If you have not read Part One of the weekend with a Harper, you can read it HERE:
The Western Cape should really be an international driving holiday destination. We are truly blessed, not only with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, but some of the best driving roads! Twisty ribbons of tarmac perfection winding their way around or over a mountain. Sports car lovers from all over the world should all have the Western Cape on their bucket lists.
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The plan for Sunday morning was a simple one. Meet up in the usual spot in Stellenbosch, at the bottom of Helshoogte. Head over Helshoogte towards Franschhoek, then hook a left towards Paarl. A short run down the N1, follow by a fun blast over Du Toitskloof Pass. Breakfast on the other side of the pass. Then left down Slanghoek Road. Keep your eyes peeled for the sign, then another left and then the road we’ve been waiting for. Bainskloof pass – newly resurfaced, twisty, technical, beautiful and stretching for several kilometres. From there an easy cruise home.
As exhilarating as that route sounds, it was made even more so, because in my garage is a Harper Type-5. Having spent the first part of the weekend daily driving it, I already knew what the car was capable of. Now I would finally have the chance to drive it on roads worthy of its prowess!
a fire-breathing race car
I tried to start the car as quietly as I could and snuck out of my leafy neighbourhood as quietly as one can. In a fire-breathing race car that is. A quick blast to Stellenbosch in the cold morning air, with a fuel stop half way there. With everything warmed up, and the thank full I arrived at the meeting point.
the Harper Type-5 completed our line-up
As much fun as a sportscar is, it’s always better when you can sportscar together. The familiar faces were there, with their eclectic mix of cars. A South African Kit car with Ford Mechanicals. Not the quickest, but certainly a fun thing to drive with rear wheel drive and skinny little tyres. A Nissan 350Z, to bring a Japanese flavour to proceedings. When driven well, a formidable weapon too! A 308 Dino – the car that started the mid-engined Ferrari Legend. An Alfa Spider (no oil was spilled in the course of this run). A true high mileage hero, still going strong and putting a smile on its driver’s face. A Porsche Cayenne, the fish out of water, but it still managed to keep up. Until it broke that is. The bright red turbo brick with a stick. Volvo’s 850R surprised everyone when it came out. The sensible Swedes accidentally built an absolute demon of a car. As unexpected as its performance was decades ago, it’s even more of a shock today. Of course the Harper Type-5 completed our line-up.
With our convoy assembled, we turned onto Helshoogte Road. Telling myself that I’m going to take it easy as it’s going to be a long drive and I don’t want to end up exhausted at the end. That lasted about 30 Seconds. The green Dino came howling past me with a sound that stirs the soul. And awoke the red mist. The road was completely free of traffic at this time so I simply said, “not today Dino”. Dropped the Harper into second gear, heard the hiss of the turbo and shot off like a rocket. I didn’t see the rest of our convoy again until I slowly rolled into Pniel.
The Harper simply devours corners
The Harper simply devours corners in a way that’s very hard to explain. The nose dives towards the inside apex. As you clip the inside and start slowly blending in power, the car stays perfectly balanced. Because you can feel exactly what the contact patches are doing, it becomes second nature to allow the car to move under you. You constantly balance it using small inputs on the throttle and the steering. On the wide open sweeping bends of Helshoogte, the Harper feels absolutely at home. You arrive at the end of the twisty bit wanting to turn around and do it all again!
the only downside to driving a super-light car
Our next stretch of twisties wasn’t far away. Dutoitskloof pass is another beautiful stretch of road which happened to be completely devoid of traffic. The only downside is that the surface is quite bumpy. Having recently driven an Ariel Atom (Tested HERE), I know that lightweight cars and bumpy roads are not always a great combination. As there is very little weight pushing the car down onto the road surface, small bumps can cause the car to skip over bumps and lose traction. This is pretty much the only downside to driving a super-light car.
