31 Mar The King of Paarlberg

In 2022, the Franschhoek Motor Museum was honoured to receive the donation of the Renault R8 Gordini 1300 with which the late Hennie Mostert dominated the challenging Paarl Hillclimb from 1968 to 1972, earning the title ‘King of the Paarlberg’. On Sunday 26 March, family, friends and members of the Cape Town Renault Club gathered at the museum’s Hall D for the unveiling of a special permanent display stand for the car. Hennie’s brothers and other close friends gave short speeches relating to his motor sport career before the wrap was taken off the gleaming blue-and-white Gordini. Posed in front of a giant poster showing Hennie at full throttle on the Paarl Mountain, the car is a victorious part of Cape motor sport history and a fine addition to the museum’s collection.

Hennie is survived by his wife Reinett, children Jacques, Elzaan and Berto, and grandchildren Sunell, Henko and Isabelle. Exactly a year after his passing, Hennie’s ashes were spread around the final corner of the original hillclimb route, a fitting tribute to a fine South African motor sportsman with a distinguished racing history and remembered as being ‘King of the Paarlberg’.