VCSA’s inaugural auction sets a new benchmark in South Africa

Roughly 600 people descended on the brand-new VCSA Auction House in Shere, just outside Pretoria, on 21 May for what turned out to be a very special moment in the South African classic car scene. Not because every lot sold, or because records were shattered. But because for the first time, in a very long time, it felt like someone had built something for us petrolheads.

This was the inaugural auction of Vintage Cars South Africa, better known as VCSA, the brainchild of founder and CEO, Corber Viljoen, and his wife, Nadia. And if this first outing is anything to go by, something significant has arrived.

The VCSA venue: A statement in itself

Before a single bid was placed, the venue had already won the crowd over.

VCSA’s beautiful new auction house is a purpose-built facility that makes most classic car venues in South Africa look like borrowed warehouse space. High ceilings, polished floors, thoughtful lighting, and a layout where cars are not merely parked, they are presented like art. It manages to feel simultaneously relaxed and “premium”, an achievement in its own right. 

The VCSA showroom that is just 800 metres up the road in Shere, which many enthusiasts already know and love, laid the groundwork, but this new 10-hectare auction precinct in Zwavelpoort takes things to an entirely different level. Catering was excellent, live entertainment was provided, and the atmosphere throughout the evening struck that rare balance between celebratory and genuinely professional. Well-dressed crowds, cold drinks, great cars, and a buzzing energy that only the prospect of a hammer fall can produce.

Opening proceedings on the night was none other than WeBuyCars’ Faan van der Walt, a lover of classic cars himself, who set the tone with warmth and authority, a fitting choice for a crowd that included everyone from serious collectors to first-timers simply curious about what VCSA was building.

Behind the hammer was Brandon Leer, a seasoned auctioneer who managed to walk that fine line between showmanship and professionalism with considerable skill. Classic car auctions live or die by the energy in the room, and Leer kept the temperature right throughout, reading the crowd, coaxing bids, and moving the evening along without ever making it feel rushed.

Cars.co.za’s own chief marketing officer, Nicole Capper, a petrolhead in her own right, took to the stage to speak about the classic car market and the role a platform like Cars.co.za plays in connecting buyers, sellers, and enthusiasts. It’s a natural partnership, if you think about it. Cars.co.za has long been the home for South Africans looking to find their next vehicle, and the classic and prestige segment is one that’s growing with real momentum. VCSA represents exactly the kind of curated, credible marketplace that the segment deserves.

Going under the hammer on the launch night were no fewer than 13 vehicles, carefully selected by VCSA to not cater to only one specific segment of the market. From a relatively affordable Volkswagen Beetle and Mercedes-Benz W123, through to some beautifully preserved commercial vehicles, right to the top-end supercars and muscle cars – there was something for everyone. Also on offer was a vintage Rolex Kermit, as well as premium experience at Babylonstoren Wine Estate. 

The donation lot: A Morris Minor moment no one will forget

Lot 01 of the VCSA auction was designated a donation lot, with all proceeds going to the Toekomsbouer initiative powered by Akademia and Kanton. The car in question was a charming 1956 Morris Minor Traveller Deluxe, in maroon with its signature wood-framed rear, running well and presented honestly.

What happened next is the kind of thing that makes car auctions entertaining and memorable.

The Morris Minor hammered at R300 000, already a significant amount and a meaningful result for a worthy cause, and then the winning bidder did something extraordinary. He donated it back to be bid on again!

Back it went under the hammer. The room, already warm, ignited. The second time around, it fetched another R200 000. Half a million rand for a quirky 70-year-old British estate car, and all proceeds being donated. You couldn’t have scripted a better start… 

The headline lots at the VCSA auction

Lot 18 – 1958 Mercedes-Benz 220S Coupé RHD
Sold for R2 800 000

If the Shelby GT350-H (see below) was the one that got away, the 1958 Mercedes-Benz 220S Coupé was the evening’s quiet triumph. Only 1 251 Coupés were built worldwide, and just 23 of those were right-hand drive. This particular example – restored over 5 years by the late, great Otto Langeveld and refinished in 2024 in its original DB334 Hellblau (light blue) – is one of the most significant post-war Mercedes-Benz models you’re likely to encounter on the market in South Africa. Powered by a 2.2-litre inline-6 with twin Solex carburettors and paired to a column-shift four-speed manual, it sold for R2 800 000.

