TWENTY-THREE of the oldest, most exclusive and priciest cars in the world visited the Garden Route this week as the international Silver Ghost Association drove their veteran Roll-Royce rarities to Cape Town.

The tour – which is on its second outing to South Africa – takes place in a different country every year.

One of the most exclusive clubs in the world, the association agrees on the destination and then ships the vehicles to a convenient port before members fly out to start the run.

The current tour started in Durban and passes through Mkuze, Swaziland, the Golden Gate National Park, the Free State, Eastern Cape, Garden Route, Oudtshoorn, the Overberg and the Cape Winelands before ending in Cape Town.

The Silver Ghost was produced by Rolls-Royce from 1903 to 1927. Several hundred survive and are in regular use.

Silver Ghosts are valued from R2,4-million and at more than R10-million in rare cases.

Bob Johnston, a South African Ghost owner on the tour, has owned his 1921 car for 61 years.

According to Karl Reitz, Rolls owner and host of a lunchtime stopover near Wilderness yesterday, the cars go on forever. “They are so well made, you cannot kill one,” he said.

Visitors on this year’s tour come from nine countries. Every vehicle has a different design as Rolls-Royce bodies were built to owners’ specifications.

Bill and Christine Kennedy, from Illinois in the US, bought their 1911 version for the tour and were enjoying their first visit to South Africa immensely.

“We expected to find a desert but have found delightful landscapes, friendly people and smiling faces,” they said.