Formerly owned by Bruce Willis and Jay Kay, this Dodge Charger classic now roams the streets of Ballito

First owned by famous American actor Bruce Willis and later by English singer-songwriter Jay Kay, a coveted 1969 Dodge Charger classic now roams the streets of Ballito.

The vehicle went under the hammer in the UK back in 2018 and was picked up by Ballito car collector Gerard de Billot for an undisclosed amount before he restored it to its former glory.

Originally a gift from Willis’ first wife, Demi Moore, the car has drawn much attention locally over the years, with De Billot offered as much as R5-million to let it go.

But he said there’s no putting a price on this replica of the 1968 Charger used in the film Bullitt.

The classic car is not in its original manufactured condition, since Jay Kay spent close to R500 000 to convert the V8 engine into a powerful 8.2-litre power plant packing 700hp.

Willis also had work done on the car to have it resemble the car driven by Steve McQueen in Bullitt.

De Billot said he nicknamed the car ‘Demi’s Curse’ owing to the many times it broke down on him.

“When I bought it, it was a mess. It broke down on me 12 times in nine outings,” said De Billot, who has since found the problem and had it fixed.

Aside of a little bit of paint and fixing the ignition, the car remains in the same condition as when it was bought in 2018.

De Billot first fell in love with collecting cars thanks to the influence of his father Rob.

“My dad used to rebuild old cars, and I would work with him, playing at being a mechanic, I suppose,” he said.

This set De Billot on the path of joining the mechanic’s division in the army after leaving school in the 1980s. He went on to work as an apprentice mechanic for Umhlali BMW.

“Cars we view as collectibles today could be picked up for a steal around the 80s,” he said, noting that his first project car was a Ford Mustang Mach 1.

“I spent day and night on this car, working on it for about two years. It was my passion every single day, spending hours trying to source parts.”

He sadly wrote off the car in an accident two weeks after completing the restoration work, and it would take him almost 20 years to replace it.

“Just by chance in around 2008, I saw the same make and model, and decided to buy it.”

The Mach 1 has an important place in his now large collection, being a reminder of his first love.

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