Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands Photo Gallery
What an absolute cracker of a day out on the roads! The Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands run turned into a proper epic adventure, proving once and for all that we are definitely a wild air-cooled VW club and not a mild one.
We kicked things off as a massive Cape Town classic car convoy, cruising down the coastline and soaking up the scenery before stopping for a fascinating submarine museum tour in Simon’s Town. Of course, the winter weather decided to give us a proper testing, opening up the heavens with some serious rain as we navigated the slick coastal driving routes past Scarborough and Kommetjie.
But you cannot rain on our parade! The club gees was running at an all-time high as windshield wipers pulled overtime and our trusty beach buggy and VW air-cooled run pushed right through the storm. We wrapped up the day dry, warm, and laughing over a massive pub lunch at the Constantia Rugby Club. This album catches all the best moments of our classic car convoy adventure. Flip through the photos and experience the vibe!
Rise and shine, Wild Buggers! Check out the full breakdown for Neil, Sherene, and Maddox’s Coast to Winelands run on June 14. We are talking 170 km of pure scenic driving bliss from Foresters Arms to Constantia Rugby Club, with coffee at Groot Constantia and submarine tours in Simon’s Town along the way. Whether you are running with Herbie or going topless in an orange buggy like the graphics here, you do not want to miss this convoy. Full itinerary and convoy rules are listed right here—get that air-cooled VW ready!You can never have too many spares! After Bertus Visser’s classic VW Beetle suffered a broken ignition coil the day right before our Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands cruise, he wasn’t about to take any chances on the 170 km road trip. He rocked up with a mini warehouse of about eight spare coils packed tightly next to his warning triangle. This is exactly what old-school VW club culture is all about—being prepared for absolutely anything on the road!The pre-run parking lot huddle! Before we even turned a key on the Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands cruise, the tech talk was already in full swing at our Foresters Arms meeting spot. Here is Leon Visser pulling out his phone to show the crew his latest project builds and some rare spare parts he has tracked down. You know you are part of an air-cooled VW club when a group of people crowding around a tiny screen to look at vintage car components is the main attraction!Meet Rango! Dan Laarman’s stunning metallic green beach buggy was looking absolutely pristine at our Foresters Arms meeting point before we set off on the Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands run. Armed with a solid 1600 VW air-cooled Beetle motor, this green machine is built for the open road and coastal curves. You just can’t help but smile looking at a buggy this clean and ready for action!Is it blue? Is it turquoise? Whatever you want to call it, Heinrich Thiart’s classic VW Beetle was an absolute showstopper at our Foresters Arms meeting spot! Sporting a reliable 1600 VW air-cooled engine and looking exceptionally glossy under the parking bays, this beauty was polished up and ready to dominate the 170 km road trip for our Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands cruise. You just can’t beat the timeless lines of a vintage Beetle looking this good before a run!Come to the Dark Side… we have coffee and air-cooled engines! Mickey’s legendary green 1974 1600 VW Baja Bug, affectionately known as Dark Side, was looking absolutely wicked at our Foresters Arms meetup point. Ready to take on the 170 km Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands cruise, it even came equipped with a perfectly balanced travel mug on the front fender. Now that is what you call standard classic VW luxury!Classic retro vibes on display! Harvey Metcalf’s awesome white and blue Beamish beach buggy was looking the part at our Foresters Arms meetup spot. Sporting a reliable 1600 VW air-cooled motor and a cool cream canvas canopy, this classic buggy is built for cruising the coast. You can just feel the history and old-school fun radiating from this machine before we kicked off our Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands run!Pop the hood and cue the crowd! Our resident route planner Neil Doveton decided to open up the rear lid of his famous Herbie-styled classic VW Beetle at the Foresters Arms meetup spot. Naturally, it took less than five seconds for a crowd of Wild Buggers to gather around, leaning