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KNOWN HISTORY:
This Dart was used by Willie Meissner as a
company car reg no: CL3256 to demonstrate and display as the
Dart sales were slow. The car was sprayed “shell” pink and
maroon being the favorite color of Willie’s girlfriend. It was
also the only 58/59 Dart with external boot hinges. This was to
give the Dart a more modern look. Willie and girlfriend Lorraine
Wolfaardt got married on the 23 May 1959 and after the wedding
Willie and wife left on a racing honeymoon as Willie had entered
the Dart in the Autumn Handicap event at the Grand Central
Circuit on the Monday 1st June 1959. Willie’s Dart was the first
sports car to cross the line on the day. Soon after Willie
returned from honeymoon the GSM factory sold the car to Johan
Oosthuizen, a farm foreman in the Stellenbosch area. He sprayed
the Dart a brown color. The GSM factory allowed Johan to pay the
car off because he raced the car which was advertising for GSM
but unfortunately he could not keep up with the payments so the
Dart had to be given back to the GSM factory. His best result
was a 6th position in the Killarney 2 hour endurance race on the
7th November 1959 sharing the drive with Jimmy Fouche. Fritz le
Roux who worked for GSM was given the Dart as compensation for
his efforts and time at the GSM factory. Fritz had a long
“history” working for GSM, in London before the company was
formed and then again when the factory was at Bottelary. He also
was a GSM “works racing driver,” and had the use of a Dart as a
company car. When Fritz left GSM he did not return the Dart, and
nobody said a word….! Fritz kept the car all the years. After
leaving GSM Fritz became a Boeing pilot and was the shortest
pilot ever to fly a Boeing. In 2005 Fritz sold the Dart to
Ronnie Roberts for the price of R6000. Fritz died on the 16th
November 2005. Ronnie is in the process of restoring the Dart.
(July 2010)