Did you know the first car in South Africa predates Ford Model T vehicles? It is hard to imagine the world before the arrival of cars, yet in 2016 we celebrate the 120th anniversary of the arrival of the first car in South Africa.
This is an epoch-making event, which will be celebrated as one of the high points of the South African Festival of Motoring. It will feature a host of vintage & classic cars and you can experience them all at Kyalami on August 31- September 4th.
The first car
Although a Benz car landed in SA on the 4th of January 1897, it didn’t actually run under its own power and wasn’t considered a true automobile until the end of 1896.
The arrival of benzene in the engine was delayed a month because of unforeseen complications.
The first public demonstration of the Benz Velo took place at the Berea Park sports ground in Pretoria on April 2, 1894. President Paul Kruger was there to watch, as well as a handful of other interested people.
The publicity blurb urging Pretorians to attend this “red letter day” event proclaimed that “the motor car, like the bicycle, has come to stay and will be the craze of the century.”