in to inspect the clean air-cooled motor. There is nothing quite like the collective nod of approval from a bunch of vintage VW enthusiasts looking at a well-tuned engine before a 170 km run!The ultimate lineup! The Foresters Arms parking lot was looking like a beautiful blast from the past as the crew lined up for the Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands run. From Neil’s iconic Herbie number 53 to Mickey’s rugged green Baja Bug ‘Dark Side’ showing off its exposed engine, we had the perfect mix of classic Beetles and beach buggies ready to roll. With the palm trees overhead and a 170 km scenic route waiting for us, the pre-run vibes were absolutely spot on!Talk about a polished beauty! Viv Reyneke’s absolutely stunning 1600 VW air-cooled Beetle was turning serious heads at our Foresters Arms meetup point. Dressed in a flawless metallic gunmetal grey paint job that shines like a mirror, this classic bug looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor. With those custom wheels and twin chrome tailpipes, Viv was more than ready to cruise the 170 km Coast to Winelands route in absolute style.Business in the front, party in the back! We got a gorgeous look at the rear end of Dan Laarman’s metallic green beach buggy, Rango, at our Foresters Arms meeting point. Check out that beautifully clean 1600 VW air-cooled Beetle motor! With that custom orange fan shroud matching the name decal perfectly, this setup was absolute eye candy for the crew before we roared off on our Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands cruise.A beautiful nod to old-school heritage! Viv Reyneke’s metallic grey 1600 Beetle doesn’t just look incredible; it also carries some fantastic history on the front bumper. Check out his proudly displayed, vintage Consoldia Auto Club badge from Oranjemund, SWA (Namibia). It is these unique personal touches and historical details that make walking around the lineup at our meeting points so fascinating before we head out on a Wild Buggers cruise!Classic white, bright, and ready for flight! Andre and Jo-ann Gericke’s awesome 1975 VW air-cooled Beetle was looking absolutely brilliant under the trees at our meeting point. Check out that super cool, old-school black louvre on the rear window—talk about proper retro styling! Armed with a trusty 1600 engine and some very slick custom wheels, this gorgeous bug was all set to tackle the 170 km turns of our Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands cruise.Talk about practical packing! Nolan Swanepoel’s awesome white Beamish beach buggy solves the classic “no boot space” buggy dilemma in absolute style. Spied at our Foresters Arms meeting point before the Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands cruise, Nolan has a massive grey Thule roof box mounted right onto the roll cage. Powered by a roaring 1600 VW air-cooled twin-port Beetle motor, this setup has plenty of space to pack in your camping goodies, a fishing rod, and a weekend’s worth of road trip supplies!The mystery motor that stole our hearts! During the Wild Buggers Rise – Coast to Winelands cruise, this absolute showstopper of a candy red Beetle rolled up, popped the engine lid, and left the entire club drooling. Look at that superb, pristine air-cooled setup with the dual carbs and polished bits! It had all of us instantly dreaming about engine upgrades. Sadly, before we could track down the mystery owner and get his details, he vanished into thin air. If this is your gorgeous bug, hello! We are looking for you—please get in touch and come ride with us again!A little bit of water-cooling from above wasn’t about to damp our spirits! The skies opened up and it started to rain as our convoy cruised along the winding roads towards our very first pit stop: the historic Groot Constantia wine estate. We were heading straight for Simon van der Stel’s old museum house. Rumor has it the place is properly haunted, but honestly, after driving through a sudden Cape downpour in classic air-cooled bugs, a few friendly ghosts didn’t scare us one bit!Cruising through the gorgeous vineyards on our way to the haunted manor! With the rain-splattered windscreen giving us that classic winter road trip vibe, we followed this beautiful white bug up the path inside Groot Constantia. Mist-covered mountains ahead, beautiful Cape vines on either side, and a legendary ghost house waiting for us at the end of the road—honestly, what more could an air-cooled convoy ask for?We have officially arrived! Splashing through the Cape winter rain, our convoy made it to the grand white gates of Groot Constantia for our first official pit stop. Even with the raindrops