Ngong this Sunday will be a petrolhead’s paradise

The Concours d’ Elegance car show celebrates its 50th anniversary on Sunday at the Ngong Racecourse in Nairobi.

It is in one of the biggest family outing in Kenya's social sporting scenes.

Unlike in the recent past, spectators will have a chance to view vintage and rally cars of a bygone era up close and personal according to the event organiser Bob Dewar.

Of particular interest will be the entry of mean rally machines that raced on the romanticised Kenyan roads during the Safari Rally of yore.

Tanzanian enthusiast Navraaj Singh Hans has entered a 1990 Lancia Delta Integrale rally car replica.

This awesome model won three WRC Safari Rally editions under the hands of Italy’s Miki Massimo Biasion and Finland’s Juha Kankkunen in 1988, 89 and 91 respectively.

It is a super machine which will please the eyes of any petrolhead, thus the need to be at the Ngong Racecourse on Sunday.

 This car has been voted as the most successful make in the World Rally Championship (WRC) history by rally fans in the world although the Italian manufacturer no longer competes in the championship.

Aslam Khan, a frequent competitor in Kenyan classic events, has dusted and cleaned his 1968 Porsche 911 while Minti Sport will display a 1980 Datsun PA 10 to complete in the rally category.

These cars are in a list of 70 vehicles and 40 motorcycles at this year’s event that will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee at the tail end of a successful 2022 motoring calendar which peaked in June with the WRC Safari Rally, and introduction of Rally X Country in Machakos recently.

Competitors who have painstakingly preserved or restored old cars will showcase the rich history and heritage of motor vehicles in Kenya.

Top on the list are two Ford Model A machines built in 1929 and 1931 entered by Anwar Fatehdin.

They will be competing for top honours together with a similar make of Adrian Wroe which was the overall winner in 2019.

The oldest cars on display will be an Austin 7, Ford Tudor and Ford Model A pick up manufactured in 1928, and owned by Paras Shah, Mike Duder and Joseph Kamau respectively.

To spice up the mix is car enthusiast Kakooza Wazzir from Uganda, coming to Kenya for the seventh time. He brings in his rare 1996 Mitsuoka Viewt saloon and a 1991 Mitsuoka le-Seyde. His compatriot Edgar Katamujuna competes in a 1985 Volkswagen Kombi in the utility cars made after 1970 category.

The motorcycle division has an interesting mix. Sati Jabbal’s 1925 DKW and Dominique Antoine’s 1925 Triumph are the oldest machines.

Sati’s DKW was the overall bikes division winner last year. It will be interesting to see whether the 1959 BSA Shooting Star and 1966 Triumph TR 6C of Peter Giraudo’s will upstage these “Oldies”.

For more than 10 years, the Uganda Bikers Association members have contributed enormously to the success of the Concours.

Ugandan riders also spice up competition by riding their 20 machines dressed in their black and red riding gear amidst wild cheers from the crowd.

Car lovers have also been invited for the Classic Sale of cars and bikes made 25 years ago and beyond.

This enables the owners of old but golden machines to offer them for sale to a significant number of spectators who are interested in buying vehicles for fun or with the aim of entering them in future Concours events.

In addition, there will be motor trade stands at Auto Expo for new vehicles being introduced into the local market by leading franchise motor vehicle companies.

Another attraction will be the Heritage Collection stand which will display old equipment and machinery including Roger Tanner’s old steam engines and an ancient TE 20 Massey Ferguson tractor owned by FMD.

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