This is the stuff that motoring fantasies are made of. A twisting coastal highway with a warm sun glinting off a blue ocean. Roof down and the thunder of a massive V8 bouncing straight back at you from the cliffs which skirt the road.

   It’s a proper West coast dream, but here’s the thing - that’s not the Pacific out there, it’s the South Atlantic. And if you’re thinking California, you’re not even on the right continent.

   South Africa grabbed headlines for many years for all the wrong reasons. But one of the saddest side effects of its recent turbulent history was that for many people around the world, it became known only for political strife. Only now is the world being re-awakened to the fact that here is a truly beautiful country with a lot to offer.

   We’re on the tourist trail. And for the classic car freak, there’s plenty to see. The climate is kind to vintage tin so you’ll spot plenty of cool old motors still in daily use. The Africans are also a lot more savvy when it comes to getting the most out of a particular model, so at the time of our visit, you could still buy a brand new MkI Golf (known as the Citi Golf) or a Nissan Pickup (Bakkie, in local parlance) which has its roots in the late Seventies and is very popular with the local surfer dudes. So the scenery - in a trainspotter, anorak-sense - is there.

   But for a special treat, it was time for a rental car with a difference. Cape Cobra Hire is based in the heart of Cape Town and for reasonable money, you can find yourself at the wheel of a Backdraft Racing Cobra rep. Now for those who say ‘It’s a kit car’, I counter with those drop dead good looks, Halibrand wheels and the soundtrack of the Gods, courtesy of a 5.7-litre Chevy V8. You have to feel sorry for owners of the real thing, who no doubt have their ultra expensive wheels dismissed just as readily by the ‘experts’ with, ‘It’s just a kit car…’

   After a quick guided tour from Nick at CCH, we’re left to it. For those used to renting the most mundane Euroboxes in the UK, where every customer is treated like an idiot and an accident waiting to happen, this is very refreshing. We’re given the keys, told what switch does what and told to enjoy. And we have every intention of doing just that.

   You’re immediately aware that this is a light car with a lot of engine. And forget power, think torque of tidal wave proportions. It may be driving those rear wheels through a slush ’box, but if you don’t treat the throttle with respect, it’s very easy to get the back end to dance. All very good fun, but not when you’re piloting the car through Cape Town traffic only five minutes after taking possession. Easy does it then.

   Climb up and out of the city, and the roads slowly clear and the speeds pick up. The temptation to hang back from the traffic and then floor the throttle gets too great. The ’box drops down instantly, the exhaust roars on both sides, and everything goes very Starship Enterprise warp drive.

   Suburban drag racing is all well and good, but SA has hundreds of miles of great, uncluttered roads. We head south, down the Cape Peninsula and through the National Park - taking the wild ride to see the wild life. The most exotic creature we’re likely to encounter in the UK is the odd dozy pheasant, so to see Ostrich trotting along beside the road is a big novelty. The sight of Baboons vaulting a fence in the distance makes you very aware that you’re in an open car, and nothing stops these fellows if they decide they’re going to share your lunch. Maybe now is not the time to park up and admire the view.

   Cape Point is awe inspiring. It marks the most South Easterly point on the continent, and more significantly to the sailors of the world, is also where the South Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean. To us land lubbers, it’s a wild and beautiful place. Strangely, after we park the car, it grabs more attention from sightseers than the famous landmark they’ve travelled all this way to see. Watching from a distance, we see a constant stream of tourists pose for pictures next to the Cobra. Always good to see petrolheads, even at the furthest reaches of the African continent.