blurring our view through the windscreen, you can’t miss that iconic entrance wall. The security team looked ready for us—or maybe they were just trying to count exactly how many noisy, beautiful beach buggies and classic Beetles were rolling in to wake up the estate’s resident ghosts!The hunt continues! Since the first cellar didn’t give us any goosebumps, the Wild Buggers crew lined up to enter yet another underground dungeon at Groot Constantia. Watching a bunch of rugged beach buggy drivers patiently queueing up to duck through a tiny, historic wooden doorway was absolute comedy. We were all on high alert for a resident spook this time—or maybe just checking if they hid the good wine down there!Spooky season came early on our road trip! The Wild Buggers crew temporarily traded our air-cooled steering wheels for flashlights as we descended into the old dungeons at Groot Constantia. Walking past these ancient, dusty wine barrels, we were on a mission to see if Simon van der Stel’s resident ghosts wanted to join the club. No spooky sightings just yet, but trying to fit a bunch of beach buggy enthusiasts through those tiny arched doorways was a hilarious adventure all on its own!Quick, back to the vehicles! The Wild Buggers crew made a swift exit from the old manor area after a chilling rumor started spreading through the ranks. Apparently, one of our sharp-eyed members spotted a mysterious woman sitting on a chair inside where absolutely no one was supposed to be! Real ghost or just an estate staff member having a quiet tea break? We didn’t stick around to find out. We marched right past the reflection pool and straight back to our beloved air-cooled bugs to get moving on the next leg of our Coast to Winelands cruise!The post-ghost-hunt sprint is real! The Wild Buggers crew picked up the pace as we walked back from the haunted museum grounds at Groot Constantia. Leading the pack, Mickey was looking cozy in her leopard print hoodie, while the rest of the gang followed close behind on the damp path. If you look closely at the back, someone is throwing up a rock-and-roll sign, proving that a little bit of rain and some spooky local legends only make our Coast to Winelands road trips even better!Comparing notes on the resident spooks! Before we hopped back into our classic VWs, the Wild Buggers crew stopped for a quick catchup on the beautiful covered patio outside Simon’s Restaurant. With Mickey and the rest of the gang huddled up, the main topic of conversation was definitely that mysterious woman on the chair everyone was whispering about. There’s nothing like a good ghost story and a bit of winter warmth to bring the club together before we fire up the air-cooled engines for the next leg of our Coast to Winelands run!The plot thickens! We finally tracked down the exact spot where the mysterious ghost woman was reportedly seen sitting. This beautiful, ornate seating area directly under the Simon’s Restaurant sign at Groot Constantia looks like it was practically made for royalty—or a very sophisticated spirit! With those fancy gold-trimmed velvet chairs and the stunning map of Africa on the wall, you can’t blame a ghost for wanting to sit down, put her feet up, and admire the Wild Buggers convoy rolling through the estate.Our absolute star of the day! Meet Maddox, the brilliant son of club members Neil and Sherene Doveton. Maddox completely stole the show by stepping up as our official, junior Wild Buggers tour leader. He gave us the full rundown on all the spooky ghost happenings around Groot Constantia with absolute expertise! Move over Simon van der Stel, there’s a new boss in town—and he knows exactly where the phantoms hide.Ghost hunt over, it’s time to fire up those engines and get back on the road! The Wild Buggers crew assembled back at the vehicles, and what a magnificent sight to welcome us. We’ve got our full colorful lineup of classic Beetles and beach buggies parked neatly against the backdrop of those misty Constantiaberg mountains. Plus, we even picked up a two-wheeled honorary member along the way—one of the buggers brought a friend riding a classic white Vespa scooter! Two wheels or four, if it’s retro and cool, it fits right into our Coast to Winelands convoy.Aha! Caught you! You can run but you definitely can’t hide from the Wild Buggers sleuths. Remember that absolute stunner of a mystery red Beetle that had everyone drooling over its superb engine bay earlier? We officially tracked down the man behind the machine! A massive shout-out to Ebrahim for playing detective and helping us crack the case—the proud owner is none other than John Steenkamp. Now that we know your name, John, you’re