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Wedding cars - Chauffeur driven to any function Durban area

Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 10:06 pm
by doug77
This is the beginings of a website i'm busy with and will edit and post a link here once it is uploaded. Thanks to ACVWSA for this thread.



Basic Website now functioning at http://www.weddingsetc.co.za


I have a few old cars that are bored and would really like to transport you to your

wedding venue in the Durban area, KwaZulu-Natal.

Like the driver they are not in any rush to get there. They prefer to be booked in advance

so that they can relax and ponder the journey ahead. Let's face it they have been doing

this for many years and have been withstood the test of time . We mere mortals are not going to

survive these oldtimers, all we can do is cherish and seize those moments that present

themselves in our lives and afford us an opportunity to take a ride in something nostalgic

and representative of this era in human history - The age of the Automobile.

There are at present three Oldtimers waiting for something to do.

They don't like to travel far for your function and so we have agreed do restrict our

escapdes within KwaZulu-Natal and specifically Durban to Pitermaritzburg region

concentrating on the Upper Highway area which includes Hillcrest, Kloof and Waterfall.

So if your pleasure is to arrive with a difference then choose one of these oldtimers for

that event. Whether it's an open tourer for a sunny day or a closed sedan for other weather

conditions, one of these classics will gladly get you there with a difference.

1955 Citroen Traction Avant (light fifteen)
1949 MG YT
1930 DODGE SIX DD SEDAN

All are mechanically up to the task at hand.
Each has their individual flair, style and nostalgia to satisfy your desire to take a trip

down memory lane.



***************** DODGE ****************************
ImageImageImage
The DODGE was built in the first year of the Great Depression. 1930 was also the first year

that sliced bread went on sale in England and frozen foods were sold commercially for the

first time, sticky tape was invented (USA) and of more interest to me, the year Pluto was

discovered. In America gasoline cost 10c a gallon and the average house cost just over

$7000 US. The Dodge would have cost you $865.
Dodge Brothers also produceed their first 8 cylinder (DC) in 1930.

I purchased her on 22 June 2007 from Jurg Tschepen in Mulnersdrift, Krugersdorp (JHB area)

Gauteng province. It all happened quite quickly ..er.. besides the drive back home that is.

She is the roomiest of the bunch as well as the most powerful with a straight six providing 61 HP hauling a "All Steel " body along.

http://www.allpar.com/cars/dodge/dodge-cars.html
http://www.dodgebrothersclub.org/dbcwebsite/index.php
http://www.tocmp.com

******************** MG YT ***************************

ImageImageImageThis is YT leaving Cape Town in 1999.


The MG YT is one of only 877 produced and she's also the only open tourer I have available.

She is the second member of the family and was purchased from Chris Swale in Pinetown in

July 2006.

She was found in Cape Town in a very sad state in August 1999 and brought to Durban where

she underwent a chassis off restoration which took Chris two years to complete.

Chris has provided me with the following details. Richard Mitchell owned the car for about

15 years during which he brought the car with him when he moved from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town.

Richard had all the instruments restored and this was the motivation behind Chris acquiring

the car. The car was in boxes and it was roughly tied together with wire and put on a flat

bed and tranported by Bigfoot to Durban. On arriving in Durban Chris discovered that the

floor and boot were beyond repair and so used part of a YA saloon body which he found

through Dave Lawrence in JHB, Author of the excellent book :Let there be 'Y's.
The motor is from a MG TD and is the motor that arrived with all the bits.

Her convertible top, full tonneau cover and all four side curtains were also restored.

Interestingly when Anesh came to quote me on the interior of the Citroen he spotted the

back of YT and it wasn't long before we realised that it was he who covered the tonneau

framework some seven years prior and it was this realisation that gave me the confidence to

let him go ahead with Citroens interior.

YT's on Parade - Y Type register




******************* CITROEN **************************

ImageImage
ImageImage


The Citroen speaks for herself. Probably remains one of the most appealing cars ever built.

Were they to have chosen the human form, promiscuity would have been their delightful

destiny. For me she is the "first born" and ignited a simmering passion for old cars which

is growing stronger by the day. I have and will continue to improve her in memory of her

previous owner and friend, Joe Franken who tragically died in an "accident" in 2005. I

acquired her from Joe in 2004.

Joe had a Mercedes Benz in his front yard that Errol Schwegmann wanted, so they traded.

Errol had done quite a bit of work on her including respraying, rewiring, new trim rubbers.

Unfortunately she stood unprotected on Joe's front lawn for about four years which allowed

the elements to take their toll on a freshly painted car albeit slightly.

I've had her gearbox and clutch repaired/ overhauled (Thanks to Aubrey Barnes). She then

stood for about a year while I was rearranging my life and then one day Pat & Kim decided

to get married. They set a date for 31st March 2006 and I offered to drive them to Crinkley

Bottom Park (Waterfall) as a wedding gift. The deadline got me activated which led to

Citroen running properly and polished. Looking back now I can see that this wedding was

also the planting of a seed which has blossomed and contributed to the manifestation of

this website and my future daily bread!

Citroens next dose of loving attention came in May 2007 when for Cars in the Park (PMB),

her entire interior was expertly redone with a darkish red leather by New Germany Auto

Trimmers (peruse picture gallery carefully for Anesh's contact details!) This was quickly

followed by the removal of rust in her boot which obvioiusly needed to be resprayed. Thanks

to Johann - Citi Centre Panelbeaters for his expedience in getting the job done in time and

under pressure. The boot was resprayed 10 am on the Saturday, fitted in the afternoon and I

spent the night polishing and fiddling and drove to Maritzburg.

General History

The Citroen Traction Avant was the first successfully mass produced front wheel drive. So

reliable that from their introduction in 1934 they were produced until 1957 (interrupted by

the war). They were revolutionary when introduced, incorporating unitary construction

(chassis-less), torsion bar suspension and hydraulic brakes. They were one of the first

cars crash tested. It is however for their tenacious road holding abilities that they are

fondly remembered here in South Africa. In 1935 M. Lecott drove a Traction 400 000km in a

year, a record which still stands today.

For me her body shape and style captures that 40's look more beautifully than any of the

other car manufacturers of that era. She was built in 1955 which was also the last

production year of light fifteens in Slough, UK, her place of birth.


http://www.cats-citroen.net/citroen_tra ... ry_uk.html

http://members.chello.nl/~a.moors/citroen_links.html


http://www.weddingsetc.co.za

Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 8:26 am
by Merlin
I know Jurg too. :)

Oddball character of note.

My pointless 0.02 for the day.

Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 10:09 am
by natbro
That's a very nice collection yuou have there Doug :)

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 12:23 am
by doug77
Shot Natbro
The basic website is now uploaded so i've edited the first post.
Still lots of work to be done on the site but at least there's something there that's operational now. If anybody has any bright ideas ... er.. let me know. I'm still figuring out how to spell Joomla! Head is clogged up..too much info for one day to decompose. :o :shock: