With speed and agility on the rugby field, Springbok Nizaam Carr, will be even harder to stop now that he has a set of fresh sporty wheels. Car dealership Auric Auto Claremont handed over the keys to a swanky BMW 3 Series 320d Sport to the rugby player on Friday, who was named as the company’s new brand ambassador. Auric Auto chose Carr as its brand ambassador as they found he encompassed all the ideals that the dealership represented.

“He’s a hero to all of us especially our client base who are most rugby supporters, a large majority Muslim. Even all of our staff members are Western Province and Stormers supporters. We wanted a car that suits his profile as a young person and as a rugby player, it will enhance our image,” says dealer principal Adriano Folsch.

Being named as the brand ambassador is another milestone in an incredible year for the young player, the first Muslim Springbok after the unification of rugby in 1994.  In 2014,  Carr bagged two accolades at the Western Province Rugby Awards – the MVP award and the prestigious Players’ Player of the Year Award.

The vehicle was branded with ‘Carr 8’ which represents the number on his rugby shirt. The dealership, which prides itself on its community projects, said making Carr their brand ambassador is one way the dealership reconnects with the community.

“I class Nizaam Carr as part of our dealership. Carr works for Auric now. He is the right person for the job as we want someone to support us and the local community. And we are always looking to do new things and introduce new projects to the Cape Town community,” says Auric Auto CEO Eric Scoble.

From his humble roots in Mitchell’s Plain, Carr’s natural ability and superb skill was honed when he joined Bishops high school, later attending the University of Cape Town. Carr’s ball prowess has grown in the Western Province and Stormers rugby teams and this class was recognised when he was called up for the Springboks northern hemisphere tour at the end of last year.

“After playing two caps for the Springboks, I asked my friend Shaheed Schroeder to organise me a car and soon Auric came into contact with me. I previously had bad experiences with dealerships so I asked Shaheed to get me an easy car,” Carr explained.

Carr, a car enthusiast himself, will have the vehicle for one season, which is a period of one year.

“I always thought BMW was a good car. This is life changing to me as I grew up in a small town. I never dreamt of driving a BMW,” said an elated Carr. VOC (Nailah Cornelissen)