officially part of the air-cooled family. No disappearing acts next time, we expect to see you and this gorgeous bug on many more convoy drives!Engines roaring, wipers wiping, and tyres rolling—it is officially time to go! With the ghost hunt wrapped up and John Steenkamp’s identity successfully compromised, the Wild Buggers crew piled back into their rides. Shot right from the driver’s seat through a beautifully raindrops-speckled windscreen, you can see the white classic Beetle and that bright lime green beach buggy leading the charge out of the Groot Constantia parking grounds. The Cape weather might be giving us a proper winter wash, but nothing beats the sound of an air-cooled pack waking up and hitting the tarmac for the next leg of our Coast to Winelands adventure!Now this is how you cruise in absolute old school luxury! Next to roll out of the Groot Constantia gates were Ras and Clare Abrahams in their stunning blue and white VW Kombi. While the rest of us are squeezing into open-top beach buggies or classic Beetles and bracing for the Cape rain, Ras and Clare are living the dream with heaps of packing space and a roof over their heads! It is a truly beautiful piece of air-cooled history, and having this iconic bus holding down the middle of our Coast to Winelands convoy makes the whole lineup look top-tier.Family goals right here! Next up in our Coast to Winelands departure lineup is Bertus Visser, cruising out in his absolutely beautiful white 1600 air-cooled VW Beetle. Bertus didn’t come alone today—he brought his mom and dad along for the adventure! Almal lekker mense! There is nothing better than sharing the unmistakable rumble of a classic bug with the family, even when the Cape weather is looking a bit moody. This is what club life is all about!And we are officially back on the tarmac, heading towards our next massive adventure! Looking through the wet windscreen, you can see Ras and Clare’s beautiful blue and white Kombi leading the charge right behind Bertus’s white Beetle as we navigate the slick estate roads. We are leaving the ghosts of Groot Constantia firmly in our rearview mirrors because the Wild Buggers are en route to Simon’s Town for an official tour of the submarine museum! From underground dungeons to underwater naval giants—this Coast to Winelands run just keeps getting better.We are almost there, buggers! The rain is starting to clear up just in time as our air-cooled convoy rolls into beautiful Simon’s Town. Looking out past the wipers, we’ve got a front-row seat to the best view on the road: Ras and Clare’s blue and white Kombi holding down the asphalt, with a lime green beach buggy and a light blue Beetle leading the curve right ahead of us. Those stunning hillside coastal houses are looking down on a seriously good-looking fleet. Next stop: the submarine museum! Get those cameras ready, the naval docks are just around the corner!We are almost at our next destination, but honestly, that doesn’t even matter! For the Wild Buggers crew, it is never just about getting to the final stop—it is completely about the drive that we all love so much. Looking through the raindrop-speckled glass, watching our beautiful air-cooled convoy snake up the coastal blacktop is pure bliss. We’ve got Ras and Clare’s blue and white Kombi leading this sub-group, with the lime green buggy, the light blue Beetle, and the rest of the gang cruising smoothly ahead. Let the modern cars rush past; we are taking our time and soaking up every single second of this absolute lifestyle cruise!Now we are seriously almost there! The coastal road is opening up, the ocean is crashing right alongside us, and the Wild Buggers fleet is looking absolutely magnificent in full formation. Looking through the glass, we’ve got Ras and Clare’s blue and white Kombi holding down the left lane, with that lime green beach buggy and a whole string of classic Beetles stretching out ahead into Simon’s Town. You can see the green naval signpost coming up in the distance—the submarine museum is practically within striking distance! Keep those air-cooled engines humming, the final approach is pure driving perfection.Drop anchor, buggers, because we are officially here! The Wild Buggers convoy has successfully navigated the beautiful coastal roads and arrived at our second major milestone of the Coast to Winelands run: the South African Naval Museum’s Assegaai Submarine Museum in Simon’s Town. Looking through the open brick gateway, you can see a massive piece of naval history waiting for us. We’ve traded the haunted wine cellars for the deep sea, and we are ready to dive straight into this tour. Let’s hope none of our taller members