Rynfield Agricultural Holdings resident Rob Millenaar (75) and his sister, Marian Hurly (72), recently returned from the 11-day, 3 500km Lap of Natal car rally.
All 18 cars that took part in the rally had to be older than 25 years.
Millenaar said he was excited about the trip and did not foresee any problems with the classic car.
But he was wrong.
He and his sister set off from Benoni to the Talana Museum, in Dundee, on September 9.
“This was followed by a long and gruelling day on very bad roads to the site of the Battle of Blood River, Isandlwana, Rorke’s Drift and Spioen Kop,” said Hurly.
“All this was done at a cracking pace, dodging potholes, dongas and rocks.
“One had to ignore the sheer drops while navigating the dangerous passes.
“The brave little car did her best, but petered out in Ladysmith, in peak traffic.”
This was the start of a trip across the province, riddled with all sorts of car problems; including the gears dislodging from their casing, the headlights packing up as the battery does not recharge itself when the fog lights are on, a broken clutch cable, the exhaust coming off and a broken fan belt – 90km prior to being discovered.
In addition, the petrol tank had been drained at Oribi Gorge.
Millenaar pinned the dramatic events to the poor road conditions they encountered along the way.
Despite all the problems, the siblings do not regret the adventure.
“It was all worth it to see all the excited, smiling faces of the road workers, while the thousands of school children dancing and taking photographs and the politeness and acknowledgement of the truck drivers was encouraging,” said Hurly.
“The car caused a stir wherever it went and more so as Rob always struggled to get in and out of it.
“A British sports car is not made for someone over 6’2” tall!”
The classic car, named “Magnificent Milly”, is again in working order.
The siblings have not been deterred from planning another road trip in the near future.
