Pride Behind The Ride

The windows were gone. The seats were gone. The door panels were gone. There was no engine and no drivetrain. What remained was essentially the starting point for a project that would take years of searching, building, modifying and problem-solving.

But the car did come with something valuable: a collection of OEM parts that the previous owner had imported from Japan. Many of those parts were no longer available in South Africa, making them extremely difficult to replace.

Built From the Ground Up

The foundation of the build is a C14SE engine, but this is far from a standard setup.

Classic Shape. Custom Attitude.

At first glance, the Karmann Ghia still looks every bit the classic it was designed to be. Look closer, however, and almost every detail reveals something special.

The car has been finished in a custom paint colour, giving the iconic bodywork a fresh personality while highlighting the flowing curves that make the Karmann Ghia such a recognisable classic.

It Started With a Beetle

The 1969 Beetle represents everything that made the Volkswagen such an enduring classic. Simple mechanical engineering, unmistakable styling and a character that modern cars simply can’t replicate.

Building the A14

At the heart of the build is an A14S block, paired with a GX cylinder head that has received extensive porting work.

The GX head is an important part of the recipe. Rather than simply bolting on bigger components and calling it a performance build, the head has been opened up to improve airflow and make the most of the naturally aspirated combination.

At first glance, Tigress might look like an old Golf that has simply picked up a few unusual accessories along the way. But spend some time with her and the story becomes much more interesting. This isn’t a carefully constructed showpiece that lives under a cover and only comes out on special occasions.

Tigress is a daily driver.

This is the story of “Viagra”, a 1987 BMW E30 320i that started life as little more than a body shell and ended up as a fully refurbished, carefully built classic that captures everything that makes the E30 such a special car.

The E30 has become one of BMW's most recognisable classics, and South Africa has its own particularly strong connection with the platform. BMW South Africa produced and developed some genuinely legendary E30s, including the locally famous 333i and 325iS.

Purchased during the COVID-19 lockdown as a way to stay busy and make the most of an uncertain time, what started as a simple project soon became a labour of love. Over countless hours in the garage, the Beetle was transformed into a stunning blend of classic Volkswagen heritage and carefully selected modern performance upgrades.

A Theme That Defines the Build

Every great build starts with a vision, and for the Red Eyed White Dragon, that vision has always been simple: Red, Black, and White.

Rather than adding modifications at random, every upgrade has been chosen to complement this colour theme. The result is a vehicle that feels cohesive from front to back, inside and out, making it instantly recognizable wherever it goes.

A Car That Arrived When It Was Needed Most

Venom is a 2000 Volkswagen Mk1 1.4i, still running its original setup and currently sitting at approximately 176,000 km.

On paper, it may sound like a simple daily-driven Mk1, but the story behind the car is what makes it special.