Blog
L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Racing Festival: 2019
The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate Racing Festival will take place at Cape Town’s Kenilworth Race Course on 5-6 January 2019. Dating back to 1861, the Queen’s Plate is the continent’s oldest horse race day and this will be the 158th time the classic equestrian event will be run. The race forms part of the weekend-long programme…
Fmm Bugattis at Val de Vie
Following on from the SA Historic Grand Prix Festival that took place in East London on 25 November, the following weekend there was a garden party at Val de Vie in Paarl where the participating overseas and local grand prix cars from the 1934-39 era were on view. They were joined on the estate’s expansive…
Collection in action: Morgan +4
Mike Monk comes to grips with a pillar of society… Idiosyncratic is the only word to describe the Morgan Motor Company of Malvern, a spa town situated at the foot of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire, England, “a designated area of natural beauty”. The company was founded by Henry Frederick Stanley ‘HFS’ Morgan in...
On yer bike: Easy Rider
FMM curator Wayne Harley is a self-confessed motorcycle enthusiast and this month he goes cruisin’ with Fonda and Hopper... Many people will have an iconic biker movie, be it The Wild One, Mad Max, On Any Sunday or Silver Dream Racer. However, for most there is one that stands out above the rest –...
Memorabilia – Pantheon
FMM assistant curator Cheslynne Ruiters visits the Pantheon and looks at some kidneys... Automotive grilles have taken on many different shapes and designs through the years, the first of these appearing in 1903. The principal function of the grille is to admit cooling air to the radiator, but as one of the main visual...
Fmm Bugattis at Val De Vie
Following on from the SA Historic Grand Prix Festival taking place in East London on 25 November, there will be a garden party at Val de Vie on December 1-2 where the participating overseas and local grand prix cars from the 1934-39 era will be part of over 120 of the country’s classic cars on…
BMW Mexico visit
Maintaining FMM’s international standing as a ‘must visit’ venue, a party of individuals from BMW Mexico recently visited the museum. Having spent a couple of days at the BMW plant in Rosslyn, Gauteng, the group moved to Cape Town during which they spent a day at L’Ormarins. The morning was spent enjoying a wine tasting…
Rally Round Africa
For almost the full month of October, Rally Round Africa took place with 28 vintage and classic cars of all descriptions following a 6 700 km route from Dar es Salaam to Cape Town. The rally took in the landscapes, cultures and wildlife of Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Swaziland and South Africa – the 25-day itinerary…
Collection in action: BMW 502
What was originally thought to be a 502, FMM’s stylish post-war BMW saloon turned out to be a bit special… Founded in 1916, BMW is one of the world’s leading – and still independent – motor manufacturers. Its success is remarkable given that in the aftermath of WW2, the company was on its knees...
On yer bike: Velocette Valiant
FMM curator Wayne Harley is a self-confessed motorcycle enthusiast and this month he becomes Prince Valiant. Well, almost... At first glance, you may think you are looking at a small-scale variety of a BMW, but after taking a closer inspection you would see you are thinking on the wrong side of the English Channel. ...