When you have an impressive car collection, you have to build a garage to match. And that’s exactly what Selwyn Chatz has done. His u-shapes, glass-fronted car gallery, decorated with graphic art wallpaper, motoring memorabilia and paintings, is designed to be the perfect backdrop for this collection of close to 40 supercars and hypercars, including some of the finest Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and McLarens ever to leave the factory.
You don’t need to be a petrol head or car spotter to appreciate the beauty of this collection. To see so many supercars under one roof is mind-blowing for anyone. There is a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and a purple and orange Huracan STO, a Pagani Huayra Roadster, Ferrari F12 TDF, Ferrari 812 Competizione, a McLaren Senna, an iridescent McLaren 675LT, the ‘Mahlangu’ Rolls-Royce Phantom, and the last naturally aspirated V8 Ferrari off the production line, but the jewel in the crown is undoubtedly the Pagani Huayra Imola.
The Imola, number three of five and the only right-hand drive car of its kind in the world, is a masterpiece of engineering and design. named after the famous Italian circuit, it is powered by a 6-litre Mercedes-AMG-derived twin-turbocharged V12 engine and is clearly built for performance. But look beyond the power and you will see the attention to detail that makes this car a true work of art. From the exposed blue carbon fibre finish with white accent lines, big scoop, and gullwing doors, to the eye-catching blue interior and Italian flags on the side mirrors, every aspect of the Imola has been carefully considered not just for performance and strength, but also for beauty.
If you were lucky enough to spot this car on the road in the Western Cape in 2023, you will know you’ve seen something truly special. Unfortunately, the Imola was only in South Africa for a year and will be shipped back to Switzerland soon. But for all the people who missed it on the road there is a brilliant video on YouTube from The Drive Chronicles that gives you an up close and personal look at the car.
The Imola may be leaving, but Selwyn’s Pagani Huayra Roadster is here to stay. taking ownership of this beauty was a very special moment for Selwyn because Pagani didn’t simply ship the car to South Africa, they invited Selwyn to the factory and presented the car to him. The South African flag was flying outside when he arrived and a pianist played his favourite song as the car was unveiled.
With an exposed carbon fibre body (Pagani Chrystal Carbon), titanium finished, red-edged wheels, teardrop mirrors, Vermiglio leather interio, and matching two-tone luggage, the Huayra Roadster is another design masterpiece from the Pagani factory. Once again this hypercar not only looks the part, but with its powerful 6-litre twin-turbocharged Mercedes-AMG M158 V12 engine, seven-speed sequential gearbox, and single disc clutch, it has the performance to match.
And then there are the Ferraris. An entire wing of the car gallery is devoted to Ferrari and everything, from the décor to the memorabilia, pays homage to the legendary Italian car manufacturer. But once again the cars take centre stage and include a yellow 458 Speciale, a silver SF90, a white F12 TDF, a grey 812 Competizione, and not one, but two Pistas, a pearl white Spyder and a matt black coupe. Selwyn also has two La Ferraris that he keeps in Switzerland and one of these cars will be coming to South Africa soon.
Collectors of Selwyn’s calibre do not simply go to their local dealership to spec their Ferrari, they are invited to Maranello to spend a day choosing every detail of their car and have the opportunity to make their Ferrari as unique as they choose to. At this level, Ferrari will try to accommodate any request, provided it does not affect the safety or integrity of the car.
Selwyn is very particular about how he specs each of his Ferraris and many of his requests have been firsts for the designers. When he designed his 458 Speciale, he asked for blue carbon accents and Ferrari agreed, but they didn’t realise how long it would take to develop the product. Because of this delay, Ferrari had already started producing the 488 before they finished Selwyn’s 458. This means it was the last naturally aspirated V8 Ferrari ever to roll off the production line.
Another rare gem in Selwyn’s collection is the ‘Mahlangu’ Rolls-Royce Phantom. In 2020 Dr Esther Mahlangu, a globally celebrated artist, was commissioned to create a unique work of art for a one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce Phantom. this commission made her the first South African to create artwork for the famous Phantom Gallery.
Running the entire length of the fascia, The Gallery is an uninterrupted glass enclosure created to exhibit bespoke artwork within the car. The blue and white hand-painted Ndebele-inspired Gallery inserts and panels took approximately a month to create. The car also features a bespoke roof lining with LED lighting configured to resemble starts and even includes a shooting star.
Amongst all these amazing supercars, there is also an unassuming car that would not be special to most collectors, but it is special to Selwyn. It is a red BMW 518i with a white interior. It was a 60th birthday present from his son and has been restored to the specs of the first new car that Selwyn ever owned.
Obviously, it takes years to assemble a collection of this magnitude, and like all collections, it starts with one. For Selwyn, that one was a Ferrari 355 that he bought in 1999 when he turned 40. In 2003 he sold it to buy a Ferrari 360 and then he sold that to buy a 340. And that’s when the selling stopped, and the serious collecting started. In 2016 Selwyn even bought back his original 355.
The only Ferrari that Selwyn has sold since the 360 was an 812 Coupe. But not to worry, he still has two others, an 812 GTS and the 812 Competizione. The only reason he sold the 812 was because he was living in Cape Town and the car was in Joburg and he didn’t have anywhere to store it. It was this experience that sparked the idea for one of his latest business ventures, SCS (Supercar Cellar Storage) in Paarl.
Few people have the privilege of seeing this collection in its entirety, but Selwyn loves to drive his cars so there is a good chance you will spot one of them on the road in the Western Cape.