bump their heads inside the sub!Permission to come aboard! We have officially arrived at the main attraction in Simon’s Town, and we are standing right next to the massive hull of the sub itself. To welcome the Wild Buggers crew, we’ve got the iconic, vintage lifebuoy ring front and center, proudly showing off the name SAS Assegaai S99. It is crazy to think this giant piece of naval engineering spent decades lurking in the deep ocean, and now it’s hanging out with a bunch of air-cooled beach buggies and Beetles! Let’s get this guided tour started—time to see if buggy mechanics translate to submarine operations!Just look at the size of that submarine! The Wild Buggers crew is officially on the scene, and we are looking like absolute miniatures standing next to this massive naval giant. The winter sun broke through the clouds just in time to light up the glossy black hull of the SAS Assegaai as our tour group gathered around to look up in awe. We are used to working on tight engine bays in our classic Beetles and beach buggies, but this takes “heavy machinery” to a whole new level! Time to head inside and see how the navy fits a whole crew into something that looks like a giant steel whale.Class is officially in session for the Wild Buggers crew! Here are some of our awesome members listening intently to our expert tour guide outside the museum. He is standing right inside a massive slice of an actual submarine hull, giving us the full breakdown of what life is like under the ocean surface. Judging by how focused everyone is, they’re either fascinated by the incredible naval history, or they’re trying to figure out if we can somehow bolt an air-cooled VW engine or a Nissan motor into one of these steel giants! It’s a fantastic, informative stop on our Coast to Winelands run.Wow! Just look at that! Stepping back into the yard gives you the full, jaw-dropping scale of the SAS Assegaai. Seeing the entire length of this massive black steel hull out of the water is something truly special. It is sitting securely on its massive blue support blocks, with the boarding stairs hooked up and ready for action. Looking at the conning tower with “S99” painted on the side, it is hard to believe we were just inside exploring all those crazy mechanical control rooms. Definitely a massive highlight of our Coast to Winelands run, and a view you don’t get to see every day!Caught in the act! Here are Ras and Clare Abrahams having a lovely, candid family moment right outside the sub with their young lad. After cruising in absolute style in their stunning blue and white VW Kombi, they stepped out to inspect the heavy naval hardware. They are standing right next to a massive, brightly painted green and yellow torpedo. Judging by the looks on their faces, Ras might be negotiating how to strap this bad boy onto the Kombi’s roof rack, or maybe they’re just giving the youngster a fun lesson on vintage naval defense! It is fantastic to see our club families soaking up the atmosphere together.Eyes front, buggers! Our tour guide is dropping some serious naval knowledge on the crew, and everyone is listening intently. We are gathered right under the massive shadow of the SAS Assegaai hull, with a giant, sleek torpedo sitting right in the foreground. Our guide is explaining exactly how these underwater packages operate, and judging by the concentrated looks on our faces, we are either thoroughly fascinated or trying to figure out if we can configure a torpedo tube onto a beach buggy chassis for the ultimate traffic-clearing accessory! Another brilliant, sunny moment from our incredible Coast to Winelands pitstop in Simon’s Town.Now this is where the real engineering secrets get revealed! Here is our fantastic naval tour guide using his hands to demonstrate exactly how a submarine hull is constructed and reinforced to handle the immense pressure of the deep ocean. He is standing right in front of the massive SAS Assegaai Submarine Museum Donor Board display, which is actually built inside a real circular cross-section of a sub’s hull. Seeing the thickness of that steel frame makes you appreciate the incredible craftsmanship that goes into these naval vessels—honestly, it makes building a custom beach buggy look like a walk in the park! A truly fascinating educational highlight of our Coast to Winelands run.Now this is getting seriously interesting! The Wild Buggers crew is getting the ultimate breakdown on naval engineering, standing directly under the massive stern and dive planes of the SAS Assegaai. Our guide has the whole team hooked on every word as he explains how this massive piece of machinery maneuvered through the ocean depths. The