DRIVE-IN DELIGHT - Franschhoek Motor Museum

01 Dec DRIVE-IN DELIGHT

Posted at 15:18h in Events by fmmadmin

In late October the museum hosted a Motor Movie Festival when car lovers and movie fans combined their passions and relived the drive-in experience (albeit indoors) by watching motor-themed movies while seated in a classic 1930s, ’40s and ’50s car from the museum’s famous collection. The two-day festival included four movie screenings of The Italian Job (1969), Vanishing Point (1971), Midnight Run (1988), and Thelma & Louise (1991).
There were two showings of all the movies on each of the days. Attendees had the opportunity to view all of the museum’s current displays – appropriately including a selection of cars with links to well-loved movies – and taste wines from the L’Ormarins estate’s Anthonij Rupert range before enjoying a movie screening from the seat of a special car (glass of wine in hand). The experience was rounded-off with a roadhouse burger and gourmet milkshake in the museum’s Pitstop Café.

FMM curator Wayne Harley joined in the proceedings and said afterwards, “The drive-in festival was super fun and it had me harking back to the good old days. I know its wasn’t quite the real thing, but sitting in a car watching a movie eating popcorn just bought back memories of the many Saturday nights at the old Witbank drive-in, being 18, having just got my driver’s licence, chatting cars with my mates before the show and not forgetting trying to impress the girls. The drive-in wasn’t just going to the movies, it was a culture. The festival at FMM paid tribute to that. Even the food served afterwards added to the atmosphere.

“I bought my ticket for the showing of Vanishing Point but it was the showing of Thelma & Louise that sold out … go figure a chick-flick sell-out,” says Wayne with a grin. “It was a small start, but I’m sure we are going to see this event grow and grow as I am still getting requests as to when we are we going to do it again.” MM