Cars in the Park 2018
Story: Rupert Giessing
Pictures: Rupert Giessing & Craig Withers

Some very weird and wonderful sights descended upon Zwartkops racetrack on Sunday the 5th August for the 39th running of the Pretoria Old Motor Club’s annual Cars in the Park motoring extravaganza. As is always the case, the BMW Car Club Gauteng was also in attendance.
The gates open from very early, with classics lining up all along the inside and outside of the 2.5km long circuit. The BMW Car Club Gauteng was in its usual spot between turns 4 and 5, for what promised to be a pleasant and sunny late winter’s day. The club gazebo was erected, and regalia packed out for display, with coffee and muffins provided by the Withers family.

Little did we know it that would be the last of the pleasant weather for the day… as the August winds started picking up and the weather got pretty unpleasant very quickly, our gazebo also got airborne a couple of times! Never fear when the BMW CCG is near though, as plan was (kind of) made and the gazebo was secured with some loose wheels and Sandbag, our club racecar, used as anchors. Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the regalia, with club and committee members chasing after regalia that flew down the back straight a few times!
A spectacular collection of BM’s were on display and to mention but a few; 3.0CSi, 635CSi, 325is, 530MLE, M3 and the ever popular 2002. They were all big crowd pullers and very popular with the thousands of spectators in attendance that leisurely walk the length of the track, admiring all the petrol head “eye candy” on display.

Cars in the Park is one of those evens where you are guaranteed to see motoring sights you will battle to see elsewhere, with hot rods rubbing shoulders with exotics and classics, and some of the craziest off-road machines that you can ever imagine! There were also hundreds of stalls selling motor-related paraphernalia, food and drinks, and plenty of other entertainment for both adults and children.
If you are a motoring enthusiast and you haven’t done so before, Cars in the Park must definitely be on your to-do list. We would like to thank our club members who brought their cars along for display on the day, and ensured that there was plenty to see at the BMW Car Club Gauteng stand. We are already looking forward to the 2019 event, hope to see you there!
