Blog
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. ...
Memorabilia – AA Badge
FMM assistant curator Cheslynne Ruiters takes a look behind one of the motoring world’s most famous badges… On 19 June 1905, a trio of enthusiasts, Walter Gibbons, Charles Jarrott, Ludwig Schlentheim and Alfred Harris, banded together under the title ‘The Motorists Mutual Association’ (MMA) and formed a committee to consider ways to overcome the…
2018 World Rallycross Championship (WRX) – Dust and drama
The final round of the 2018 World Rallycross Championship – WRX – took place at Killarney on November 24-25 and once again proved to be an action-packed weekend. This was the second time that the Cape Town circuit has hosted the championship finale and although the drivers’ title had already been won by Swede Johan…
Fmm Slot Car Championship
At the final meeting of the FMM Slot Car Championship held at the beginning of November, the club’s new four-lane circuit was introduced. An evening of friendly – but no less competitive – challenges took place allowing racers to get a feel of the new layout, and there were plenty of thrills and spills as…
Whales, Wheels and Rotaries
The Franschhoek Motor Museum was invited to exhibit its two rotary cars at the annual Whales and Wheels Show that took place in Hermanus on September 29. Workshop technicians Wilfred Tarentaal and Wenstley Wickham took the museum’s 1968 Mazda Cosmo Sport and the rarely seen, same era, NSU Ro80 to the annual event where they…
Wild Flowers Too…
Not all of FMM’s transport collection is motorised – the museum has a number of classic bicycles in its portfolio, too. And when it came to continuing its support of the annual Darling Wildflower Show – at 101 years, the oldest-running show of its kind in the world – FMM provided a 1950 Hercules delivery…
Oily Rag Run 2018
This year’s Crankhandle Club Oily Rag Run for unrestored pre-1968 vehicles took place on Sunday 21 October. Sponsored by Crossley & Webb, The Franschhoek Motor Museum and RockStar Cars, competitors met at C&W’s showrooms in the Gardens, Cape Town for coffee and croissants before the first vehicles set off at 09h30. Twenty-one vehicles entered the…