Reuben Riffel’s Petrol Passion
Reuben Riffel’s Petrol Passion
Reuben Riffel is our very own celebrity chef. You’ve seen him on television, as one of the more diplomatic Masterchef judges in Season 3, making an effort to point out the positives and never making the less successful contestants feel like failures. With a string of personal awards, various international television appearances and four award-winning restaurants, it’s hard to imagine that a man this busy has interests other than food as well.
He welcomed AutoTrader into his classically modern Franschhoek home, to talk about his other great passions: Cars, family and being a dad to Max (3) and Latika (6). As we sit down together in a huge and colourful a kitchen that can only be described as fit for a culinary king, he lets us in on his earliest motoring memories.
Reuben: Like any little boy, I liked cars. Growing up, my dad never owned a car. So we were always dependent on getting lifts from my uncles or whoever had a car. I had a little play set with a Ferrari and a Porsche, one of those where you build your own roads and bridges. That was my introduction. Then we moved house, and we lived very close to the main road. Our favourite pastime was to count and name every car that came past, almost like a census! And soon I realised I was very good at recognising all the different brands - the best out of everyone, in fact. So I already had a good eye for cars!
Around this time, there were always a few broken down cars in the yard, including an old Mercedes-Benz. This was the ideal playground for all the little kids, so we’d always be taking imaginary trips - and I would always be the driver. And when I drove somewhere with my uncle, I liked to watch him changing the gears. So my love for cars and driving is something I was born with. I’m definitely a much bigger petrolhead than my dad - he wasn’t very interested in cars at all.
So then when I got a little older, many of my friends’ parents bought them the entry-level cars of that time, like Ford Cortinas and so forth. Another friend had a Sierra XR 6, and another one a Nissan Skyline, so then we’d always drive to Strandfontein to see those guys go crazy with their pimped out cars, throwing donuts and drifting. At this point in my life I was surrounded by petrolheads! We’d also go to Cape Town to used car dealerships, just to have a look around, and sometimes we’d be passengers on drives so we could listen to the sound of the engine.
As we grew up and started working, the biggest thing was buying that very first car. Mine was a Nissan Sentra 1.6 SL. It was a lekker car! It was reliable, but mostly it offered me freedom. It wasn’t my dream car, but it was the car that I could afford and it was right for me. I didn’t have it for very long though, because then my behind started itching for something else! So I got an Opel Astra 160i - It was a sporty one! Then I started getting crazy, putting TSW mags on it and so on. It was also around this time my interest in Formula 1 was sparked, as well as a love for old cars. My dad worked as a carpenter and on some occasions I’d go with him to farms where there were small vintage car collections. A specific car that I was crazy about was a Mercedes-Benz 280 CE Coupé, it was this golden colour and just an absolutely stunning car! And since then I was just mad for old Mercs.
AutoTrader: So, have you since acquired a nice classic Mercedes-Benz?
Reuben: Ja, I did, but not quite in that league. I’m not a collector, but I have two: A 280 SE from 1970, and a 280 S from 1968. But I’ll never spend insane amounts of cash on old cars. I like used cars that still have decent engines but need a bit of tender loving care.
AutoTrader: Do you have time for restoring cars?
Reuben: No, I don’t do it myself. I love poking around the engine bay but I don’t do anything too serious! The best I’ve ever done with the help of YouTube, was to fix the hydraulic power steering on the 280 SE which was faulty. So I looked it up and saw what needed to be done, and I did it all on my own. So naturally I was quite chuffed with myself! (chuckles)
AutoTrader: So you’re currently driving a BMW M4 Coupé. Why did you decide to go with the M4?
Reuben: Well, BMW’s were never really on my radar. At one time I was very much into Volkswagens. My very first VW was a Golf 1.8 Turbo, which I took to Steve’s Auto Clinic and they made it even hotter for me. That car was my pride and joy! But actually the Jetta GLS VR6 I had before that, was as well. I had the Golf 1.8T for two years when the GTI came out, and the arrival of the GTI was a big thing, so I ordered one. But I hung on to the 1.8T, and kept the new GTI hidden away because I didn’t want people to think that I was too cool and too fancy! So I drove the Golf 1.8T during the day, but the GTI only at night, throwing it about in the town streets. No-one knew it was me! (laughs)
After the GTI, I sold all the other cars and got an Audi S3. But soon afterwards I decided I’m now done with hatchbacks, and I’m going to get myself a bakkie, and I bought a Toyota Hilux Double Cab which could also be used for work. Then I was very much in the mood for off-roading, we did some trips to the Kalahari and a few other places. My best off-road trip of my life, ever, was to Dar Es Salaam with Land Rover. It was a twenty-day trip from Cape Town, via Namibia. Myself and my partner had a car, and those Freelanders were just amazing. We were four cars altogether and we did some hectic off-roading. This is something I’d love to do again!
