The first vehicle I ever drove was a red 1959 open roof Series III Land Rover. It was my dads prized possession which took him on many hunting, hout maak (gathering wood) and fishing trips, without ever complaining.
It was not just an off-road vehicle, it was like a family member. We did not have nick names for it, or called it Landie, it was The Land Rover. It demanded respect. It was big and bold with a no nonsense attitude. I still have fond memories driving around the rough Namaqualand west coast, wind and dust in my hair with the woing woing sound of the clutch paddle spring in my ear, every time I shift gear.
So when I recently received an invite to go and test-drive the new Land Rover Discovery, I jumped at the opportunity. The fact that we were to do a bit of off-roading on the Malan’s farm, Simonsig, made it even more attractive. Now, Land Rover and myself came a long way since the days of bundu-bashing in Hondeklip Bay. We both moved to the city and embrace technology which made life a bit easier. We both swapped business partners a few times, me currently with Madame de Wyn and Land Rover currently with Tata and thanks to the guys from the Land Rover Experience I had the opportunity to re-connect with this long lost friend.
The Experience (without Hendrix) introduced us to the skills and techniques we needed to tackle many different off-road terrains with our Discoveries. I realized all the rough edges I remembered from my youth have now be smoothed out and driving off-road was as simple as just turning a nob on the left, right.
After (read agian, After) getting re-acquainted with Land Rover, Mr Malan invited us to taste his wines. Now, normally this is where I’ll write endless paragraphs on how good or bad the food and wine were, but not today. If you do not know Simonsig’s wine, you’re seriously missing out. Don’t take my word for it, go and try the Frans Malan Reserve. A spicy blend of Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon. Or if you need something to go with your Landie, try the Aurum Chardonnay, easily my wine of the year so far. Orange skin with nutty flavours, a truely kick-ass wine. I can go on here cause the layers are packed on this one, but this is probably not the place.
All and all it was a day of great memories for me, some old ones and some new. I can only thank Simonsig and Land Rover for the best Experience by far.
