BEATING THE TEDIUM OF THE TREADMILL

While I virtuously stride out my permitted twenty minutes on the treadmill at the gym, I amuse myself by counting cars. You heard me: counting cars. Or, rather, the colour of the passing cars. Yes, I know. Small things amuse small minds – yeah, yeah. Other folk chat to friends, catch up with e-mails on their Blackberries, listen to their i-pods, etc , but I’m an  eccentric old bat, and I count cars.

Let me inform you, South Africa has finally overcome it’s love affair with the white vehicle. For years the vast majority of cars were white.  It was an official statistical fact that motor manufacturers issued at least three-quarters of a new range in white duco.  One theory being that white duco repels heat better than any other colour. South Africa is a hot country. On the downside, white shows up the dirt, but that’s a minor detail. Another handy fact is that statistically, white cars are less likely to be involved in vehicle accidents, because they’re more easily visible.  Which sounds reasonable, don’t you think?

But now, in 2012/13 I can report, after months of careful observation, the predominance of white is being whittled down by the emergence of the silver or grey vehicle.  Silver/grey vehicles, on most days, appear in almost the same number as white vehicles. Trust me, I have counted them. It helps that my gym has positioned the treadmills at a great height, upstairs, with a vast glass wall fronting the street. What could be easier?

And, this revolutionary move away from white duco does not stop at the silver. No, it does not. A close second contender is – wait for it – black!  I suppose with the majority of cars now offering air con as a standard feature, you can splash out and opt for black, and forget about  being cooked alive in your mobile oven. Clearly these drivers don’t give a hoot about potential fender-benders.

The next most common colour is … go on – guess!  Red. Followed by blue, and then on occasion – but only occasionally – by green, brown, and yellow.  Very very occasionally I spot a burnt orange vehicle, and maybe once every six months, a purple car. I’m still waiting to spot a pink vehicle.  I seem to remember that way back when one of the big-finned, long, American sedans came in pale pinks, pale blues, turquoise, and cream  but right now the ice-cream range of colours are not available for car finishes.

So there you have it folks. A completely arbitrary report on the most popular colours for cars in Cape Town. You must admit, my blog does offer you a little bit of everything.  Drive on, McDuff!