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SA Supercars 1

With the recent launch of not one, but two homegrown supercars, the question begs to be asked, “What took so long?”

South Africa has a long and noble history in the manufacture of automobiles. Admittedly, not ones of our own design, but we are known to be able to bolt a car together rather well. Indeed the rest of the world has more belief in our capabilities than we do ourselves. The well worn lament that we cannot produce items of value is, in this writer’s humble opinion, way off the mark. …/2

SA Supercars 2

Design is generally seen as a pursuit where South Africa is a laggard. But when we mention the fluid lines and impeccable style of the Ducatti motorcycle, few people realise that they are in fact penned by a South African who hails from Graaff Reinet, and not some smarmy Italian Rossi contemporary. Even Jaguar benefitted from design by a South African hand, as do numerous formula one teams, boat manufacturers and airline companies. …/3

SA Supercars 3

With the design box ticked, as well as the mechanical and production ones benefitting from a swoosh, why is it that we had to wait until 2009 for the launch of the first boutique car manufacturer? Ok, you might counter that we have the AC Cobra guys in the Eastern Cape, but they have been building replicas, not a chassis up, homegrown, unique identity vehicle. The Joule will also be thrown at me, and as much as I love and want an all electric car, I prefer the styling of the Tesla to the Joule. Now that we mention the Tesla, that is another South African success story that we now have to let another country take the credit for. Elon Musk, CEO and founder of Tesla, is an Americanised South African entrepreneur. …/4

SA Supercars 4

It is almost as if we are doing to the motoring industry what we have been doing to our sport all these years, letting our talent seek their fortunes in countries other than ours. Thanks to Barnard, being made in Bloemfontein, and Perana, a Port Elizabeth based outfit, we are now able to boast our own sub-four-second-dash-to-100km/h motor manufacturers.

Not the most opportune time to launch a supercar, considering the parlous state of the world’s economy, but these two brands are sure to make a global impact and will hopefully inspire more aspirant vehicle designers to look a little closer to home when considering that bold move to build their own dreams from the ground up.