What an absolute cracker of a day on the road! The Castle and Chappies Cruise brought together our amazing convoy of classic air-cooled VW machines and custom beach buggies for a lekker coastal run through Cape Town.
Starting off with early coffee at Bothasig KFC, we hit the road together before pulling up at the historic Castle of Good Hope for a dose of local history. From there, it was pure driving bliss as the convoy rumbled down the peninsula, taking on the legendary cliffs of Chapman’s Peak Drive with toll gate fees covered and cooler boxes unpacked for a coastal picnic. We wrapped up the fun down at Mariner’s Wharf in Hout Bay, dodging some brutal speedbumps, checking EMPI sumps, enjoying ice creams in the sunshine, and taking in the harbour views.
Browse through our photo album below to relive all the smiles, epic rides, and top-tier gees from this unforgettable day out.
Pop the lid and admire the chrome, because nothing gets a bunch of petrol heads talking quite like a freshly tuned dual-carb engine bay. Shining bright under the morning sun, this gorgeous blue Kewer was looking proper pristine and ready to hit the road.Bertus’s clean white Kewer looking sharp with those black rims and retro headlight eyelids, ready for a proper day out on the road.Kyle Cato’s light blue 1974 Kewer looks sweet on the outside, but under the lid packs a freshly built 1835cc motor with dual 40 IDFs ready to roar.The only thing that smells better than 11 herbs and spices is high-octane fuel and vintage exhaust fumes at the morning meet up point.Lifting the rear decklid on Kyle’s 1974 Kewer reveals the real business end—a freshly prepped 1835cc heart ready to tackle the coastal hills.Time to stretch the legs and play tourist for an hour as the crew heads through the archway for our guided tour.Kyle Cato thinks he is part of the display, holding perfectly still behind the impressive statues during our private tour of the Castle.Gathered in the shade on the cobblestones, catching up and swapping stories while we wait for our official Castle tour to kick off.Who knew? Our tour guide dropped a proper history bomb, explaining that an entire original fort once stood right out front before this Castle was ever built.An aerial look at the original star-shaped clay fort model showing how the early settlement was designed long before stone bastions took over.At first glance, it looks like an open doorway straight to the 17th-century harbor, but it is actually an incredible mural painted inside the archway.This is where we send members who forget to check their oil levels before a long weekend convoy!The Wild Buggers crew experience a bit of the dark side of local history, crowding into the infamous Donkergat dungeon during our Castle tour.Duck your head and watch your step as the Wild Buggers group files through the narrow archway into the historic Donkergat.Definitely not standard toolkit equipment for the garage, but certainly an eye-opening artifact inside the Torture Room display.Filing down the narrow stone stairways of the Castle, making sure nobody takes a wrong turn into the dungeons.Soaking in the sun and some fascinating local history as our guide walks us through the stories behind these ancient stone walls.Heading into the Military Museum section of the Castle to check out historical displays and local artifacts on our tour.Checking out the original trendsetter himself inside the museum, back when a hair comb and a formal collar were the ultimate accessories.Imagine trying to pass the salt down this table! A look inside the grand Lady Anne Barnard banqueting hall during our walkthrough.These heavy iron shackles put a whole new meaning on heavy duty mechanical hardware!Stepping back in time to see how the Castle high-ups lived in the 1700s, complete with original wooden armoires and classic period décor.Jacques ducking down to see where this tight stone passage leads, proving no corner of the Castle went unexplored on our tour.Soaking in the sun and sweeping views high up on top of the Katzenelnbogen bastion before we head back down to the vehicles.Back at the vehicles after our tour, catching up with Harvey Metcalf beside his iconic white and blue Beamish before we roll out for the coastal drive.Tails up and brake lights on as the Wild Buggers convoy hits the road again, heading straight for our picnic spot on Chapman’s Peak Drive.Cruising under a canopy of green as the Wild Buggers convoy winds its way along one of the most scenic stretches on our route.Bertus Visser keeping right