Image: DNA Photographers

Adam is a young man absolutely infatuated with cars, so he has the perfect job working at Crossley & Webb, an exotic car showroom in Cape Town.

“The older I got, so did the cars I desired. I always loved the simplicity and the style of this BMW 2002. Just look at it, it’s just ridiculous…,” says Adam, while admiring this beauty he calls Boris.

Boris is his daily drive and “a great city car”. The BMW 2002 is also generally referred to as the ‘whispering bomb’, due to the car’s small size yet powerful engine.

Adam’s car is a cruiser and his favorite drive is to Llandudno on the Atlantic Seaboard. This Verona red BMW is truly an eye-catcher. “People leave notes on my windscreen every day wanting to buy Boris.

Image: DNA Photographers

“Back in January 2014, I was at a car show at Timour Hall Villa and Jacques, who I now consider to be a friend, walked past me. He had a Schnauzer with him. I’ve always been partial to dogs with beards. I have two Standard Schnauzers myself. So I immediately went over and started chatting. It turned out that he also owns a BMW 2002 and he knew of one that the owner might sell if persuaded in the right manner. Needless to say, after two months of ongoing negotiations involving many e-mails, I finally acquired Boris. He was named so by the previous owner.”

Image: DNA Photographers

Adam’s love for cars comes from his father who spent a lot of time at Killarney Raceway. However, he says: “Going to Killarney can leave me with heavy boots. I don’t ever tell my mom that I’m going there. When I was two and my sister was four, my dad went to the track like he had every other weekend. He was down there with a friend, at the end of the pit lane, which is also the last corner or kink rather on the track. My dad was photographing the race and helping out in the pit for a race team. At the end of the first lap, Ian Scheckter and Hannes Grobler touched while coming down the main straight and Scheckter’s car was launched into the pit lane, killing my father and his friend.” This happened on 20 February 1989. “As it turns out, I have become a car photographer myself. Strange how life can come full circle.”


Desmond Louw and Antonia Heil of DNA Photographers are based between Cape Town and Berlin. Combining their love of cars, travel and people, they have been gathering content for a book they hope to publish next year. 

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