Type the name “Bo-Kaap” into any image search engine, and sooner or later you will come across a picture of a bright-blue little Ford Cortina parked on the cobbled streets of this iconic and historic neighbourhood.
Many associate this car with the brightly-coloured houses of the Bo-Kaap, but your mind has been deceiving you – the car, affectionately nicknamed “Cortie”, has only been parked there for four years now.
Cortie belongs to Mikyle Abrahams, a 24-year-old who was trained in panel beating, and is parked outside of his house.
“I only got the car to practice on initially,” Abrahams said, referring to his panel beating skills.
Cortie was purchased for Abrahams by his father, and was initially just meant to be used to hone his skills. Maintaining and repairing Cortie began as a passion project, and Abrahams never would have thought that the car would become as famous as it has.
Cortie has been featured in many international magazines, such as Smithsonian Magazine (Source: Smithsonianmag)