Wijnland Auto Museum, Cape Winelands

Wijnland Auto Museum, Paarl, Cape Winelands

There are those who live in Cape Town and its surrounds who have not even heard of the Wijnland Auto Museum, one of the most interesting places to visit that not only contains an unbelievable amount of history, but one of the most incredible collections of vintage cars you will ever see.

Whilst this is a dream come true for automobile fanatics, it is also well worth a visit for those who are not. Clearly the car museum is a delight. Cars spill out onto the lawn and under shade cloth, and the array of virtual rust buckets is incredibly endearing to those for whom a shiny restored rendition holds absolutely no appeal. There are, of course, also those fine examples that have been gloriously restored and the museum’s floor is a veritable ‘who’s who’ in the world of vintage cars.

The Wijnland Auto Museum displays South Africa’s largest collection of classic and vintage automobiles. It is also ideally positioned at the ‘gateway’ to the winelands and is a must do if you are anywhere near Stellenbosch. It is no surprise that Stellenbosch and Oostenberg lay equal claim to the Wijnland Auto Museum - each regards the attraction as theirs. The Wijnland Auto Museum is in Joostenbergvlakte and getting there involves taking exit 34 off the N1; taking a left and then a right, and then looking out for a nursery (apparently hard to miss once you’ve passed the nursery). Its elusiveness is probably half the appeal!.