Export cars on the PE Harbour

Looking down onto the harbour from the Campanile observation deck, one just can't help but wonder where in the world these cars are being exported to.

Car wash waiting room

With the drought and accompanying water restrictions I have refrained from washing my car in my support for saving water.  Unfortunately it got to the point where my car started becoming an embarrassment so I popped by Soapy Joe car wash in Circular Drive.  While they returned my car to respectability I had look around and was very impressed with the facility they have at Soapy Joe's.  In addition to the standard outside benches, they also have a little coffee shop with inside seating and a basic menu offering things like roosterkoek for you to enjoy while reading the paper. Plus they were cheaper than the petrol station I normally have my car washed at. 

The Volkswagen plant in Uitenhage

Have you ever wondered what it looks like inside the Volsawagen plant in Uitenhage but have never had a chance to go and do the factory tour?  Let me show you through this video I discovered on the Rivista Automobilismo channel on YouTube this morning.

Last Beetle off the Uitenhage line

The last South African-made Volkswagen Beetle came off the production line on 18 January 1979 and went straight into the Volkswagen museum which later became the VW AutoPavilion.  The metallic bronze Beetle was the last of 288 353 built at Uitenhage plant 1951.  The car only had 200km on the clock when a vehicle carrier overturned on the way back from a show in Cape Town in 2006, destroying nine of the AutoPavilion's most important historic cars, including this one.  It was decided though to painstakingly recreate the car (recreate and not restore as the body was totally written off) using as many parts of the original as possible.  The car is one of the exhibits in the VW AutoPavilion's collection which can be viewed when visiting this awesome museum in Uitenhage.

Export cars on PE Harbour

Nelson Mandela Bay is a motoring mecca with General Motors situated in Port Elizabeth and VW in Uitenhage as well as numerous other motor related factories manufacturing everything from engines and catalytic converters to bolts and rubber tubing.  Both GM and VW export their cars through the Port Elizabeth Harbour and from the top of the Campanile you can see the cars lined up quayside waiting to be shipped abroad.  

Roadhouse Garage

The VW AutoPavilion is an absolute heaven for any car fanatic with some great Volkswagen related exhibits covering the whole history of VW.  Outside the front entrance of the museum is a roadhouse and garage that may take some people back in time a little bit.  But so will most of the exhibits inside the museum as well.

Vintage cars

A little while ago the team from SABC 2 show Pasella was in Port Elizabeth to shoot a couple of stories, one involving vintage cars.  Here the cars used for the insert are lined up at one of the lookout spots along Marine Drive.  This specific insert will be aired on 21 November on SABC 2 between 19:30 and 20:30 some time. Watch the insert on YouTube

 

Old cars under threat

The St Croix Motor Museum in Port Elizabeth has one of the most magnificent private collections of classic and vintage cars in South Africa.  Unfortunately this museum is under threat of closing due to the fact that the government department that owns the property doesn't want to renew the museum's lease.  The owner of the museum, Eben de Vos, is a very worried man right now as there isn't another suitable site for him to move his collection of over 60 cars to with enough space where it will be safe and secure.  The St Croix Motor Museum really is one of the city's museum gems and really need to continue to exist and I for one hope and pray that a solution to this dilemma will be found.

Beetles galore

If you are into cars then the VW AutoPavilion is just the place for you.  The museum is state of the art and a superb representation of everything Volswagen.  On display is everything from actual cars to driver simulators, engine parts right through to the detailed history of VW.  Visitor can also book tours through the VW factory next door to the museum, but I have to be honest here.  I've never been on the factory tour so I can't really comment in it.  I will make a plan to get there soon though. 

Motor Museum hubcaps

The St Croix Motor Museum is THE place to visit if you are into vintage and classic cars.  I'm not the type of guy who goes gaga over cars and even I was hugely impressed when I walked in there.  But the museum has more than just the actual cars.  The back wall is filled with old hubcaps, steering wheels, car product containers along with badges and logos.

A couple of Beetles

The VW AutoPavilion in Uitenhage has a very impressive collection of vehicles and memorabilia connected to Volkswagen and every boy (young or old) who is interested in cars should visit the museum at least once.  Part of the collection are a number of Beetles.  288 353 Beetles were manufactured at the Uitenhage plant between 1951 and 1979 with the rusty red coloured one on the left being the very last to come off the production line.  It has only 200 kilometers on the clock.  In 2006 it was being transported back from an exhibit in Cape Town when the transport truck was involved in an accident and a number of the cars on it, among them the last Beetle, was badly damaged.  The car has since been restored to its original state.

Eastern Cape Motors

William Moffet Express Way between Walmer and Newton Park are one of the main arterial roads of the city and is fast becoming it's automobile retail hub.  Williams Hunt (General Motors) and Maritime Motors (Mercedes) have had their show rooms here for a while now and both Eastern Cape Motors (Ford and Mazda) as well as Honda had opened their show rooms along the road in the last year.  Tavcor (Volkswagen) has just started construction on their new show room that will mean that most of the major car dealerships in the city would be represented on this stretch of road.  Looking at the Eastern Cape Motors dealership on my way home from a function the other night I thought two things. 1: It stands out very nicely, and 2: I don't want to know what their electricity bill is every month.

Ready for shipment

The Port Elizabeth Harbour is a major export hub for the car manufacturers in Nelson Mandela Bay with General Motors based in Port Elizabeth and VW in Uitenhage.  This is the view from the Campanile down onto the harbour with rows car carrier ships. and rows of cars waiting to be loaded onto car carrier ships.

Beetles

One of the exhibits at the VW AutoPavilion in Uitenhage featuring two Beetles. The scene depicts the two vehicles in an old workshop. I love the legs wearing gumboots sticking out from under the closest one.

...and over she goes

One of the competitors in a 4x4 challenge at Bishpig Adventure Camp off Kragga Kamma Road misjudging the distance to the hole and tipping over. Driver Jeff and co-driver Winneray was ok and went on to complete the rest of the challenges without further mishaps.