The Archive in Cape Town: Automotive Heaven

Whether you're on the hunt for a good coffee, an inspiring space to work remotely, or shopping for a supercar, The Archive in Cape Town is just the spot.

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms
Images: Simon Luckhoff

After grabbing a coffee, I make myself comfortable, looking out over numerous, snugly covered supercars. There are a couple of other people sitting here working, while some have clearly come to admire the cars from the deck. 

The Archive opened its doors in 2018 and since then its proprietors, Richard Webb and Alex Dunford have developed it into a successful business catering for all things "high-end" cars. 

Below, under the covers, are a variety of high-performance cars. There are Ferraris, Porsches, McLarens, Mercedes' and even, at times, a Bugatti Veyron or two. The longer you sit, the more cars you will see as the precious machines are being moved, washed, detailed and attended to. 

On the other side of the building is a comfortable and inviting space where clients can discuss their latest requirements with the duo. Upstairs is more storage space while a team of specialists attend to PPF (paint protection film) treatment of cars or any type of wrapping, as well as some level of individualisation. There are also cars that are for sale, or if a client sees a car that he likes, a phone call can always be made to the owner to see if the other party is open to making a deal.

Asking them what they do, both pause for a minute. “We are all about relationships. Most of our business is repeat business and we enjoy advising buyers, sellers and collectors.”

Richard was previously (for a short while) involved in running a restoration shop. “That is naturally problem-solving and service-related.” Alex on the other hand had some detailing and storage experience. “Then I joined Richard in the workshop which became Webb & Sons, which is still running today with Richard’s brother Graham.”

“Richard has a stronger passion for the older cars, while mine is more for the modern and modern classic cars," says Alex. "These 10-month or two-year jobs were extremely tedious. We sat down and realised this restoration business is not working. It is a long and time-consuming thing.”

Richard explains another challenge with the restoration business. “The standard that we understand and would like to see, and the costs thereof, were often not understood by the client. People were expecting a world-class finish on a shoestring budget and naturally you are going to get a clash of two sides.”

“It is one thing following your passion, it is another running a business. But, we asked ourselves how we can combine passion and business. So, we took what we’ve learned and started The Archive. Crossley & Webb was the first in the market with this type of business, and as we both were involved there, we took that onboard when we launched the The Archive.”

• Find the classic car of your dreams here.

Alex discusses how the market has changed over the years. “We opened our doors in 2018, and shortly thereafter a number of other companies started doing similar client services, from storage to detailing. We have space for around 100 cars, but have been full, in terms of storage, for about two years. Then we have a showroom offering about 16 spots. But again, this constantly shifts. When clients’ cars are coming out of storage, then we have more spots for sales and so it changes all the time.”

“The other element is that the South African public loves cars. That is why we have this elevated platform where our barista is based, making coffee while we also offer bites such as brownies and croissants.”

It was a significant journey for them and the team to transform the old building into a place where supercars can be detailed and stored, as the building was originally a glass factory. 

“We got a lot of help from a lady who had a creative eye and who advised us on the colours we should look at and the lighting. She really helped us define the new style for The Archive. We were quite adamant at the start that we wanted to bring in an element of green.”

Alex explains that it is the storage side of the business that opens up all the other facets for the company. “With the constant detailing you get cars that are for sale and interested parties. You will have a client looking at a car and the next moment he wants to know if it is for sale.”

“What do we do? I never know how to answer that question. But I think we are advisors. We advise in an industry we are passionate about. We are not here for free, but we are happy to create solutions for clients when it comes to their car needs”, explains Richard.

Alex is quick to point out that you sometimes need to guide a buyer away from a certain car, as they know some clients very well. “A person might come to us and say they want a McLaren or a 911 GT3 RS. But you know that is not the right car for them, even though you may have it in stock and can easily sell it to them. But maybe the customer is not a McLaren or GT3 RS person, for example. Perhaps he, or she, is more of a 911 GTS driver.”

“It is the same when an owner comes to us and says they want to PPF their entire car. Then we would sometimes ask them why they want to do it, and they will reply that they want to protect their car. Then when we find out that they only do around 500 km a year, we often advise them to rather just do a ceramic coating and enjoy the car.”

Most of the cars The Archive sells, stores, wraps and works on are modern cars and modern classics. Some new cars are even sent here directly after the client has taken delivery so it can be PPF treated, wrapped or have some subtle customisations done. 

Richard further explains that most of the time they stay away from brokering a deal with a classic car, unless they are very confident that the car has been restored superbly and comes with the right provenance. Inevitably that car will be priced accordingly.

Although they both work with cars on a daily basis, their enthusiasm and love for cars haven’t dissipated. Over the past couple of years, Richard has owned an Aston Martin Vantage N420, Porsche Cayman GT4, second-generation Mini Cooper GP and a Land Rover Defender TD5. However, he currently only has the Mini and has only owned one of these cars at a time.

Alex currently owns a Porsche Cayman GT4 which he bought second-hand. It had 9 000 km on the odo when he bought it, but he has done 27 000 km since! In the recent past he has also owned a Volkswagen Golf R and a sixth-generation Ford Fiesta ST. 

It is a superbly pleasant environment. Whether you want a coffee or a modern supercar, this team will be able to assist you as best they can.

More on The Archive here.