Willie Hepburn, a beloved figure in South Africa’s motorsport world, has died at the age of 82. Hepburn died of natural causes at her home in Bedfordview, Johannesburg. His death marks the end of an era in South African motorsport.
Born in Johannesburg in 1942, Hepburn devoted more than half a century to his passion for racing, starting his career as an apprentice mechanic at Basil Green Motors in 1958. It was here that his career in motorsport took root and he developed a keen interest. Skills for modifying vehicles for racing. Basil Green Motors, a famous car tuning company, provided Hepburn with fertile ground for her talent.
He was a trailblazer early in his career. By 1965, Hepburn famously built her own racing car, the Mortina, which combined the body of a Morris 1000 with a 1500 cc Cortina engine. Mortina quickly attracted attention for its performance, winning class wins at venues such as the Wembley Hot Rod Track and Kyalami Club Races. This ingenuity defined his career and earned him a reputation as an outstanding automobile manufacturer who exceeded the expected performance of vehicles.
In the late 1960s, he shifted his focus to drag racing, driving a V8 Chevrolet II. His aptitude for speed was indisputable by 1971, when he set a landmark record by reaching 145 mph at the Kyalami Top Speed Run in a 1967 Chevrolet truck.
Aerial view of spectators watching cars drift during a spin round at Wheels and Smoke Arena, south of Johannesburg, August 10, 2024. It has been recognized as a motorsport since 2014. A round of spinning at the Wheels and Smoke Arena in southern Johannesburg on August 10, 2024. Spinning has been recognized as a motorsport in South Africa since 2014, and we are aiming to foster sponsors by becoming an official sponsor. In July, new sports minister Gayton McKenzie announced he wanted to make the sport “one of the most important sports”. Willie Hepburn, a legendary figure in South African motorsport with a career spanning more than 50 years, has died at the age of 81. Phil Magakoe/AFP/Getty Images Details
Throughout the 1970s, Hepburn continued to win numerous races in Mazda RX-2 and Capella models. In 1979, he designed the powerful Opel Rekord V8 for the Manufacturers’ Championship. His dedication paid off, as he won a national title in the Star Modified Saloon Car Championship in 1982 driving a Chevrolet SS, followed by a Group 1 title in 1984 in a Mazda RX-7.
Hepburn’s relationship with Opel, which began in the late 1980s, further strengthened Hepburn’s standing in the racing community. In 1989, he started building and racing Opel Rekords with V8 engines. Hepburn also set an amazing national land speed record in 1990, reaching 372 km/h in a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter Pontiac Trans Am. This record remains unbroken in South Africa.
Remarkably, Hepburn’s career continued well beyond the traditional retirement age. He planned to retire in 2007, but his love for the sport kept him racing until 2013 in a Chevrolet Corvette, affectionately known as the “Flying Nursey.” His unyielding dedication was evident when he won the National Championship race at Killarney. He is the oldest person in South Africa to achieve this milestone. Even a major accident in 2014 didn’t deter him. His desire to compete and his passion for racing was unwavering.
Hepburn was awarded the South African Motorsport Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
