The George Old Car Show (GOCS) is back with a bang

CAPE TOWN - Car enthusiasts are gearing up for the long-awaited George Old Car Show (GOCS) driven by ScribBenzeum, at Eden Technical High School next month.

The show, one of the highlights on the Southern Cape’s motoring calendar, was cancelled last year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year's GOCS on February 12 and 13 is being staged for the 25th time with the Silver Jubilee milestone serving as show theme for 2022.

“We are going the extra mile to secure the safety of all participants and visitors, so ensuring the show goes on without putting anyone at risk,” GOCS chairperson Alewijn Dippenaar, said.

An enlarged area will accommodate the event’s many displays and attractions, for revellers to keep a healthy social distance while ogling engines old and new, or supporting stallholders.

GOCS attendees will leave their cars at the nearby Carpe Diem School, with no public parking allowed at the Eden THS showgrounds.

Members of the Southern Cape Old Car Club (SCOCC) have been instrumental in making the event happen for the past quarter century. The inaugural show took place in 1997 on Blackwood Farm near Victoria Bay, with 80 cars on display and food stalls provided by the local Lions Club.

George Riding Club served as the venue for the 1998 event where 250 cars and tractors were on show. New car dealers were invited to parade their latest models while various displays – dog shows, gymnastics, a horse parade and drive-bys – allowed clubs to show off their cars and entertain the public.

Art and food stalls, model cars, and well-stocked beer garden proved so popular that the grounds became too small around the turn of the century.

Its current York Street hub has served the SCOCC organising committee well since the fourth GOCS was hosted there, with ample space for participating cars, tractors and motorcycles.

By the eighth event in February 2004, it was rated as the second largest motor show in South Africa.

Register for this year’s GOCS by visiting: www.scocc.co.za. Tickets can be booked at Computicket.

Cape Times