After the first event was held just before lockdown, BMW fans across the Cape have been looking forward to the next one, and it arrived.
Last weekend SABeemer hosted a static day at the Castle of Good Hope nogal, and the collection of Bavarian goodness that stieked uit was a feast for any Beemer fan.
Bobby Nitro spoke to SA Beemer organiser Shiraz Bawa after the show. He says: “First of all, a shout out and thanks to the clubs that helped make the day a success, to BM Squad, the BMW Car Club of Cape Town, the Dirty Thirty and the Toxic BMW crew.”
To add to the festivities, and in a vote of confidence, BMW SA in Rosslyn, Pretoria, sent down two kwaai collectibles in the form of a BMW M1 and an E30 333i.
What’s so special about the M1 is, for starters, only 453 were ever produced and it’s the first car to ever have the M badge. Interestingly, but obvious if you look at the design, the M1 was manufactured in partnership with Lamborghini, partially to throw down a serious challenge to arch-rival Posrche in Group 5 racing in the late 1970s.
The E30 333i has an equally rare heritage. Built in South Africa only, the only 204 cars manufactured between 1985 and 1987 are true collectibles. In fact, it’s no less than one of the rarest and most desirable E30s in the world. This cabbie was originally meant for competition in Group 1 racing, to be pitted against big hitters like the Ford Sierra XR8 and the Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0.
Shiraz says: “We were humbled and so grateful to get a close up of these cars, which many people have not seen before. And the lekker thing was that it was a surprise visit, we weren’t expecting them.
The day itself was a sweltering Sunday, with about 120 cars spread through the Castle courtyard, from a nice mix of street cars, classics and high-end metal, all sharing one passion for Beemer.
Ghaleeb Theys, the owner of a very presentable 535i featured on these pages in the SA Beemer tunnel run, took classic of the day prize and says: “The show was very well organised, my highlight was seeing that M1 plus all my old friends again after so long. Then there was that white 325is, that is certainly a highly desirable car.”
Reiny Salie, the chairman of long-time Cape Beemer club the BM Squad, says: “The BMW community in Cape Town is large and has a lot of pure BMW enthusiasts. So it’s only natural that when all these fans get together for an event there is a lot of joy and chats all over. This was the case at SA Beemer’s day at the Castle.
“It's like a reunion for us all and we get updates as to the progress of many cars and network with one another. As always you get to see BMWs you never knew were hidden in Cape Town.”
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