? You’ll be surprised if/when you hear who the driver was!

My trusty old bakkie, a shadow of its former self.

Lone car at Muizenberg on a stormy afternoon, occupants invisible.

Humans and heron heading home. The gravel road from Paternoster.

No conscious explanation. Muizenberg.

I think this is a Zephyr, the one’s with the single front seat, favoured by romancing couples, at the mercy of the elements.

Did Barbie send Ken packing, or is he on his way to pick her up for a glampnic? I let him catch up to me so I could take a quick snap.

Random in St Helena Bay. THNX MOM.

I dunno, blue car, blue bottles..? Maybe not even blue..

(Ok, just received this from my dear daughter: “Can confirm: they are blue haha!” )

You must know I’m wary about talking colours, as one who is seriously challenged in that department. I wrote a tongue-in-cheeky article about my colour-blindness here..

Even though the line-of-sight signal must be strong there, I doubt any prayers for this car will be answered anytime soon.

An old cellphone pic of this gentleman and his immaculately restored car, Noordhoek.

I think it’s a Citroën—very similar to the one my mother, as a single parent, drove when she took me to my first day of school at four and a half years old. Her Citroën had running boards, though, that much I remember; they were very convenient for a tiny tot. Oh, and it was black, and I was crying. I think she sold it for R600.

Ok, I’m getting soppy now. RIP, Mom, you were the very best.

If M.C. Escher had a car! :)

To end off on a light note, but not with my photo. Credit to the creator, well done, what a hoot, thanks for the mind-f&$k! I did some research- it’s not AI, but a real, live, working optical illusion. Correct me if I’m wrong.