Just shy of 60 years since they last battled on Southern African racetracks, two immaculately restored icons – the ex-Dawie Gous Elva Porsche and the Thompson Brothers Lotus 23 – have hit the tarmac together and have in the past few weeks again competed as part of the HSSA (Historic Single Seater Association) championship for historic race cars.
To brush up on each of these cars’ unique histories, it’s worthwhile embarking on a trip down memory lane.
1965 was a stellar year for South African sports car racing, with Dawie Gous and Keith Berrington-Smith going wheel to wheel in each outing. Gous had swapped his Porsche 550 RS for a Porsche 4-cam-powered Elva Mk VII, while Berrington-Smith took the helm of the Thompson
