Concours: A car lover’s dream

Yes, it’s Concours time again. Like the first call of the cuckoo tells the English that Spring is on its way, so the appearance of press releases about the Concours tells us that another year is passing – and soon the Christmas tinsel will be in the shop windows.

It is now probably Kenya’s most important annual motoring event. It is certainly the classiest. For the third year running, to give the full title, it will be the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) Concours d’Elegance.

CBA clearly respects the tradition of the Concours – it is now in its 44th year, organised by the Alfa Romeo Owners Club.

And judging by the popularity of last year’s event, and with a few extra features for the spectators, this one should be even more successful.

It will be next Sunday, when the rains should have ended and the sun will be warmer. And, again, it will be at the excellent venue – the Nairobi Racecourse down the Ngong Road.

FLAUNTING MACHINES
The Concours is not about speed, it is about style; it is an opportunity for car and motorcycle owners to show off their machines. It is a beauty contest for vehicles, if you like.

And they are competing, in various classes – from classic vehicles made before 1940, to modern cars in rally or racing trim. There is a special prize for elegance, and another for the most imaginative fancy dress.

As usual, the entry list is restricted to 70 cars and 40 motorcycles. I have talked with two of the competitors: a man who has been in the Concours since 1985, and a woman who will be there for the first time.

Sati Gata-Aura will be entering the same car he has competed with for 20 years – a 1977 Nissan 160J. It’s a car that has experienced two very different kinds of competition.

Sati brought over the new Nissan from the UK and he drove it in the 1978 Safari Rally. He – and the car – did well. It covered over 5,000km – of the wildest, roughest rally in the world – and then broke down with only 200km to the finish.

SEDATE AFFAIR
The Concours is a much more sedate affair. The cars move slowly down the judging line, with their outsides, undersides and insides being meticulously inspected.

But, for Sati, the relish for competition is still there. He has won the event twice, and he seems to be on the podium every year.

“If I thought I didn’t have a chance of a podium finish, I wouldn’t enter the car,” he said. “There would be no point. But I do have a handicap – I’m competing with older cars, and the older the car the more extra points you get.”

And he showed me the results sheet from last year.

“Look, if it hadn’t been for the loss of points for age, I would have won!”

It’s that competitive urge that makes Sati give up about six weeks of his time every year to make sure his Nissan is in top condition.

With pride he took the blankets of the car’s bonnet and lifted it so I could see the engine. It gleams – not a speck of dirt or grease.
“Have a look underneath,” he said.

JOURNEY FOR JINJA
I did; I crawled under the car and looked up. Again, it was scrupulously clean. As was the inside of the boot and the interior.

I reckon the other competitor I spoke with – on the phone this time – will not have such a spotless car. But I don’t think she will be so bothered. She has another agenda and another kind of story.

Leslie Carvill will be driving her little VW Beetle to the Concours from Jinja. Earlier this year she spent 25 days driving it around western and northern Uganda, raising money for the Uganda Conservation Foundation.

She toured the Bwinde Impenetrable, the Queen Elizabeth, and the Murchison National Parks. After all that, she entered the Beetle with its mud-spattered engine in the Uganda Vintage and Classic Auto Show – their equivalent of the Concours.

The story of her trip is very well told in her Facebook page, ‘All about Uganda in a Beetle’.

CAR-LOVING CITIZENS

I asked Sati why the Concours is so popular.

“Because Kenyans love cars,” he said.

True. But the Concours is about more than cars. It is a great family day out.

As well as the competing vehicles and a display of new cars at the Auto Expo, there will be the usual children’s entertainment centre, a live band, a fly past, a parachute drop, a model aircraft display – and a good spread of food and drinks locations.

And this year there will be an additional attraction: a display of old farming and industrial equipment, called The Heritage Collection. It will feature a 1919 steam engine exhibited by Roger Tanner.

All this will be at the Racecourse next Sunday. The gates open at 9a.m. for spectators.