Motoring Moments with Roxy Louw

Blonde, beautiful, toned, tanned: Such is Roxy Louw. As a successful surfer, actress and model who is a regular covergirl for glossy magazines like Shape and FHM, I knew she’d be the perfect young lady to interview for AutoTrader. What I didn’t count on, was her being so much more than just a pretty and instantly recognizable face.

It is an uncomfortably chilly day in Cape Town when I arrive in Mouille Point where she resides. I stop my test car (a new Toyota Hilux) at the promenade parking area so I can take a few shots of her and her car. Health-conscious Roxy wanted to do a quick Yoga class before our interview, so I let her know via Whatsapp that I’ve arrived. She replies: Perfect! Be down in 10...just doing quick rough makeup!

Exactly ten minutes later she drives into the promenade parking area in a golden Suzuki Jimny, which is just as practical and down to earth as its owner.

“I know you!” she exclaims with a smile. “I’ve seen your face!”. There’s an immediate sense of familiarity. For a minute we try and figure out where we know each other from, then we decide it must be from the Polo Masters at Val de Vie Estate. In the meantime some more cars have pulled in and it’s getting a little crowded in the parking lot.

“I know another perfect place for photos”, she suggests. So I get into the Hilux and follow her little Jimny to a spot further down the road.

It is absolutely freezing but she doesn’t mind having to get in and out of the car, moving the Jimny backwards and forwards for me to get the perfect shot.

”Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it!”, she shouts over the wind. There’s some joking and laughter in-between, and then we wrap up the mini-photoshoot. I ask her to suggest a place for lunch where we can have the interview. She decides on Sevruga at the V&A Waterfront (because it’s half-price lunchtime sushi), so we drive there. Upon our arrival, we are each handed a taster glass of red wine, and the waiter shows us to our table. It’s the oddest thing, but we sit down like old friends. First we chat and giggle away, telling each other the nutshell-versions of our life stories. After a sumptuous lunch (and boy, can a skinny chick like Roxy pack it in!) we start talking cars.

AT: “So what is your earliest childhood motoring memory?”

RL: “My dad was actually best friends with Sean Thompson, the pro surfer. So I can remember sitting in the VW Kombi between my mom and my dad, supporting Sean at the Gunston 500 in Durban. My parents always had Kombis, they called them Asterix and Obelix.”(laughs)

AT: “When you were growing up, was there one family car that was your favourite or that stood out?”

RL: “My dad was always very practical with cars, because we’re a big family. So it was always a car like a Volvo Station Wagon, and then the Kombis. When we lived in Italy for a while we had a SAAB. But we have many memories of the all-wheel drive Kombis, going to Mozambique and doing road trips. And now I’ve ended up in a 4 x 4 as well, and I love taking road trips, but on a much smaller scale.”

AT: “So you drive a Suzuki Jimny which is your own. What made you decide on the Jimny?”

RL: “I’m always shooting around Cape Town. Living in town, you want to be able to park, but with my personality I want to go outdoors too. The Jimny is versatile - it’s nippy to drive but it’s compact and I have the option of 4 x 4-mode. I don’t like lots of gadgets inside a car. I like the practicality of the Jimny which I can hose down inside and out if it gets dirty.”

AT: “Who taught you to drive?”

RL: “My first boyfriend taught me to drive.”

AT: “Oh really? Was he much older than you?”

RL: “He was much older than me! He was five years older. I was sixteen, he was twenty-one.”

AT: “What did your parents say about that?”

RL: “I think they were fine! He was very responsible. It was really just me rolling down a few hills! I learnt in Stilbaai.”

AT: “And when you went for your driver’s license, did you get it the first time?”

RL: “I did! I got my license the first time. It was in Durbanville.”

AT: “That’s quite an achievement!” (chuckles)

RL: “Thanks! It was! I think it was so emphasized in me, the whole K53 method! I still check my blind spot compulsively when I drive. People must think I’m doing a disco the way my head is turning!”

AT: “To you, what is the most irritating habit that other road users have?”

RL: “Nothing, really...I’m not really a road rage person, I get annoyed when people get irritated with other drivers - it’s a waste of energy and absolutely pointless. But when people don’t understand circles… Oh my gosh! My mom says I’m a cowboy!” (laughs)

AT: “Do you use indicators?”