Simon’s Town sun is out in full force, lighting up the beautiful mountains and houses in the background. It is an absolute privilege to get this close to a real submarine—even if a few of us are quietly wondering how many classic Beetle engines it would take to propel this thing!Now this part of the tour was very interesting! Our guide had the whole Wild Buggers crew completely captivated as he explained how these massive vessels were put together. We are standing out in the crisp winter sunshine right between a massive cutaway section of the submarine hull and the giant black stern of the sub itself. It is one thing to see a submarine from a distance, but standing right here listening to the technical grit that went into building it is a whole different experience. Our club members look like they are absorbing every single detail—or maybe just figuring out if that steel hull thickness matches the floor pan of a classic Beetle!Alright buggers, total honesty time—I completely can’t remember what the tour guide said this specific part of the submarine was! We were soaking up so much incredible naval history at the SAS Assegaai museum that some of the technical details leaked right out of my air-cooled brain. It looks like a specialized exterior compartment or storage bay built right into the massive black hull just beneath the S99 conning tower. Is it an extra fuel cell, a secret supply stash, or the submarine version of a custom beach buggy storage box? If any of our club members remember the breakdown from our Coast to Winelands run, drop a comment and save my reputation!Mind your heads, buggers, because now we are officially inside the submarine! Welcome to the crew quarters of the SAS Assegaai, where the definition of “cozy” is taken to an absolute extreme. Just look at this setup—stacked bunk beds on the right, a tiny fridge, and a classic vintage box TV that probably only played naval training videos back in the day. We thought the cabin of a classic VW Beetle or a beach buggy was tight, but this takes cramped spaces to a whole new level! It is amazing to see how the navy crew lived and worked under the ocean for months at a time. Definitely an eye-opening highlight of our Coast to Winelands run!Talk about a room with a view! We are deep inside the forward torpedo room of the SAS Assegaai, and this layout is absolutely wild. The crew bunks are literally stacked right on top of and between the massive circular steel torpedo tubes and reloading machinery. Imagine settling in for a quick afternoon nap right next to a torpedo launcher! It really puts the “cramped quarters” conversation into perspective. Our Wild Buggers club members were absolutely fascinated looking at the technical grit of this space—honestly, it makes the back seat of an old school VW Beetle look like a luxury suite! A fantastic, eye-opening highlight of our Coast to Winelands tour.Our brilliant naval guide is holding court deep inside the belly of the sub, sharing what it was actually like to live, eat, and sleep down here for months on end. As you can see, the Wild Buggers crew is packed in tightly along the narrow mess deck table. We are used to squeezing into the tight cabins of our air-cooled VW Beetles and beach buggies, but this really redefines the term “cozy”! Our guide has everyone completely hooked on the technical grit of the ship—though a few of us are definitely keeping an eye out for any low-hanging overhead pipes! Another unforgettable, immersive highlight from our Coast to Winelands road trip.Seriously, how did they remember what all of this did? The Wild Buggers crew stumbled upon this absolute wall of mechanical madness inside the SAS Assegaai control room, and it completely blew our minds. There are dials, circular pressure gauges, heavy switches, and bundles of pipes running in every single direction. Most of us get stressed out just looking at a custom beach buggy wiring harness or trying to tune a dual-carb setup on an old school VW Beetle, but this is a whole different level of technical grit! You have to respect the brilliant navy submariners who operated these machines in pitch darkness without breaking a sweat. It is an amazing piece of engineering history to witness on our Coast to Winelands run!Fresh air at last! Here is Mickey making her grand exit from the belly of the beast, stepping down the submarine gangway stairs after our intense underground tour. You can see she is proudly rocking her classic denim jacket with the massive, embroidered Wild Buggers club patch front and center on her back. After squeezing through those incredibly tight naval corridors, getting back out into the open yard feels