Lot 13 – 1968 Shelby GT350-H
The One That Got Away

The car that generated perhaps the most pre-auction conversation was Lot 13, a 1968 Shelby GT350-H, one of the famous Hertz “Rent-a-Racer” cars. Only 224 examples were built worldwide in 1968, and this one – documented, Marti Report-confirmed, with its original Hertz Pasadena ownership history and largely original interior in Saddle vinyl – is believed to be the only GT350-H on the African continent.

The bidding was serious. The room was serious. But ultimately, the lot did not meet its confidential reserve, and it remained subject to confirmation at the fall of the hammer (at R3.7m). That’s not failure – it’s the market speaking honestly. The car will find its owner. When it does, that person will have acquired something genuinely irreplaceable.

Lot 17 – 1963 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 404
Sold for R1 150 000

And then there was the Unimog. This was a truly fun bidding war to watch, with all the emotions in full swing on the floor (and online).

A big part of the reason why the Unimog auction was so entertaining is because nobody really knew what to expect. After all, you never quite know how a crowd will respond to a “utility vehicle” at a classic car auction.

The answer, on this evening anyway, was with considerable enthusiasm. The 1963 Mercedes-Benz Unimog 404 – fully nut-and-bolt restored to a standard that genuinely made it appear newer than factory fresh, finished in Ivory Sand and powered by its factory 2.2-litre petrol engine – drew a bidding rally that had the room properly animated. It was one of those moments where the auctioneer earns his fee. Bidding started at R350 000 and raced to R1 150 000!

Lot 07 – 1967 Ford Mustang Eleanor RHD
Sold for R1 800 000

The Mustang Eleanor needs no introduction. This 1967 tribute, however, earns its place in the room on merit. A 347 ci stroker V8 with a five-speed manual, air-conditioning, aluminium steering column, and, critically for South African roads, right-hand drive. The bidding reflected genuine appetite for a properly built, properly usable muscle car. It sold for R1 800 000.

Lot 15 – 1969 Porsche 911S Presse
Sold for R2 750 000

This one deserves a paragraph all of its own. The 1969 911S “Presse”, finished in Pastel Blue, is not merely an early air-cooled Porsche. It’s a Porsche press car, verified via Kardex Report, with VIN number 12 – placing it among the earliest examples produced. Restored to original factory specification, with its 2.0-litre flat-6 singing above 5 000 rpm as only an early S can, and accompanied by owner’s manuals and full history documentation, this is the kind of car that makes serious collectors go very quiet and very focused. A genuine piece of Porsche history, right here in South Africa. It sold for R2 750 000.

Lot 14 – 1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner
Sold for R1 350 000

The 1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner is one of those cars that stops conversations mid-sentence. People who don’t know what it is walk past, do a double take, walk back, and then spend the next 10 minutes trying to explain to someone else why they can’t stop staring at it. Those who do know what it is, tend to circle it slowly, reverently, the way you might approach something in a museum … except this one starts, runs, and crucially, is capable of performing its trademark trick.

That trick, of course, is the giant, fully retractable steel roof that folds itself neatly into the boot at the touch of a button. Powered by its original 352 ci V8 and wearing its factory red and black colour combination with a matching original interior, this particular Skyliner works exactly as it should. These cars are rare worldwide. In South Africa, in this condition, they are essentially unicorns.

It sold for R1 350 000, a bit of a bargain in my eyes, considering the head-turning appeal and rarity of it, never mind its exceptional condition! 

Other sellers

1967 Pontiac Tempest Le Mans Convertible – R400 000

1997 Ferrari F355 F1 Spider – R2 100 000

1977 Mercedes-Benz W123 230 – R190 000

1965 Shelby Daytona Coupé – R2 000 000

1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner – R1 350 000

1975 Ford F100 Custom – R290 000

1971 Volkswagen Beetle 1300TP – R200 000

Porsche 356 Speedster Recreation – R520 000

1958 Chevrolet Apache – R475 000

The bigger picture at VCSA

What VCSA is attempting – and, on the evidence of this first auction, achieving – is something the South African classic car market has needed for a long time: a professional, transparent, properly resourced auction platform that treats both cars and collectors with the respect they deserve.

The Rules of Auction are published in terms of the Consumer Protection Act. Lot descriptions are compiled in good faith. Buyers’ premiums are clearly disclosed (12.5% plus VAT on the premium). The Natis process is handled and paperwork is in order. These things sound basic, but in a market where horror stories about murky transactions and questionable provenance are not uncommon, they matter enormously.

You can view more of VCSA’s current stock here.

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