Minis, Beetles and wedge-shaped Ferraris. Alfa Romeos vying against BMWs from yesteryear for peak display real estate on the day. All were lined up at the start in Parkhurst ahead of the 2023 Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive in honour of the balls it takes to bring some of these priceless pieces of machinery out for a Sunday drive… 
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Coinciding with South Africa’s long weekend celebrating Heritage Day, the Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive was the ideal platform to demonstrate the diversity that our country holds with classics from yesteryear. A feast for the eyes of crafted metalwork and meticulous machinery spanning the decades before the Second World War all the way up to some of the most ludicrous models of mobility to spawn from the auto industry up until the 1980s. This date being the loose cutoff for entrants wanting to bring their prized machinery to the event.
Before continuing, let’s give some context to what the Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive actually is. On the same day around the world – the 24th of September, thousands of enthusiasts band together at their nearest starting point to begin this journey reminiscent of a dapper and bygone era. Big and small, knobbly rubber and semi-slicks, the event welcomes all who have the balls to brave some Sunday traffic in their prized possessions. Why though? Founded in 2021, the on-road motoring event unites pre-1980s classics in a drive for men’s health. Paired with Movember, funds raised are vital for research and programs for prostate cancer and men’s mental health and South Africa has been a key contributor since its inception, raising over $4 000 across several locations also including Pretoria and Cape Town.
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With a restriction on any modern vehicles, the event also seeks to embody the past by being a themed event, where drivers, co-drivers and their passengers are required to dress to impress. Think of it as a global, on-road version of the Goodwood Revival. The immersive sights and sounds of straight eights and flat twelves alone are enough to thrust bystanders into a frenzy reminiscent of 50 or more years ago.
Roadworthy and ready, 4th Avenue in Parkhurst set the stage for the start of the short but special drive around Johannesburg and onto the Vintage & Veterans Club in Atholl Oaklands. Being South Africa’s flagship event, the short stint had the 200+ attendees venture onto suburban roads and a highway jaunt for the return leg of the journey. While many of us picture pre-1980s classics to be comprised of speed-capable Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the reality is that honest working man’s Minis and Volkswagens comprised a majority of the slow-moving convoy back into the city of gold.
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In these moments spent inside a 1973 Porsche 911E, it is hard to believe the air-condition-less interior had been lauded as revolutionary in style and design only 50 years ago when by modern standards, the bare and baron cockpit would barely be able to contend with the cheapest of offerings in the new vehicle market. This is how affixed we have become to things that are unimportant while driving, and I mean actually driving. Infotainment, lane-keep assist, digital instrument clusters – every single one of these classic car owners trades their tech-packed daily in to get behind the wheel and actually enjoy the drive, without distraction and without the inherent need for simple mobility from A to B.
As time marches on, these priceless relics from the past boast no modern electronics or gimmicks but the purity of driving that thrust the very brands into the stardom we know of them today.
All images by Alex Shahini.