absolutely amazing. We love exploring local history, but it is safe to say our crew is much more comfortable out on the open road behind the wheel of a classic VW or a custom beach buggy!You can’t make this stuff up! During our tour of the SAS Assegaai, the guide gave three of us Buggers a very serious mission: simulate surfacing the massive submarine all the way from the ocean floor. We must have nailed the controls because once we successfully brought her up, the guide handed each of us one of these awesome little yellow rubber ducks and proudly told us, “Here, you have your ducks in a row!” Talk about top-tier naval humor! It is safe to say this little green-capped ducky is the ultimate souvenir from our Coast to Winelands run. Who knew surfacing a steel whale would earn us a new club mascot?Check out this incredible piece of vintage tech we found in the exhibition center! This is an actual passive tracking sonar console used to hunt for targets deep underwater. With that big, circular blue screen and rows of mechanical buttons, it looks like something straight out of an old-school sci-fi movie. Honestly, trying to figure out how to operate this console makes tuning a classic VW air-cooled engine or wiring up a custom beach buggy look like a piece of cake. It was absolutely fascinating to see the technical grit of this naval equipment up close during our Coast to Winelands run!Well, the weather gods decided to test our technical grit, and now it is raining proper! This awesome shot was captured right through a rain-splattered windshield as we made our way to the next stop on our Coast to Winelands run. Up ahead, you can see our classic light blue VW Beetle and a vintage white Beetle leading the charge up the wet, winding mountain pass, with the beach buggies braving the elements right behind them. A little Cape Town winter rain isn’t enough to damp our spirits or stop a Wild Buggers convoy. If anything, it just adds to the adventure—and gives those old-school windshield wipers a proper workout!Look what we spotted cutting through the misty Cape Town weather! As we cruised along the coastal road between Scarborough and Kommetjie, we got a perfect view of the iconic Slangkop Lighthouse standing tall against the Atlantic rollers. Even with the moody winter clouds rolling in, the sight of South Africa’s tallest cast-iron lighthouse is absolutely spectacular. It is a good thing it is shining bright down there, because with the rain we just had, a few of our beach buggies might need a bit of navigation help to stay on track! This stunning coastal stretch is exactly what making memories on our Coast to Winelands run is all about.The heavens have officially opened over Scarborough, but you can’t rain on a Wild Buggers parade! This awesome shot was captured right from behind the glass as we cruised directly behind Heinrich Thiart in his absolutely gorgeous turquoise blue classic 1600 VW air-cooled Beetle. The roads are slick and the mountain pass is looking moody, but nothing beats a proper day out on the road with great friends. Heinrich’s classic Beetle is handling the wet coastal curves like an absolute champ, leading our convoy beautifully. Pack the rain jackets, keep the wipers going, and let the air-cooled adventure continue!Cruising right behind the Visser family crew! Here is Bertus Visser alongside his mom and dad, keeping the air-cooled spirit alive and well as they navigate the slick streets in their classic white 1600 VW Beetle. Even with the overcast skies and wet roads keeping everyone on their toes, this awesome family team is smiling right through the rain. You can see the reflection of the red traffic light bouncing off the wet asphalt, but nothing stops a proper old-school VW convoy! Their Beetle is fully prepped with a roof rack and tow bar, looking ready for absolutely any adventure our Coast to Winelands run throws at them.Rain, rain, go away, we’ve got a lunch date to keep! The Cape Town winter weather is putting on a real show, but the Wild Buggers are pushing right through the storm. This great shot catches the Visser family’s white 1600 Beetle kicking up a proper rooster tail of water spray as our air-cooled convoy winds through a beautiful, lush canopy of green trees. We are officially on our way to the Constantia Rugby Club for some well-deserved lunch, a warm drink, and the absolute best company. When you are cruising with good friends, even a massive downpour just turns into part of the adventure!We made it! After braving the winding coastal mountain passes and pushing right through some proper Cape Town rain, the Wild Buggers convoy has safely arrived at our destination. Just look at