The Ultimate Air-Cooled Garage in South Africa

On the back of decades involved with aviation and classic air-cooled cars, Leon Potgieter’s four-car garage has to be one of the most interesting we’ve come across.

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Taking a look at some of the motoring and technological trinkets scattered around Leon Potgieter’s garage, it would be something of an understatement to call this workspace merely ‘interesting’. There are artefacts from road trips through South Africa and Lesotho, aeroplane parts, car tools from several decades ago, and even some bodywork from a modern-day Porsche 911 racecar. In front of Leon’s desk, two chairs from a Mirage fighter jet serve as seating for both business visitors and friends popping in for a beer.

Leon’s wife’s taste is partly responsible for this unconventional but character-packed setup. He explains: “It all started with my wife, who wanted an old house, and myself wanting a house with enough garages. Thankfully, we found this property and it ticked all the boxes. Because I’ve worked in the aviation industry my entire career, some cool paraphernalia has crossed my path. For example, the wing hanging above our heads is a Mirage F1’s horizontal stabiliser, and on the other side is a drop tank from an Atlas Impala fighter jet. It is mounted under the wing of the plane, and once it is empty it can be dropped to the ground. The latter is usually only the case during a war situation – usually they are used over and over again.”

“The Mirage seats were equipped with full ejection units. They have been reupholstered and mountings at the bottom were made for them. Then there is still an air inlet from a de Haviland Vampire that will become part of the garage. These are just some of the parts I’ve collected over the years.”

One of the most interesting exhibits in the garage is a 1987 March 871 Formula One wind tunnel model. A few parts still require some repairs, but it is quite a model to have, and it even has the correct exterior colours. On the same shelf is a door from the 996 Porsche 911 GT3 race car that won at Daytona racing circuit in the USA in 2005.

The cars are the heroes here, though, and Leon is eager to give me a thorough run-down of each example. He’s spent several years restoring the 1968 Porsche 911 Targa 2.0-litre S. The car was mechanically sound, but the usual suspects demanded attention, including the rubbers, seat trim and exterior paintwork, to name a few. No expense was spared in the light restoration, with parts such as the chequered cloth seats coming courtesy of RUF in Germany. The factory 6×15-inch Fuchs wheels were refurbished with immaculate lips and a silver centre section, in line with the car’s vibrant exterior hue. “For a Sunday car, I think the Targa offers a more rounded package than a Coupé.” Only 925 of these S Targas were built, making it a very sought-after classic 911.

We then step closer to the 1959 Volkswagen DeLuxe Microbus. “I started restoring this bus, but then I ran out of time. I sent it to a company who did not do a great job. However, shortly after getting the car back, I did a trip with it through the Kruger National Park, and I decided that I’m going to keep it as it is for now and enjoy it. During that trip I towed it to the park, and drove no less than 1 000 km within the park over the course of eight days.”

“The Volkswagen Beetle is from 1956 and it is an oval rag top. The car belonged to the same owner who had the bus. I like the fact that the Beetle has these ‘ZA’ and ‘Jurgens’ badges on it. Because of all its unusual and special specifications, I was really drawn to this car”, Leon explains. “In addition to the factory features fitted to the dashboard, there are additional lights and gauges, as well as a tool kit up front. The temperature gauge I fitted, though.”

Leon did some work on the Beetle’s seats and upholstery. “I reupholstered the original seats and put them away, and then I installed Porsche 356 Speedster seats and replica wheels. Other than that, I am never going to repaint or restore this car. I’ve only polished the paintwork.”

Leon has also built a higher-performance engine for the Beetle. It is still a 1.2-litre, four-cylinder unit, but it has a twin-port and twin-carburettor setup with an original Okrasa kit, which is period-correct. Air-cooled enthusiasts will know all about Okrasa – the firm’s name an abbreviation of ‘Oettinger Kraftfahrtechnische Spezial Anstalt’ – and the engines and accessories they supplied to Volkswagen from the 1950s onwards.

We move on the red 911, which the longest-standing member of Leon’s collection. “This is the very first car I bought, when I was 19. I bought it from John Abbot as a 1968-model 912 that had an engine fire. I then converted it into a 2.7 RS replica, but didn’t do a great job. I didn’t know anything about building cars at that stage. It was this car that started my interest in all things Porsche. At that stage it was really a fun car because it had all these spoilers and was very loud!”

“In 2007 I went to Europe with a friend and we did a long road trip. During this trip we visited Kremer in Germany. We even visited DK Engineering and Autofarm in the UK. I then realised what a terrible car I’d built, so I stripped it upon my return. It was also during that trip that I learned about the Porsche 911 S/T, what made it special and what parts are needed to build a tribute, and that was my aim with this particular 911.”

“Over the years, other projects got preference, but about a year ago I was able to finish the car! In 1971, Porsche Kremer raced at the Spa 1 000 km race with a 911, and my idea was to build something as close to that car as possible. Under the engine lid is 2.5-litre, flat-six with twin sparks, performance camshafts, aluminium pistons and high-compression sleeves.”

My time with Leon at an end, it was difficult to just up and leave this fascinating collection to meet my standing obligations for another assignment. His enthusiasm is so infectious, and his knowledge of all things air-cooled so vast, that it won’t be difficult to sit down and talk all things automotive and aviation with him for many hours yet…maybe a follow-up visit is in order?

Find the full feature in the November issue of CAR Magazine.

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