RL: “Yes. I totally do! Just because I don’t want people crashing into me.”

AT: “What’s the most outrageous thing you’ve ever done in a car?”

RL: “Definitely the rally. I was asked by the Regent team to take part in the SA Cross Country series in 2013, and I said yes, because I love adrenaline. I was the navigator, but had to navigate without the GPS because ours failed. It was hard work! We ended up with a few flat tyres but I had so much fun. It was dangerous at the same time. It was an amazing experience! And when TopGear was here I learnt how to gooi a donut, and I actually beat the other celebs!”

AT: “Describe your ideal road trip to me.”

RL: “My ideal road trip would be…definitely an AfrikaBurn trip with my family. But I’ve done that this year already. So let’s say Tofo in Mozambique, with a couple of stops along the way, chatting to locals, sampling the food, and just making a week of it.”

AT: “Roughing it, and camping?”

RL: “Yes, roughing it and camping, with a shower and a nice guest house somewhere in-between, just to freshen up! I don’t even mind a long-drop toilet, as long as there’s running water somewhere.”

AT: “Have you ever spent a night in your car?”

RL: “Being a surfer girl, I had a cut mattress for my little Toyota Yaris so the surfboard can fit into it, so I was always prepared to sleep in my car, and I have! After going to an engagement party one night we actually ended up driving in the wrong direction the next morning, and got stranded without fuel on a dirt road somewhere near Worcester. I had to call my dad to come bail us out with a can of petrol!

And when I went to AfrikaBurn with my best gay friend, we ended up sleeping in the car on the first night, because there was a sandstorm and I couldn’t pitch the tent. So I just said, ‘nee, kom ons klim maar net terug in die kar!’ (laughs) So we slept in the bakkie and I pitched the tent the next morning.”

AT: “What was your very first car?”

RL: “It was a Honda Ballade. My dad bought it for me. I think I had it for three years. Then I had a Subaru Impreza. Oh, I loved that car! Then I had the Audi A1, then the Nissan Micra, and then a Mini Cooper. You know, sponsored cars come and go. My own cars that I decided I wanted, were the Smart car, the Toyota Yaris and the Jimny. The funny thing is, lately I don’t want to drive anything else but my Jimny.”

AT: “What car would your ideal guy be driving?”

RL: “I don’t care what a guy drives - that’s his own taste and flavour.”

AT: “Are you impressed by a guy in an expensive car?”

RL: “Not at all. One of the boyfriends I was dating had quite a nice car that he was very happy with (giggles), and one night we went out on a date, and I jumped into the broken down car next to it because it was the same colour, not realizing I’m sitting in the wrong car! So that was a little oopsie-booboo…(laughs) Another car I really liked was the Volvo V40.”

AT: “And your dream car?”

RL: “Dream car would be a classic. I love a classic car, but with a new engine. I also like the Chrysler Crossfire! If I have to go very fancy I could go with a Lamborghini. I like the look of it. Or a Jag. I like the Audi TT as well. If I get a sports car I’ll definitely get that!”

AT: “So apart from the modelling and TV career, what else are you involved with?”

RL: “I’m very much involved in business. I’ve always managed myself. And I’m involved with the Legacy Collection, which is the upcycled Robben Island prison fence where Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu were held captive. They were going to throw away the fence but now it’s being used to create jewellery and art as well as jobs. You can go and check out www.legacycollection.org. Some of the proceeds also go towards sustainable development projects. I have the sole right to the handbag production line which is all going to launch around Mandela Day. Every handbag is a piece of our heritage!

My other love and passion lies in wellness and nutrition, which is what I studied. I’m currently working on a couple of retreats which will be pop-ups all over South Africa, and it’s all along what I’ve learnt through my dad’s cancer.”

AT: “And lastly, what advice can you give to aspiring young models and actresses?

RL: “Stick to your guns, don’t be influenced too easily, and don’t take it personally when you don’t land the job - clients are always looking for different things, so it’s not easy. Also, don’t become a diva. People are much more willing to work with you if you are a decent human being.”