So at about that time I was still very much into the bakkies, but one day I watched an episode of Top Gear, and Jeremy Clarkson was driving a BMW M135i. And then I thought to myself, I’ve never, ever driven a rear-wheel drive car, and I’d really like to drive one. It was just the way he drove it that made me want to buy one, which I did, and it was just amazing! I loved driving that car. But then the family started getting a little bigger and the car was getting a little tight. Its footwell was also too narrow, and my big feet didn’t fit in there very well. Then I got another bee in my bonnet, and decided I wanted to buy a convertible for summer. I bought a Z4, but did not keep for very long. It is seriously impractical! I still want to get a convertible because the kids and I just love it, but it will be a second or third-hand car - it can be old, as long as it doesn’t smoke or smell!
So after the Z4 I was in Cape Town one day and BMW had the M4 there. I was in the market for a new car, so I took a chance and bought it.
AutoTrader: What is your absolute favourite, stand-out feature in your M4? Is it the power?
Reuben: I find that the power-to-weight ratio is just right. I prefer to drive it in M-mode which tightens the steering and everything up nicely. The way the M4 brakes and corners is just amazing - we took it around the track at Killarney for the advanced drivers’ course. But one of the biggest plus points is space. When my wife and I go to the shops there’s still space for groceries. I can also put people on the back seat - I don’t like to, but it is possible. So it’s still a normal car. And I much prefer the M4 to the M3. Its lines are so much nicer - I think the M3 looks a bit like a souped-up sedan.
AutoTrader: Any other exciting cars you’ve driven?
Reuben: Well, wherever I go in the world, I always like to drive something cool if I can. Last year I was in Scotland and I drove the Mercedes-Benz AMG GT in St Andrews. I’ve also driven a Maserati GranTurismo Convertible over the Franschhoek Pass, which sounded amazing! All Maseratis sound amazing. I drove the Ferrari California down Roeland Street and up and down the pass too. I have a cousin who works at Ferrari in Cape Town and sometimes I’m lucky and I get to drive one.
I have a friend who just bought an AMG GT S, a beautiful matte silver one which he pushed to its limits with me next to him. But I am a very bad passenger because I get carsick, so I had to tell him to slow down. Another stunning, stunning car I drove recently with a friend over the Franschhoek Pass, is the Jaguar F-Type with all-wheel drive.
AutoTrader: Your wife drives a BMW X5 xDrive 30d - that’s her car that she uses to drive the kids around. And obviously this is the car you use when you go on holiday. So what do you do to keep the kids occupied on long trips?
Reuben: Well, it is not easy! Last year in December we made the mistake of driving too far without stopping in-between. We drove all the way to Graaff-Reinet in one go! We tried a car with screens against the backrests once, but the kids get carsick as soon as the car is on the move. But my kids are crazy about music so we do something like car-karaoke and we sing along together, and everyone gets a turn to have their favourite song played. I love road trips! We always leave early - my wife Maryke makes nice padkos, just little snackies, and then it’s lekker to stop for breakfast somewhere. I also love to browse around antique shops. But I am careful on the road, because it’s not the best time of the year to be travelling. The X5 was brilliant, even when it’s fully loaded. It’s really economical and comfortable, and great on dirt roads as well.
AutoTrader: You mentioned BMW is going to give you a car to drive for a year. Which BMW is it?
Reuben: It’s the X5 M50d. So then I’ll probably have to start thinking about letting the M4 go next year.
AutoTrader: So what is your ultimate fantasy car? Money’s no object. If you can’t name just one, name a few.
Reuben: The Porsche 918 Spyder. And I’m also nuts about the F12 Berlinetta - it’s one of the most beautiful Ferraris to me. Then there’s the McLaren P1 - if I could just feel what if feels like, once in my life!
I must say that Mercs have really good interiors nowadays, that S-Class Coupé is a really beautiful car. To me, that is Mercedes-Benz the way I remember it: Very classy.
AutoTrader: What about the more budget-orientated cars? Which ones do you like?
Reuben: I’m quite impressed with Hyundai, and also Kia. When I’m cooking up in Jo’burg or other parts of the country, I sometimes use entry-level rental cars. The Hyundai Grand i10 is good, and I found that the new Toyota Aygo is also a very good little car.
After some coffee Reuben tells Latika (6) to get dressed for the photos. She emerges looking like a little princess. He picks up his three-year-old son Max, and we walk outside so the doting dad can pose with his beautiful children in front of his beloved Alpine White BMW M4 Coupé. Eventually we get everyone to look at the camera and smile.
AutoTrader: Do you have any exciting plans for the future, that don’t include opening new restaurants?
Reuben: Myself and a few guys in town here have started a craft brewery called The Franschhoek Brewing Company, so we’re going on a craft beer tour around seven states in the US. It’s only launching in September so we’re still in the planning stages. We’ll be flying by private plane from Orlando to the other places we plan on visiting, so I am helluva excited about that! We’re just going to eat, drink craft beer and be merry, so no cooking!
Safe travels, Reuben!