on our tail in his tidy white 1600 air-cooled Beetle as the convoy winds its way along the coast.Lined up and paying the toll as the club takes care of the entry fee so the entire convoy can roll straight onto Chapman’s Peak Drive.This incredible view across Hout Bay is exactly why Chapman’s Peak is an absolute bucket-list road for any coastal cruise.Every air-cooled adventure needs a quick pitstop story, and Hans and Neil were ready to give Thunder Bug a friendly stoot when needed!When an air-cooled engine throws a little mystery your way, you can bet half the club will be leaning over the lid to figure it out together.Who says petrolheads can only do biltong and braais? Fresh sushi on the back seat makes for a high class picnic stop on the coast!Heinrich Thiart’s turquoise blue 1600 Beetle looking absolute picture-perfect parked under the shade with the mountain backdrop stealing the show.Nothing says West Coast beach buggy vibes quite like strapping surfboards to the roll cage for a Sunday cruise along the pass.Harvey Metcalf’s white and blue 1600 Beamish taking a well-earned break under the shade with the mountain peaks standing tall behind us.Viv Reyneke’s gunmetal grey 1600 Beetle looking slick under the trees, complete with classic roof luggage and a popped bonnet for a quick check.Bertus Visser’s clean white 1600 looking right at home parked under the shade while the crew relaxes and catches up during our picnic stop.A serious contender for the slickest ride on this run, this slammed blue Beetle looked absolutely perfect gleaming under the coastal sun.Camp chairs unfolded, cooler boxes opened, and cold drinks poured—this is how the Wild Buggers do a proper Sunday picnic stop.Now that is how you properly enjoy a Sunday cruise pitstop—stretching out on a blanket in the shade for pure relaxation!Now this is a postcard perfect lineup—two radical buggies and a classic Beetle taking a breather beneath the trees!Mickey using Shrek as the ultimate perch while the crew shares laughs and coastal stories overlooking the bay.How beautiful is this stunning Porsche S, adding a bit of timeless classic elegance to our coastal cruise pitstop!Seeing this gorgeous ivory Porsche speedster from the front had everyone in the convoy admiring every single classic detail.Just another absolute beauty parked in the shade—this two-tone blue classic looks like it drove straight out of a vintage showroom!You cannot get much closer to the ocean than this—parked right on the wharf at Mariner’s Wharf taking in those unbeatable Hout Bay views!Kyle Cato taking a close look under his light blue Beetle after tackling those nasty speedbumps—luckily the EMPI deep sump came out completely unscathed!Those harbour speed bumps were no joke, and while a few cars played it safe and turned around, nothing was going to stop Bertus from reaching the pier!While the lower rides were sweating, this custom green buggy known as Shrek just enjoyed the scenic viewpoint with zero speedbump anxiety.Now that is a scenic parking spot—our convoy lined up right along the pier with the ocean and mountain peaks stealing the show!A few members chose to stretch their legs and walk down rather than test their low ground clearance over those brutal speedbumps—and the harbour view was worth every step! Leave it to Leon Visser to turn a harbour fender tire into a photo op—you never know what crazy antics our members will get up to next!Heinrich Thiart taking it extra slow and steady over those harbour speedbumps to land his beautiful turquoise 1600 classic right at the water’s edge!Just some lekker old chatting on the pier while the rides take a well-deserved breather next to the harbour waters!A fantastic rear-view contrast between custom creativity and classic curves, framed by Hout Bay’s iconic harbour and mountains.After battling those harbour speedbumps, the crew earned a well-deserved ice cream break right beside Shrek!Finding the ultimate perch on a wide rear tire to enjoy an ice cream cone—now that is proper harbour cruise relaxation!Harvey Metcalf holding his drink and chatting beside his ride as we wrap up another fantastic run—all good things must come to an end!
Missed out on this coastal run or ready for the next adventure? We would love to have you along for the ride! Check out details for our upcoming convoy on our next event page at https://wildbuggers.co.za/next-event/. There are never any tickets or formal RSVPs required with The Wild Buggers—just get your ride prepped, pack your cooler box, rock up, and drive!