Car Features

The vehicle started as a project in Hermanus that was abandoned. The owner had it on the internet and Ivan Snatched it up. Ivan dad had originally built the Hot Rod to her brother Wayne’s specifications and preferences, with a Cummins 5.9l turbo diesel engine and 5 ton Mercedes tip truck manual gearbox. Unfortunately her brother Wayne was killed in a car accident when the project was all but complete.

The body of the car was in very bad condition at it was originally a drag car. As the body was fiberglass, rust was no issue. The chassis was the only part that had to be sandblasted by Pro Strip Media & Powder Coating in Mesa, Arizona. The body work took about 4 months to finish. 

I had been trying to buy this car for the past 5 years. I had never seen it but Ralph at Motown Auto Parts had been to the owner’s house to do some minor work on it and had told me it had a Chevy 383 in it but that was all he knew. 

This unyielding passion for American Steel started way back in the early 70’s when Mark’s dad, Peter, imported a ’67 Camaro from the states, creating in Mark a bowtie (Chevy) man for life. It is no wonder that those same values and preferences have been instilled in his own son decades later. Having watched countless Youtube builds and Hotrod TV programs over the years, and after attending numerous Cars in the Park shows, Mark and Connor decided they would take on a project that would feed their yearning for building a masterpiece of their own.

Article and Photos by: Stefan Daniël Kotzé

The Type 2 T1s built between 1967 –1979 are still cool in their own right though. They are more accessible and they still fetch reasonable prices too. For the owners of these buses, it’s rarely about the money, more about the culture, lifestyle and everything else that goes hand in hand with owning one of the classics. It’s usually more of a love and often hate affair that could last a lifetime. When you own one of these, you’re normally in it for the long haul.

By : Gerhard Van Vuuren
Photos: Jacques Lamprecht

Owner: Jannie Viljoen
Builders: JV Automotive
Location: Centurion Gauteng
Make and Model: 1934 Chevrolet Rat Rod

Owner: Greg Parton
Builder: Royce Munnery

Owner: Scott Bucknell – The Olbugga
Builders Name: Ricardo Johnson - Midlife Crisis Garage 
Year: 1974
Make: Chevrolet El Camino – HQ Holden

Owner: Greg Parton

Builders Name and/or Shop name: Greg’s Garage

The car was given to Clark & Kent in Sydney Road, Durban and they carried out the wide kit conversion. The original fenders had to be significantly cut and trimmed and welded before the new kit could be fitted. They mentioned that it was a lot of work and had to be done with care as the kit came with no installation instructions. Stainless steel button head screws were Kal-Gard coated black and used to fasten the new bodywork to the car.