Fidler in the Hood: A classic tale of classic cars

Many thanks to the nice folk who have responded to my articles. It really is appreciated. The other day I had three phone calls asking for contact details for ‘Roberto’ of pan pipes fame. It appears Roberto (aka Rob Snyman) is still fondly remembered music-wise. Maybe we can entice him to come out of retirement and make a comeback?

ALSO READ : Fidler in the Hood: It’s a wonderful world, if you don’t weaken!

The ‘Wild Geese’

I guess I must sound like the proverbial gramophone record. I mean I never get over the many pleasant surprises, discoveries, down here for us to enjoy. A couple of weeks back, old-timer and real character Dave Collins contacted me.

I ‘interviewed’ Dave last year about his days as a post-war speedway rider, his adventures in strife-torn Congo when the ‘Wild Geese’ were in action, rubbing shoulders with Richard Burton and Richard Harris. Or was it Mike Hoare?

Safe to say that Dave has had a very ‘interesting’ life with some great stories to tell. He invited me to pop down to Munster to visit the ‘new’ Munster Motor Museum, owned by local enthusiast Rodney Kinsey. What a great surprise was in store.

Dave met me there and showed off the many vintage bikes on display, plus his own ‘classics’ donated to the museum, which includes a 1928 Douglas. My old man would’ve been in his element, owning a Douglas bike.

Sons of The Pioneers

A few moments later Rod arrived. ‘Dr Kinsey, I presume?’ But which Dr Kinsey? I had met his brother David and his wife some time back. ‘He’s the ‘active’ Kinsey,’ Rod replied ‘flyer, cyclist, runner – I’m the ‘lazy’ one.’ A man after my own heart.

The Kinsey family is what may be described as ‘Sons of The Pioneers’: Grandfather William Darwin Deeks bought the original land in Munster in 1935 for £15 an acre (R600 for 40 acres). They have been into design and building of motor engines since 1867, some 150 years.

Great-grandfather Deeks built the first steam-driven engines (the SA equivalent of the USA Stanley Steamer). Rod’s father was the legendary Burton Kinsey, who won the Durban to Johannesburg motor bike race in 1939 ‘in 6 hours, 54 minutes and 50 seconds!’ (Rod’s exact words). I don’t think we can do that time these days, even with our super highways.

Old photographs, including one of a very young Rod Kinsey, with Colin Chapman and legendary Mario Andretti, adorned the walls.

I noticed that there were no George Formby pictures with George on his ‘Shufflebottom Special, riding in the TT races’ (1935). This classic film is still shown every year during the annual TT week in Douglas, Isle of Man.

Remember the Beetle?

The museum itself is a treasure chest for classic car enthusiasts and a ‘must see’ for locals and visitors. Old American cars, plus some fondly-remembered models from South Africa’s halcyon days, when petrol was dirt cheap, and driving on open roads was pleasurable. I spied an old 1957 VW Beetle with the two split windows over the rear engine. I had this model when I first came out to SA. It cost about R500 and had 99 250 MILES on the clock. Rod replied: ‘You should have kept it. It would be worth over R250 000 now!’ I was never any good with money.

British Grand Prix

A life-long motor vehicle enthusiast, even as a youngster, Rod started off as a design technician at the old Dunlop factory in Durban. He was part of the Lotus UK team in the 1972 British Grand Prix, rubbing shoulders with Colin Chapman, Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart, during a golden period when racing drivers didn’t wear diamond studs in their ears and noses. Rod says he always gave the following advice to racing drivers, passed on by his own father: ‘You don’t win the race passing the first corner, okay?’ The all too brief meeting with Rod and Dave was not sufficient to cover the memorabilia on display. I resisted making an offer to buy a replica kit of a 1930s Bentley sports car. It is well worth a spin to Munster to visit the museum, you won’t be disappointed.

See you, Rob.

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