From learning to drive on farm roads in Potchefstroom to owning Porsche, Lamborghini, and Bentley in South Africa

Ockert Tobias (Toby) Venter is one of South Africa’s most successful businessmen, being the authorised distributor of Porsche, Lamborghini, and Bentley vehicles in South Africa. 

This is done through Venter’s company, LSM Distributors, which also owns one of the world’s largest Porsche centres in Paulshof, Johannesburg. 

This is a far cry from Venter’s upbringing in Potschefstroom, where he learnt how to drive and fell in love with cars. 

In a celebratory post on social media, the Potchefstroom High School old boy association recalled Venter’s journey from the city in the North-West Province to the world of motoring. 

Commonly referred to as Old Moois, Venter is one of the most famous and successful members of the association, which dates back to 1907.

Venter fell in love with motoring at an early age, learning how to drive on the farm roads around Potchefstroom when he was only 11 years old in a Ford Fairlane 500. 

Even then, it was not clear what Venter would do when he got older, as, with all young men at the time, he was conscripted into the army after matriculating. 

After a two-year stint in the army, Venter earned a Law & Economics degree at the University of Potchefstroom. The university is now known as North-West University. 

The one thing Venter knew he loved doing was racing, and that is exactly what he did after finishing his university studies. 

Venter became a factory motocross rider for the Shell Suzuki team in 1978 and leveraged his contacts to open a bike shop in Westonoria. 

Soon afterwards, Venter began collecting other motorcycle brands under his roof, adding Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda to his dealerships in Potchefstroom and Westonaria. 

Venter proved adept at running a business and was immensely successful selling motorbikes. However, the real money lay in selling cars. 

In 1985, Venter opened Venter Motors, which was a General Motors franchise, in Westonaria and began selling the American giant’s brands. 

Taking over Porsche 

Venter’s success in running motorbike dealerships and a General Motors franchise put his name on the map and garnered interest from major car manufacturers looking to expand into South Africa after 1994. 

This was when Porsche came knocking, and it was an offer that Venter could not refuse. In 1995, he was appointed chief executive officer of Porsche South Africa. 

A year later, Venter acquired the entirety of Porsche South Africa’s operations and used this as a base to create an automotive giant. 

Venter has always been passionate about Porsche, with his few public interviews centring around his love for the brand and its history. 

“I do believe all motoring roads eventually lead to Porsche, and that’s not just a slogan. There is substance behind it,” Venter told AutoTrader. 

“They designed the world’s first hybrid and the world’s first four-wheel drive car. They even designed the tanks and planes in the Second World War.” 

“There is a lot of design history with Porsche. Many of the things that are seen in modern cars were designed by Porsche, and I believe there is a Porsche for everybody.” 

Prior to owning Porsche South Africa, Venter was an enthusiast, along with millions of other people around the world. 

Venter bought his first Porsche second-hand. His first new Porsche was a 911 Targa model from 1980, with the second being a new 1982 911 SC. 

The aspiring racer also competed in the Porsche Turbo Cup Series and won the 1988 edition at the original Kyalami track. 

Venter’s love for Porsche has shone through in his ownership of the brand in South Africa. He has invested heavily in its growth and in making it accessible. 

Under Venter, Porsche South Africa has grown to four state-of-the-art dealerships across the country, with the centre in Johannesburg being one of the largest in the world. 

His stewardship of the Porsche brand has seen him be the preferred distributor for other luxury car brands in South Africa. 

Venter’s LSM Distributors is now the authorised importer and distributor of Bentley and Lamborghini in South Africa, alongside Porsche. 

Saving Kyalami

Despite his success in running Porsche South Africa and the growth of LSM Distributors, Venter’s crowning glory was his rescue of Kyalami in 2014. 

The grand prix circuit was set to be demolished and turned into a business park, with it being up for auction in July 2014. 

Venter, with his close connection to the circuit and a dream of returning Formula 1 to South Africa, bought Kyalami at the auction for R205 million. 

Buying Kyalami was not enough for the businessman, with Venter also leading a R600 million renovation of the circuit. 

This renovation aimed to bring it up to FIA Grade 2 standards, one notch below that required to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix. 

With increased interest in a Formula 1 race in South Africa and backing from the government, Kyalami was eventually upgraded to FIA Grade 1 status. 

Venter also pushed for the return of the Kyalami 9-hour race to the track, with it being added to the international calendar in 2019 after a 37-year absence. 

Kyalami first came to fame in the 1960s, when it hosted Formula 1 races with the likes of Jim Clark taking victory in the first editions. 

The circuit became a firm fixture on the F1 calendar for the following two decades until apartheid-era sanctions saw it stripped of Grand Prix status. 

Since then, the track has steadily deteriorated amid a lack of investment, and it has never hosted an F1 Grand Prix since 1993. 

“We couldn’t bear to see the track ripped up and used for development. But, it is also underpinned by a serious business plan,” Venter said after buying the track. 

“Kyalami can make money if it is run properly, and it is a perfect fit for the Porsche brand. It is steeped in racing history.”

“We want to get the fans back on the side of the track, having a braai with their family and just enjoying racing again.” 

Kyalami is closer than ever to hosting a Formula 1 Grand Prix, with it meeting FIA standards and the government receiving buy-in from the private sector.