Author: Sam Spiller

We need to talk about your cars. Your cars that, I shall stress, continue to be motoring benchmarks and a universally-regarded standard of quality craftmanship and design. You guys invented the car. That’s your thing, and you do it extremely well. But we need to talk about how many cars you have to offer us. At the dawn of time, vehicle segments did not exist. You either had a car, or you didn’t. Simple as that. Eventually we realized that we would have to bring the kids and dog on the holiday, so we doubled the number of seats and…

Following weeks of uncertainty, Opel South Africa recently announced that the brand will continue to be sold in the country. This confirmation comes after last month’s announcement by General Motors South Africa that the American giant would be withdrawing from the South African market, effectively ending the availability of Chevrolet vehicles. As of January 2018, the sales and distribution of the German brand will be handled by the Williams Hunt group, which currently accounts for approximately 20 percent of Opel vehicles sold today. “Opel has had great success in South Africa,” said Bill Mott, Director of International Sales Operations. “Many…

We live in an ever-changing strange world, ladies and gentlemen. A world where celebrities and politicians can be one of the same, and where kids can enjoy an ice cream sundae served in a bowl made of bacon (yes, the Bacon Bowl is a real thing, and may we be forgiven for it). It is also a world where a car, a piece of man-made machinery, can have its own natural cycle of evolution. This is a phenomenon most notable in the lower-priced vehicle segment, where you have cases of budget hatchbacks, originally designed as wheels for the common man,…

Okay, so what exactly am I doing here? I like to believe that given a knowledge of the topic, as well as continuous experience of the profession, I can provide a certain insight into what car prospective buyers should focus. The trick is not to approach it not necessarily as a critic and subsequent nit-picker, but rather as an other consumer. That way, the recommendation can come from a perspective that you, the reader, share, and can therefore take it to heart more easily than a rant from someone who has ridiculously high standards about what size his air vents should…

The Bathurst Showgrounds hosted the town’s annual vintage fair last weekend, with highlights including a motor show and motorcross, the latter comprising vintage VMX bikes competing in a series of races. “The weather was great, the venue awesome,  for racing old motocross bikes around grassy fields”, said event organiser Rob Wicks. There were 41 riders,  with some riding two different types of bikes on the same day. Visitors enjoyed the various classic cars on display, such as the Mercedes 300SL convertible seen pictured. Also pictured is the start of the VMX race in the open twin-shock category. Photo: Sam Spiller

This past week, we are beginning to digest the news that we received last Friday. By the end of this year, we will see the departure of General Motors and Chevrolet from our shores, with plans in place for Isuzu Motors to purchase some of the American giant’s local manufacturing operations. This has been a whirlwind couple of days as questions abound as to what this means for the South African consumer and the country at large. So let us attempt to answer these questions. On Thursday morning 18 May, I received a press release from GM South Africa detailing…

The the Eastern Cape towns of Bisho and East London played host to the annual parade of the South African chapter of the Porsche Club in May 2017. Sponsored by Exxon Mobil, the weekend-long celebration included events such as quarter mile and speed runs at Bulembu Airport, as well as an exhibition at Hemmingway’s Shopping Centre. On the Sunday, enthusiasts and drivers met up at East London Grand Prix Circuit for a day of Big Foot Time Trials. Grocott’s Mail reporter Sam Spiller went to the circuit to take a look and came back with these photographs.

I have this friend from class who loves shoes. From what I have witnessed, shoes are to him what cars are to me. Nothing wrong with that, except that while I am in no position to spend R328 400 on this new Opel Mokka X, he is quite capable of spending R3 000 on that new pair of Air Jordans. Question is, five years down the line, whose purchase will still look good? Nike’s design turnover could answer that for you. Trends in the automotive industry are a pretty hard thing to balance, particularly when it comes to what its output looks…

With global sales now totaling over 540,000 units, British car manufacturer Mini has announced that the latest generation of their premium compact, the Countryman, is now available in South Africa. The Countryman has undergone major design changes, and while whose bodywork is reminiscent of other models currently offered by Mini, the front and rear bumpers make use of sharp curves and black layers of plastic to accentuate it. The new model is also bigger than its predecessor, measuring 20 centimeters longer and three centimeters wider. The result of this increase is highlighted in a bigger boot space, measuring 450…