this beautiful line-up of air-cooled classic cars and custom beach buggies parked neatly together. From our trusty Beetles—including the Visser family’s white 1600 and a sweet racing-striped number 53—to the open-top buggies that braved the damp weather like absolute troopers, every single vehicle handled the journey beautifully. Now, it is time to head inside the Constantia Rugby Club for a warm meal, a hot drink, and some legendary company. What an epic conclusion to our driving routes!I honestly thought everyone would be in an absolute hurry to run inside, get out of the damp weather, and order some hot food—but no! If there is one thing about our Wild Buggers crew, it is that there is always, always time to stand around and chat in the parking area, even when it is raining proper! Here is a group of us hanging out at the Constantia Rugby Club, sharing stories from the wet mountain passes while sharing a single black umbrella. You just can’t stop good company and great conversation. Our air-cooled beach buggies and classic Beetles might be parked, but the club gees is still going strong out here in the drizzle!Yep, we are still chatting! The rain is coming down, the lunch tables are waiting inside, but the Wild Buggers simply cannot be rushed when there are classic car stories to be shared. Here is Mickey proudly showing off her custom denim jacket with the club patch, caught mid-conversation with more of the crew in the soggy parking lot at Constantia Rugby Club. When you get a bunch of passionate air-cooled VW and beach buggy fans together, a little Cape Town winter drizzle doesn’t stand a chance against a good old-school catch-up. This is what the gees of our Coast to Winelands run is all about!Ouens, kom nou! Why on earth are we standing out here in the pouring rain? Oh yes, that’s right—we are mos Wild Buggers, not Mild Buggers! Here are Nolan Swanepoel and his lovely wife showing us exactly how it’s done, huddling up close to brave the winter drizzle with a smile. The lunch tables are waiting inside the Constantia building, but this awesome duo stopped on the wet driveway to look tough for the camera first. You can’t beat the gees of this club—whether we are cruising in the open air behind the wheel of a classic beach buggy or standing around in a Cape Town downpour, the vibe is always 100% upbeat.Right, let’s order our food! We finally managed to drag everyone out of the rainy parking area, and the Wild Buggers crew has officially taken over the long wooden tables inside. There is nothing quite like the sound of classic car chatter mixed with the clinking of glasses and the serious business of studying the menu after a long drive. After tackling some incredibly wet coastal passes on our Coast to Winelands run, a warm room, cold drinks, and a hearty pub meal are exactly what the doctor ordered. The gees in here is absolutely brilliant, and the good company is even better!Now we chat and have fun! The menus have been thoroughly debated, the food orders are officially in, and the real festive club atmosphere has taken over the room. This great shot looks down our massive wooden banquet table at the Constantia Rugby Club, where our crew is finally warming up, sharing cold drinks, and having a proper laugh together. You can see a few of the ouens huddling up to check out photos on a phone—probably laughing at how wet we all got during that intense Scarborough downpour! Out on the mountain passes, it is all about focusing on the road, but these lunch stops are where the true lifelong friendships of our classic air-cooled VW and beach buggy community are built.Now that is what a chicken burger should look like! After tackling some incredibly wet coastal roads and windy mountain passes on our Coast to Winelands run, the hunger levels were real. Luckily, the kitchen at the False Bay RFC clubhouse absolutely delivered the goods with this absolute beast of a meal. Just look at that perfect, golden-brown crispy crunch and fresh lettuce peeking out from a beautifully toasted bun. Cruising in an open-air beach buggy or old-school VW all morning definitely works up a massive appetite, and this legendary pub lunch was exactly what the crew needed to fuel up before the chat and laughs continued!
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Loved looking through the memories? Don’t just watch the fun from your screen next time. Whether you roll in a classic Beetle, a wild Baja Bug, or an open-top buggy, you are always welcome in our convoy. Pack your sense of adventure, fire up that engine, and come along for the ride. Check out our upcoming driving routes and secure your spot on the grid for our next event.
