When Frik Botha spotted a faded 1968 Jaguar Type S slowly rusting away on a farm in Schweizer-Reneke, he didn’t see a wreck; he saw beauty. Bought for just R15 000, the tired old cat began an eight-year transformation that would involve two engines, a donor car, countless imported parts, and a full nut-and-bolt restoration by British Sports Cars Africa.
Resprayed in classic Willow Green and rebuilt from the chassis up, “Greenie” now drives as gracefully as she looks, though not without a few dramatic moments along the way, including a matric farewell where the bonnet briefly attempted to turn itself into haute couture.
She is now for sale for R300 000, a figure that barely hints at what it truly took to save her.
What it bought instead was something far more valuable: a living classic, and a lifetime of stories still being written.
Be sure to read the full article in our March-April magazine!
