Why do some people fail and others succeed in the auto industry? The annals of the motor industry contain numerous examples of entrepreneurs, car names and car companies that featured briefly, massively, or sometimes even ignominiously. Preston Tucker and Ferdinand Porsche were two historical contemporaries...
... Ute! Australia, like South Africa, has produced a number of unique vehicles over the years. Pick-ups have played an important role in both country’s automotive development, and while they became popularly known here as bakkies, Down Under they were dubbed utes. Friend and correspondent...
In the aftermath of WWII, Mercedes-Benz revived its motor manufacturing with the revival of the pre-war W136 model that, despite the troubled times, was actually a significant model in the company’s history. The W136 was first launched in February 1936 and represented M-B’s four-cylinder range....
The Tyrrell 007 was designed by the team’s Chief Designer, Derek Gardner. It was used in the 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977 Formula One seasons. Ken Tyrrell needed two new drivers for 1974 because Jackie Stewart retired from driving at the end of 1973 and François Cevert was killed at the 1973 season finale in the United States. The team had originally...
The annual Simola Hillclimb took place in the Garden Route town of Knysna on May 1-4 and FMM was again present to do demo runs with one of the museum’s superb collection of performance cars. This year the FMM team comprising Curator Sian Theron, Workshop...
The Essex was an affordable brand of automobile introduced by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, the name stemming from a department store magnate Joseph Lowthian Hudson, who, together with eight other Detroit businessmen, put up the necessary funds for the company’s formation in February 1909. In 1918,...
Outside of the USA, Nash Motors is not one of America’s ‘tip of your tongue’ popular makes, but its history is full of style and innovation that belies its relatively short but fascinating history. The company was founded in 1916 by former General Motors president...
“He’s phenomenal,” said trainer Vaughan Marshall of One Stripe after the three-year-old caused a sensation when winning the L’Ormarins King’s Plate Grade 1 over 1 600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on January 4. Saturday’s race was the 164th renewal of South Africa’s oldest continuous horse race, which dates back to 1861. When asked what One Stripe’s...
FMM does annual track marshal training to ensure that our team is always kept up to date with the latest in track safety. Usually, the instructors come to L’Ormarins and provide training at PlaasPad. This year, however, Lorenzo was able to organise for the team...
In motoring folklore, South Africa is notable for having developed and produced some rather special and unique motor cars over the years, generally with a sporting bent. Almost all carried a level of sophistication that characterised the engineering talent that existed in the country, despite...
