The Austin Mini, surrounded by rust-buckets as we parked inside the Wijnland Auto Museum. Taking it all in, I felt like sitting down on the grass, hopeful that I’d hear the many stories that these vehicles held within their deflated tyres and rusted walls. Watching my son, Kai, in awe and speechless. Running around from car to car – camera in hand speeding towards a Rolls Royce. “Mom, if you see the spirit of ecstasy then you MUST take a photo.”
I met two great guys, Mr. Nobody and Mr. Famous, from Nobody Famous a few weeks ago. My son immediately fell in-love with their Austin Mini, and a tour was an absolute MUST. We challenged them to organise something that only involved cars.
Three weeks later, there I was, sitting in the passenger seat of the Austin Mini, looking back at Kai – disbelief in his eyes, his joy palpable as the engine started up. A memorable parenting experience!
“Mom, this is car heaven! I am in my element!” – as if on a loop throughout our expedition of the Wijnland Auto Museum. We saw so many old cars – including an ambulance and police vehicle. Unfortunately, with me unable to even recognise my own car in a parking lot, I can’t provide you with more details on the type of cars. But take my word for it – it’s a once in a lifetime kind of experience.
An hour and a half later we said our goodbyes to the cars and made our way to the Francshhoek Motor Museum. The contrast between the two museums are STRIKING! The latter boasting elegance on immaculate grounds. These cars, sparkling and poised in their parking, admired for their beauty and engineering, oozed an element of restriction – the kind that had us whispering as we made our way from car to car. Restrictions and lack of character aside, this experience still had my son soaking up the sparkling views of the well maintained classic cars!
The best part of it all? My son got to drive around in an Austin Mini the entire day. Spending hours within the confined space of the Mini with Mr. Nobody was not awkward at all, but an enjoyable and authentic experience.
This experience, number three on my son’s list of most amazing life experiences.
- 1st: The day he was born – when he met my dad.
- 2nd: The day he was introduced to the Mazda 5 – my dad’s car
- 3rd: The Austin Mini Tour – car heaven!
Click on “Amazing Austin Mini Car Tour” to watch Kai’s video. He is now sold on a Mini for his car restoration project which you can read more about at Kai’s Car Restoration Project.
