Outside Stellenbosch, the Loubser brothers opened the barn doors to their small but fascinating collection of Peugeots
“Our passion for cars and Peugeot definitely originates from our father. We were raised among BMC products. Johan and I grew up with an Austin Cambridge station wagon. In 1968, my father accquired a Peugeot dealership and twice a year he would drive a demo car. Initially, it was 404s and then later 504s. We used to go on holidays in the 504s to all corners of our beautiful country.” Both Ian and Johan Loubser eagerly share these anecdotes that laid the foundation for their interest in Peugeot.
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The Club Peugeot Afrique du Sud was founded in August of 1990 and Ian joined the club two years later. He has been chairman of the club for almost 20 years. Johan elaborates: “The contacts we’ve been able to make with other Peugeot clubs has been our passport to fellow enthusiasts. Every year, the conservation arm of Peugeot – the L’Aventure Peugeot – holds an International Peugeot Meeting (IPM) somewhere in Europe. At these events, there would be about 600 people and 200 cars. We have been to seven!”
Ian explains where his collection started: “My collection began with a modest 304 station wagon. Of all the cars currently in the collection, I’ve owned the 505 GTi the longest, since the late ‘90s. From there I focused on rare Peugeots. Next, the special 405 Mi16 joined the collection.” This is a very rare model, especially in South Africa. It is fitted with a 1,9-litre engine developing 118 kW and 176 N.m; however, the claimed weight is under 1 100 kg. It also has a rich history in touring car racing in Europe. The rally car in the collection might not be an original factory rally car but Johan explains how he got it to this stage: “It was initially a standard 1969 Peugeot 504 Coupé. These cars were not officially available in South Africa, although around six were imported at the time, mainly for the directors of Peugeot. I bought it in the mid-1980s after I followed up on a lead. The car was already 16 years old and it was not in great shape, but a fellow enthusiast informed us of another 504 Coupé in Johannesburg. We bought that one and it had a perfect body, so we decided to convert it into a replica of French rally driver Jean-Pierre Nicolas’ number 4 car with which he won the Safari Rally in 1978.
“We received blueprints to help us build the car and the stickers were made specially. The rally cars had V6 engines but this model has the engine it came with, the original four-cylinder unit. A roll cage was fitted and we added a stabiliser bar at the front. The engine was balanced and we fitted side-draft carburetors.”
Another interesting car in the collection is a 505 GTi Station wagon Dangel 4×4 from 1987. This is no standard Peugeot model though, one that was heavily modified by French company Dangel at the time. Some of the upgrades include the fitment of four-wheel-drive, a low-range transfer case, centre differential lock, and upgraded suspension which raised the ride height.
“We know very little about the car’s history. We bought it in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal and found out it was driven across Africa from France; in the style of the Paris Dakar Rally, while the owner did missionary work throughout the continent. He sold the car once he got to KwaZulu-Natal.”
The Loubser brothers don’t only show it off at motor shows. Shortly after they bought it, they tackled an off-road course to experience the capability of the car.
This is the only one in the country, as 505 Gti Station Wagons were never imported into SA. This 4×4 version makes it even more special. Parked in front of it is a 1986 505 GTi sedan, complete with its subtle but delightful rear boot spoiler.
The oldest vehicle in the collection is a 1930 Peugeot 201. “We bought it 10 years ago. Peugeot SA imported three vintage cars in the ’70s: a 1925, 1928 and this 1930 model.” Needless to say, these brothers know of most things concerning Peugeot in South Africa.
