Meeting with a Muscle Car

We four friends met up again after many years
Chrysler Hemi 4,7 Litre, Turbo Charged V8 - all muscle car!

Metallic black with cream leather upholstery: sheer luxury

My husband watches longingly as Chris eases into the traffic

Two weeks ago my husband and I drove through to the city to meet up with friends, Chris and Theresa from Namibia. Chris worked with my husband in Guinea and he always babysat our dear cat when we came out to South Africa on break. Since we’d last seen him, Chris had acquired himself what is known in South Africa as a “muscle car” A large, V8, Turbo charged American car; a Chrysler Hemi, 4.7 litre (I didn’t know this, heard the men discussing it!) After breakfast in a fast food restaurant and catching up on old times, we went to the underground car park to have a ride in Chris’ car.

Once downstairs, I homed in on a security guard as I wanted a photograph of all four of us in front of the car. I explained to the man carefully in Afrikaans how to frame all of us in the on the screen and as I was showing him where to depress the shutter, he asked nervously (in English) “Do I push this button here?” So I said, “Now why didn’t you tell me you could speak English?” I heard Chris ask my husband: “Does Jo know this man?” to which he shrugged and said, “Jo speaks to anyone and everyone!”

To my husband and me this car was the ultimate in luxury. It had cream leather upholstery and the interior, spacious and comfortable, was finished in walnut. Too beautiful for words. Of course, when Chris swung the huge car out into the city traffic, he accelerated (just like a man, when he has another sitting beside him!) and the car really proved its muscle status. We are not used to cars like this in our country; it was an amazing to experience what people in America take for granted when it comes to transport!

A while later Chris dropped us off at the mall where our car was parked and we watched the car pulled off elegantly into the traffic.