Michelle Hambly-Grobler
Classic Car Enthusiast
Michelle Hambly-Grobler is a collector of fine cars, a mother of six, and a project manager – which is what allows her to continue with this passion. She was voted the international Porsche personality of 2015. An 11th generation South African, Cape Town is where she belongs.
‘I learnt to drive at the age of 12 in a 1965 Ford Fairlane which I today have as part of my collection.’
Michelle’s first motoring memory is of her father doing an oil change on his Ford and her taking a paint brush, dipping it in the oil and painting the garage walls. Her first Porsche experience involved the ex-Formula 1 racer Jochen Mass who used to live in Cape Town and was a family friend. Jochen owned a Porsche 964 and took Michelle for a drive which she will never forget, and with that her love for fast cars was affirmed.
‘My love for cars comes from my father. My father to this day will fix and fiddle and work on his car. As a child I distinctly remember him always being in his garage. My grandfather was the manager of a Ford Garage in Ceres. My uncle did oval racing – we called it stock car racing in South Africa – and as a child I was always around cars and aware of how important cars were to the family.’
‘As a female rally driver, to race Porsche and be on the track and to collect cars has opened up a whole new world to me. Interestingly, if we think about where we currently find ourselves in the world, with regard to relationships between men and women, women and the earth and how we are trying to create a new balanced environment of equality – I have always found myself at home in this predominately male drive environment.’
‘For me cars are a gateway, I find I can actually enter into relationships with a host of different men purely because I know what I am talking about. I never feel like I am on the back foot. The minute you are surrounded by people who are equally passionate about something – I personally feel that gender falls away.’
Michelle’s passion was influenced by a collection of friends – all Porsche enthusiasts themselves. Andre Bezuidenhout taught her to race, Peter van der Spuy awakened Michelle’s love of cars and who’s beautiful Porsche 997 GT3 she now has in her collection, and Janie Porter and Jannie Geldenhuys who were great collectors. Michelle joined the Porsche Club and the Crankhandle Club where the average age is 75 – ‘but when you’re at the club house having a drink talking about your cars, they are suddenly 35 again. It’s exciting!’
One of the highlights of Michelle’s career was an endurance race that she did at Killarney Racetrack. ‘It was not about being the fastest, it was about index and performance, and whether you could bring that car home after 3, 6 and 9 hours. It taught me about patience, about holding yourself back, nursing the car and not really pushing as hard as you can push.’
A friend had a 1973 RSR lightweight Porsche which Michelle had the privilege of driving and suddenly she was viewing her V8’s differently and the focus of her collection changed.
One of the highlights of Michelle’s career was an endurance race that she did at Killarney Racetrack. ‘It was not about being the fastest, it was about index and performance, and whether you could bring that car home after 3, 6 and 9 hours. It taught me about patience, about holding yourself back, nursing the car and not really pushing as hard as you can push.’
What draws Michelle to a car, makes her fall in love with it and want to add it to her collection? ‘My very first car was a 1958 Corvette, possibly one of the most beautiful cars ever built. Mine was named Marilyn and she was the cornerstone of my collection. After that I bought a 1968 Ford Mustang and as pretty as she was, the Corvette was always prettier. From there it steamrolled with a 1955 Citroën Traction Avant and a Ford Fairlane.’
Michelle is not done though, there is a wish list on the fridge that includes a Porsche 959 Comfort and Carrera GT. Although today Michelle is trying to hone the collection and sell some of her beloved faithful’s in order to buy better ones.
Michelle was named Porsche Personality of 2015, which was a manifestation that Michelle had arrived in the car world and among the Porsche fraternity. This elevated her passion even further and currently she has 20 Porche in her collection and is restoring a very special 1969 Porsche 911E Targa. They only build 387 of them, and she’s taking hers back to the certificate of origin, colour upholstery, carpets exactly as they where when she left the factory.
As a matter of interest, all Porsche are officially female. They have such beautiful curves that they were proclaimed all female by the manufacturing company.
About four years ago Michelle really wanted to live with her cars, wake up in the morning and say hello to them, and put them to bed at night. It took a while to convince her husband after finding an old building that they should all move there, but now that they are settled in this unlikely place in Woodstock, they couldn’t be happier. Michelle enjoys inviting fellow enthusiasts to see them there – and possibly even go for a drive.
On her home city – ‘I like to think that part of being a Capetonian is being more open and do believe that it being a port city, like London and New York, has made us in this melting pot of cultures and people that we are today, able to open our hearts and minds to welcome others from around the world.’
OTHER LEGENDS YOU MIGHT LIKE
Brent van Rensburg
Co-Founder Zip Zap Circus School
Steve Benjamin
Zoologist, Marine Guide, Photographer
Amy Kleinhans-Curd
Former Miss South Africa, Philanthropist