Aircooled VW South Africa

Beetles, Buggies and Others

When I started my apprenticeship in 1957, it was common that mechanics road tested the cars after repairs or overhauls - ‘unthinkable today’.

But as a 13 year old just starting my training to eventually become a mechanic at the age of 17, there was only one thing to wait for: the 18th birthday - and a driver’s license.

To work on cars is one thing, but ‘to test them afterwards’ that is something else: ‘A Dream!’. Big set ups don’t allow mechanics on the road, but, I was lucky. There was a small branch at Capital Motors called Quick Service with a small staff of a service advisor/manager, a girl in the office, 3 mechanics and 3 appies. Test driving and comparing performances gives a lot of satisfaction.

Being involved in building Formula V’s (Capital Vee) almost gave me a chance to race (a dream come true), but at the last moment the boss changed his mind and I started club racing instead. Unfortunately racing is expensive and one needs a space to work, and I could not do much in a flat with only a parking bay.

But in 1969, Capital Motors ventured into Beach Buggies and ‘I was in’. I actually ran my own show. With 2 helpers I set up a production line for the ‘Sand Cat’. Production and testing went hand in hand, fantastic. We built 254 Buggies in 2½ years - as well as assembling a kit car from America, called the Amante GT. It used a full length Beetle floor pan and could do 100 mph and it had to be tested - at Kyalami of course. Great!

From that I was invited to start a production line in Jhb, but started my own business instead here in Pretoria.

Now I have fully lived my dream from when I was 13. Designing, building and testing.

Werner Alker

The Amante, hey?

Very interesting....

From mechanic to Cook

Hi Werner,

I'm one the son's of the orginal founders/owners of Capital Motors in Pretoria - Glen Joss is may name.

My sisters and are doing some research for a project tracking the history of my family and VWSA as a 'vehicle' for this if you will! I'm especially interested in some knowledge that you may have about the Beach Buggy or 'Sand Cat' in the 1969. We still own one of those orginal 254 (almost all the parts are still orginal too, I believe!) - it is stored in Plettenberg Bay and has had a very interesting journey - via Mozambique, where it was a real 'work horse', used for towing fishing boats in and out of the water as well as taking on some very challenging dunes, stairs etc. (I was a kid at the time, but still have a scar to prove it!).

Our "Buggah" is very much part of a family now and everyone has happy memories of this fun, sporty chap, which looked after us so well and still gives us so much pleasure.

I have an immediate need to put a scale model together of the buggy "TP1967", (still has orginal plates!) for part of a collection we are doing for my Dad's 70th birthday, for which I have found someone in Hong Kong (I live here now) to do.

Would love to have your input on your experiences working on the original Buggy project from 1969- 1972? - we are also putting a scrap book together for my Dad, hopefully in the next 30days, before his Birthday. Would really help if you wouldn't mind telling us more about your experiences, then - of course any technical data, such as road tests, original design/modifications etc. would be really useful - if you had any orginal docs that would be great and I could pay you for them (if you would part with them), if not, maybe you could just share your experiences and point me in the right direction!

Look forward to hearing from you!

Regards,


Glen Joss

Hi Glen, and welcome to the Forum - what an interesting story you have! The story above was not posted by Werner himself, but by Eddy, fellow member of the Jacaranda Beetle Club. Werner does not use the Internet himself, but I will PM you the e-mail address of his wife, Louise. PLEASE post some pics of the buggy, if you don't know how, please e-mail them to me, and I will post them for you. Always interesting to hear ACVWSA history!!

Hallo Glen.

I grew up knowing and dealing with Capital Motors.Didn't you guys also own Princess Park?

I have very good memories of CM,and me and my family have always received good service from them.My mom bought her first Beetle from them in the late 60's,and it's the same Beetle I went home in after I was born.

Welcome here.I'm sure there will be some guys that will be able to help you out.

CM even sold BRMs in '67!!

My split microbus 1960 com from Capital motors still got the metal plate on.

So did my Squareback. I still have the original sales invoice from when my Dad bought it.

I got my Golf II from Capital Motors in October 1984, A week or so before it was released. I needed it because I had to go back to Cape Town in a hurry. I was very proud. It cost R9985.00. I traded my first Golf L (2 door 1100) in for it. My little 1100 had a blown motor. If memory serves me right, Car Magazine had a red Golf II just like mine on the cover that same month. Those were, incidently the only new cars I have ever owned. It all improved backwards from there all the way to the 1956 bus... I have yet to research the bus' origins. Apparently it was owned by a doctor up in the Caprivi. He ferried patients around in it. Since it doesn't have the little indents for the front reflectors, I suspect it may be an import. I need to look at the numbers, I have the original 25hp engine sitting in my garage. I'll share once have the info.