24 October 2025
Klerksdorp Record, Klerksdorp - Well-known businessman and motorsport enthusiast Farouk Dangor will be showing off two of his most prized possessions at the inaugural Speed Classic Cape Town.
This event is a new hill climb event on Philip Kgosana Drive on October 25 and 26 that begins with a Classic Car race on the Saturday, before shifting to all-out speed with the King of the Mountain showdown on the 1.8km course.
The standout car in Farouk’s entry is his King of the Mountain challenger: a red 2024 Ferrari SF90 Stradale - one of no more than 15 in the country. On Classic Car Saturday, he will take the wheel of his 1993 BMW M3 E30, the only one of its kind in South Africa and still in original touring car condition. Although it produces just 130 kilowatts, he believes its handling gives it the edge.
Upon its release, it was the fastest road-legal Ferrari ever built and the first to feature plug-in hybrid technology, pairing a V8 engine with three electric motors. Combined, the engines produce 1 000 horsepower, launching the SF90 from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.5 seconds. This Ferrari also features the Fiorano Pack, a carbonfibre and aero upgrade with coil-over suspension, enhancing its already formidable performance.
Farouk’s passion for cars began at 18, selling mag wheels in Klerksdorp before founding Speedy Car Sales in 1980, a business that is still thriving today. Around the same time, he began racing as a privateer on oval tracks, even representing South Africa internationally. Apartheid laws prevented him from earning official Springbok colours, but he soon moved into production car racing, first in a Ford, then in BMWs, during what he calls “the golden era of South African motorsport”.
In 1993 and 1994, he raced touring cars, first in a BMW and later a Vauxhall Cavalier. However, competing without factory backing was a constant challenge. “It was tough to race against the factory-supported drivers as a privateer coming from Klerksdorp. We couldn’t always get near them, but we’d always try to give them a challenge.”
At the end of 1994, Farouk honoured a promise to his mother that he would stop racing when he turned 40-years-old. He hung up his helmet and stopped racing. Although Farouk stayed active through occasional track days, tragedy brought him back to competitive racing. His late son, Mohamed, began racing at the annual Simola Hillclimb about a decade ago. After Mohamed was murdered in 2019, the Simola organisers encouraged Farouk to honour his legacy by returning to the track himself. Now with five years of hill climb experience under his belt, Farouk is ready to tackle his latest challenge; Speed Classic Cape Town.
In the King of the Mountain event on Sunday, Farouk is looking to make his mark in the eight cylinder or above road-going saloon car class and put his Ferrari to the test.
“I’m looking forward to Speed Classic Cape Town. I’m particularly keen to see how my car goes up against the McLarens and Lamborghinis. I know there’ll be some serious competition, so it’ll be good to see how Ferrari measures up against the other manufacturers.”
