Cape Town – Each year there are a few car shows that consistently draw the big guns; Streetmodz is one of these elite events, having been in existence for more than a decade.
We first encountered Zabby Bray and his show back in the day at the Good Hope Centre, when it was one of the first events to go indoors. There was something special about all that shiny metal in a dust-free environment; suffice it to say, not having to constantly buff their cars took a lot of stress off the rag men.
Bray said: “Streetmodz has been in existence since 2005, bringing Cape Town the best cars from around the country. Previous venues for our show have included the Retreat Civic Centre, Good Hope Centre and the Bellville Velodrome.”
After a hiatus of three years (the previous show was in 2012) Streetmodz made a comeback in 2016, with a collection of the Cape’s finest at Maynardville. Bray described the show, now renamed Streetmodz ‘n Rodz, as “not just a motor show, it’s a family get together”.
Best of Show
Top honours this year went to Raziek Rajah’s newly completed Razor-tuned and bodykitted Nissan GTR.
“It started when I had a Razor GTR jacket made,” Rajah explained, “and my wife started asking me questions about ‘what is this Razor thing?’
"I told her I wanted to build a car that would have the media banging down the door for articles, and she said I was crazy – so I did it. In retrospect, we didn’t expect the kind of media attention we’ve attracted.”
Nissan's GTR has grabbed the attention of of bodykit makers the world over, including Liberty Hawk and Rocket Bunny, but Rajah wanted something with his own stamp on it.
“Xmodz did the body,” he said, “And Craig Cezank Motorsports tuned the engine to 735kW. With just one photo we’ve had more than half a million views and comments coming from Nismo in Japan congratulating us.
"We wanted a build that could rival a supercar, and I believe we’ve done it.”
There’s been no opportunity yet to take this GTR on a straight line showdown, but Rajah is hoping to hit the low 10 second mark.
Flared
Also out in public for the first time was Noer Asmodien’s Nissan S14 Sylvia, featuring a Boss 2 bodykit installed by Xmodz. With flared arches and bulging bonnet, the look channels the best of muscle, while retaining the efficiency of the Japanese legend that it is.
Car clubs were in full display, undoubtedly appreciating the cool vibe and welcome shade at the park.
Nissan was the theme of the day for the Cape Drift heroes; DJ Ready D brought his S14 with S15 front end, and Damon and Sons brought their S14.
Car dealers brought a selection of new models, said Bray, “and we were privileged to have the new Mercedes Benz GT AMG here or fans to drool over”.
Community involvement
South Peninsula High School was invited to hold its fundraiser food fair at the show, to raise much-needed cash to upgrade the school.
The school provided on-stage entertainment as well, and the raised stage was also used as a drive-through zone, where owners could parade their cars and explain the finer details of their creations to the public.
Bray, who among other things runs a spray-painting business, brought a Ford bakkie sprayed in his inimitable style. At first glance it looked black, but with the light at certain angles it was green or even maroon.
The pickup also serves to promote Ready D’s road safety initiative, Safer Roads for All, encouraging young people to take their racing off the streets, and to be more responsible when it comes to their vehicles and lives.
“There were many great moment in the day for me,” Bray said, “but a stand-out must be when we asked Ready D to interview a selection of drivers and their machines, to tell people what goes into the builds, and to inspire our young people to get into cars and not drugs.”