Thoroughbred & Classic Cars, Spring 2002

Thoroughbred & Classic Cars, Spring 2002

Pass Master

Atkins' own private Nirvana is Franschhoek Pass - a fast, twisting, empty and challenging hillclimb
John Atkins sold up in the UK and moved to South Africa. He now enjoys driving two of his favourite cars over some of the best mountain passes in the world.
Words: Robert Coucher
Photography: Ian McLaren

cobra 289 ( Kb)

John Atkins bust out of his safe north Oxfordshire lifestyle and moved 6000 miles to Franschhoek
Nirvana for John Atkins is Franschhoek Pass, a fast and twisting hillclimb in his new backyard which, this seasoned rally champion reckons, is better than any road he's ever experienced in Europe. A speed merchant and classic car enthusiast, Atkins has spectacularly bust out of his safe and comfy north Oxfordshire lifestyle and now lives 6000 miles away in a little known enclave called Franschhoek where the mountain roads are sublime.
In the mid-Sixties he spent four years in Castrol's competition department before setting up his number plate business, Jamesigns, where he introduced the Perspex number plate to London. This, plus his growing cherished number plate business, gave Atkins the wherewithal to start racing his much loved 289 AC Cobra, a car he's owned for 27 years. As well as hillclimbing he's done over 150 races with the car and won the Intermarque Series, the Post Historic Sports Car Club championship, as well as the 1988 Classic Marathon and the 1998 Pyrenees.
"For years a very good friend of mine tried to persuade Liz and I to come over to South Africa for a visit. Liz was opposed to the politics but since things have changed we decided to come," says Atkins. "So, a year ago we flew into Cape Town and ended up in this heavenly place called Franschhoek, a wine region about 45 miles outside Cape Town.
Liz and I ended up having dinner in Franschhoek where we saw Auberge La Dauphine for sale in an estate agent's window. We knew there and then we had to have it so, to cut the story short, we secured the property, flew back to Britain and sold the Old Manor in Cropredy. I then had to decide what to do with my automobilia and car collection. After conversations with Simon Hope of H&H Classic Auctions the decision was made to hold an auction on site."
Once everything had been sold he packed a few remaining possessions: 2000 motoring books, the complete collection of signed motor racing photographs, two vintage Humber motorcycles, a comprehensive AC Cobra memorabilia collection and the three cars. Next stop South Africa.

AC Cobra 289 ( Kb)

THE FOUR PASSES is a sublime 50-mile route through the mountains of the Cape winelands. The route runs from the vineyards of Stellenbosch towards Franschhoek by way of the 10-mile Helshoogte Pass.
Atkins takes me through his house to the double garage where I'm met with the impressive silhouettes of the Porsche and AC. An interesting pair, but real chalk and cheese.
He fires up the AC and gently reverses it out of the garage. The car is painted an authentic and luscious Sixties deep purple, with black trim and neat aeroscreens. The sexy, fat Hallibrand alloys poke out of the ample wheelarches and the rollbar adds a degree of purpose. There's a big alloy quick release filler cap at the rear and the array of instruments, including a Mallory rev counter set to seven thou, adds to the serious intent.
I clamber in and do up the racing harness and we chug out of the quiet Auberge, the Cobra spitting though its carbs and snatching through the drivetrain. The Competition Engine Services motor is not in the highest state of tune but being still cold it wants a few more revs to make it party. Like a nervous and temperamental 350bhp stallion it needs a firm, steady hand and John will not give it its head until the fluids have warmed through fully.

AC Cobra 289 ( Kb)

It is a quiet and early African Sunday morning so John drives considerately out of town.
I have clearly communicated that I'm a bad passenger and made mention of the fact that there is only one rollover hoop - for the driver. John slowly winds the AC up and soon we are romping up his favourite pass, wheel-perfect, every corner a clean sweep, every straight a lunge, every brake point precise and unhurried.
Atkins slows and asks "How are you feeling and what do you think? Should I give it a bit more welly now?" Well, I'm relaxed and he's clearly rather good at this so I suppose it will be all right if he speeds things up a bit. Naively I answer in the affirmative.
Atkins drop about three cogs and lets rip. The Cobra becomes an animal as he engages the previously unused three quarters throw of throttle travel. Warp speed ensues. The AC squats down, its balance shifts to its powerful haunches and all mucking about ceases. We're in attack mode. Vision tunnels as 35Obhp is laid down with the sole intention of getting to the top of the pass as fast as possible. John's inputs remain controlled. This is no lurid ragged-edge ride. He drives the powerful and rather blunt car with his wrists and right foot. His inputs remain just as clean as before, it's just that we are now doing about double the speed. The Cobra is driven very, very deep into the corners. The powerful brakes are used to the full, as too are the racing harnesses as they strain to retain the g-forces. Even though a lorry-load of torque is available, the gearshift is a blur. But not slammed. Nothing is slammed. The 289 AC Cobra is in its element, its driver caressing the best out of it, the wide Hallibrand wheels never taking a shortcut over the rough edges of the tarmac, the balanced chassis and powerful engine never extended beyond their optimal leVel. The car is flat-out but not over-driven.
We reach the top of the pass and stop for me to get my legs functioning again. What a drive. I'm reminded of the opening sequence of The Italian Job on fast-forward. Thankfully there are no earthmovers here. In fact the road remains totally empty, clear and fabulous. "Of course, I'm always quicker on the way down," Atkins informs me. And he most certainly is. "I do have bigger brakes currently fitted to the car but I have the originals in the garage," he adds. Best place for them I think.

( Kb)

Where the Cobra is a roughly-hewn beautifully-balanced tool the Porsche RS, in comparison, is a surgical instrument. Over the same run it does not feel as fast or dramatic. Being closed the sound track is muted and the car less flamboyant. Again Atkins drives it in a minimal style which, of course, is the quickest way. He does not dive quite as deeply into the corners with the Porsche but exits faster and gets on the power quicker, laying down the 240bhp as soon as possible.
"The Porsche demands more attention to drive really quickly and is less forgiving. The reason I have cut my collection down to these two cars is that to me the Cobra represents the best of the Sixties and the 911 the best of the Seventies. I would think that a Ferrari F40 represents the best of the Eighties. Now that would be quite an experience up my test hill."
I won't tell Atkins about the F40 I know about in Cape Town, not until the next time I drop in for a visit.

Thanks to: John and Liz Atkins who own and run the beautiful Auberge La Dauphine in the (normally) tranquil and serene Franschhoek mountains. The homestead and former wine cellar have been sympathetically designed for modem comfort. Enjoy a substantial English breakfast, relax on the cool stoep or indulge in wine tasting, swimming, fishing, horse-riding and walking.

For more information contact: Auberge La Dauphine, Franschhoek 7690, South Africa
Tel: + 27 (0)21 876 2606 Fax: + 27 (0)21 8762398 Email: guests@ladauphine.co.za Website: www.ladauphine.co.za

Robert Coucher
"Franschhoek is a magical place where the roads are a driver's dream"
Robert grew up in the Cape and leamt to drive on the tight, twisting mountain roads.

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