The Thirteenth Classic Car Show – Lucky For All!
The Thirteenth Classic Car Show – Lucky For All!
The 13th rendition of The Classic Car Show will take place at Nasrec Expo Centre, south-west of Jo’burg CBD, on Sunday July 6 2025. Gates will open to the public at 9 am, and tickets are now available through Computicket at R100 for adults and R40 for children under 12.
As has been the case for the past 13 events, a unique spectrum of classic cars will be on show at the west side of the Nasrec grounds, with entrance through Gate Seven.
“I am advising both owners of classic cars and spectators to use the access route from the west, which will mean skirting the Johannesburg CBD en-route to Nasrec,”
says organizer Paulo Calisto.
“But owners and spectators coming from the N1 highway can also avoid the traffic caused by the queues of young-timer German vs Japan classics entering Nasrec at Gate 2 by sticking to the right-hand lane and then turning left at the second traffic light on Rand Show Road, which takes you directly to Gates 5 and 7."
“This is particularly important for drivers of classic cars, which were never designed for long queues of static vehicles, and thus don’t have the modern cooling systems of current-model cars. Drivers of bona fide classics and more-modern special collectable cars can enter the classic section of the show via Gate 7 from 8 am, and all drivers of classics, plus one passenger, will be admitted free of charge."
“Spectators will be able to park within walking distance of Gate 5 and enter at this gate from 9 am on Sunday, the sixth of July. We advise all spectators to book via Computicket at the more affordable price of R100 for adults and R40 for children, but cash entry will also be available at R120 for adults and R50 for children under 12. It has always been our aim to make The Classic Car Show an affordable event for the whole family, and this year is no different”.
Paulo Calisto organized his first classic car show in the south of Johannesburg in 2012, when he invited owners of classic cars to attend a special event at a restaurant in the area. He was expecting a few dozen cars at most, but was amazed when the number of classics that showed up were about 10 times the amount he was expecting.
This year’s event should logically have been the 14th rendition of The Classic Car Show, but the advent of Covid-19 in March 2020 meant that one year had to be skipped in the ensuing time period between 2012 and 2025. As has been the case since 2012, this year’s event will once again draw a unique mix of classic cars not seen in any other show in South Africa. The demographics of the location of Nasrec Expo Centre means that the car mix that has turned up at The Classic Car Show each year since 2012 encompasses a mix of iconic muscle cars and European classics that are to be found nowhere else in the country.
The American classics on show on Sunday will include a mix of original cars, dating as far back as the late 1950s when the muscle car era first developed, such as original-spec Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles and Buicks, many with the wonderful patina common to cars that have been lovingly stored by their owners in garages for the past 70 years. In the midst of this uniquely American mix will be original and seriously-customized Chevys from the classic Tri-Chevy years, namely the 1955 to 1957 era.
And then there will be more than a sprinkling of what are commonly known as muscle cars today, such as Ford Mustangs, various Oldsmobile, Dodge, Mercury, Chevrolet and Pontiac models from the 1970s, and even giant Cadillacs from this era.
The European cars domiciled in the south of Jo’burg, the eastern towns and cities such as Germiston, Boksburg, Benoni and Brakpan, and the western reef centers such as Roodepoort and Krugersdorp always add rare ingredients such as Ford Taunuses, Opel Mantas and many variants of DKWs. And then there will be rare versions of more commonly-known classics such as Anglias, Minis, and indeed, Volkswagens such as the split-window versions of the VW Kombi and the oval window models of the iconic VW Beetle.
“The idea to do a classic car show back in 2012 has changed my life,”
says Calisto, who has lived in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg since childhood.
“Simply by attending my own show and the other events such as the classic hall at the Rand Easter Show and Cars in the Park in Pretoria has led to me establishing my own collection of classics that today numbers 14 cars.”
These include both American machines in the form of Chevy pick-ups from the 1950s and 1960s and VW Kombis from the 1960s. Calisto assures all classic car owners that this year’s rendition of The Classic Car Show will include greater security for the cars on display that ensure that no unwanted fingering of paintwork and chrome details will occur, a consideration that is always a risk to any classic owner who agrees to put his car on display at any event open to the general public.
Apart from the captivating classics on display there will be a host of family entertainment as well, including drifting, helicopter rides and jumping castles, as well as top-classic food and drink provided by some of the finest vendors in the Jo’burg South area.