The Harper however, completely ignores this law of physics. It simply holds onto the road, as if by magic. Yes the ride is firm, but it isn’t spine shattering, despite the unpadded seats. I can not stress enough how impressed I was by how this car handled the bumpy road. In corners and even under power, you never lose confidence that the car is going to do exactly what you expect it to. The ONLY time the bumpy road became apparent is under hard braking where you would sometimes hear just a slight chirp from a tyre. Otherwise, the Harper is simply 100% composed.
the Porsche had torn is carrier bearing housing to pieces
We reach the other side of the pass, just in time for breakfast. With the sun now starting to beat down a little harder, I was relieved to have a space in the shade to sit for a while. We did seem to be missing one car out of our convoy, however. No-one had noticed anyone falling behind, but the Porsche Cayenne was nowhere to be seen. Then just as I was about to get on the phone and find out what happened, it pulled into view and made its way into the car park. Turns out the modern Porsche, supposedly the most reliable car in the convoy, had torn is carrier bearing housing to pieces. After breakfast, it would limp home at a more gentle pace until it could be sorted out the following week.
After breakfast, my excitement level was high. Next we would be taking Slanghoek Road to get to the start of Bains Kloof Pass. Bains Kloof is a marmite road – you either love it or fear it. It is twisty, technical and narrow. VERY narrow. There are no safety barriers to speak of, and the edges of the massive, sheer drops are only marked by large rocks planted at the side of the road. Every 10th or so rock, leaning over into the road, making it even narrower. This road’s other hallmark is its length. Most passes run for a couple of kilometres and then you’re done. Bains feels like it goes on and on and on. It’s the Energizer bunny of passes.
A true reminder of just how beautiful this country can be
Not to be outdone, Slanghoek road delivered some stunning scenery. Winding its way through some beautiful farm land, with a couple of narrow single-lane bridges along the way. A true reminder of just how beautiful this country can be. We make another left turn. Another single-lane bridge. Then the sign we had been waiting for all day. Bains Kloof Pass – CAUTION!
Several hundred horsepower are suddenly unleashed by our convoy. The sounds of internal combustion bouncing off the rock walls of the mountain. With every breath, you take in the incredible scenery. The Harper demands more. So you push harder, maximum concentration now. Look out for traffic, set up for the next bend, select your gear, avoid going wide and clipping a rock. Left, right, gear change, now hard on the brakes. Heel and toe down-change then another flick to the right and slow down. Way down. To less than 30kph.
slowest Suzuki Jimny in the world
On a road with virtually no traffic on it, we managed to find the slowest Suzuki Jimny in the world to get stuck behind. And there we were, helpless to do anything about it. At the mercy of Mr Suzuki. Unfortunately, Mr Suzuki had no mercy and despite having several opportunities to pull over and allow us past, he stayed in front of us all the way to the look-out point. We pulled over for some pictures and a chat.
The new road surface on Bains is sublime, and it is absolutely the perfect kind of road for the Harper. Driving it on a road like this is a very physical and demanding experience. The Harper rewards the effort though. The harder you work, and the more of yourself you give to the car, the better it gets. It may look like a car built for speed, and speed alone. However, this car is incredible fun to play with on a road like this.
zero traffic in either direction
The last stretch of Bains opens up a little. Tight corners with virtually no straights, give way to longer sweeping bends and a little more space to stretch legs. You still have to be careful though, a few sharp corners still remain. With zero traffic in either direction, I could thoroughly enjoy the Harper’s incredible road manners, performance and balance. Not to mention the beautiful Bains Kloof Pass.
After dropping the Harper back to the man who built it, I had to spend some time thinking. I genuinely can not say that living with the Harper for a weekend was hard work. I loved every second of it. But at the end of the weekend, the hardest part was deciding what I enjoyed most. The car, the incredible roads, the breath-taking scenery or the fellowship that comes from driving our cars together. By Monday morning I still haven’t made up my mind. Even now I’m not 100% sure. However, the combination of all these factors gave me a weekend I am unlikely to ever forget.
Dancing through Dutoitskloof with the 350Z in my sights. The Dino blasting past me, singing, popping and crackling. The Porsche leaning back like a speedboat. Showing us exactly where it got its name, the Dart zipping from side to side. An Alfa Spider setting alarming pace through some twisty roads. And of course the Volvo, being driven in the most un-Volvo way you can imagine. Having breakfast with friends, chatting, laughing. Reacclimatising to social interaction in a post-covid world. The stunned faces of people in other cars or at the side of the road as we drove past.
Everyone should have a Harper
If a Harper can create memories like these in just one weekend? Everyone should have one.
