SUNDAY DRIVE
Take your mom to a car show
This weekend it’s all about mom, so don’t miss Tom The Tire Guys’ 22nd Annual Mother’s Day Car Show.
It’s near the Scott Road SkyTrain station, so hop on the SkyTrain and save the gas for burnouts. Tommy always puts on a great show and the cars are always superb.
And as everyone knows, moms love drag racing, and there’s plenty all weekend out in Mission. Saturday night there are races at Agassiz speedway, and what mom doesn’t love oval track racing? There is even a swap meet at the White Post Museum just west of Salmon Arm, so if you’re up that way make sure to get your mom something nice.
Last weekend, I went for quality over quantity, attending just one car event, the 30th DW Poppy High School Car Show. One of the guys who opened the gate to let me in at 6 a.m. was Bruce Cook and I parked beside his brother Wayne’s Plymouth.
I was taking photos a little while later and Doug and Patty Lane showed up in their 1981 Camaro Z28 that Doug bought new and has kept all these years. Doug and I were in almost every class through elementary school. Then, Bernard Cote showed up in his ultracool ’32 Blown Hot Rod that is owned by his wife Dorothy. Bernard was the ultimate in gearhead crazy men when we were “sort of” growing up.
One group of cars I had not seen before was four military Jeeps from various countries complete with 20-foot antennas and a machine-gun. As the cars were rolling in, I was told to take a special look at John Sayers’ Plymouth Belvedere wagon’s engine compartment. The slant-six engine sported an Offenhauser-finned alloy valve cover, polished headers and an amazing set of three Weber carbs. The wagon does not have paint, but makes up for that with some serious heart.
The final car I have to give a shout-out to was an early 1970s Challenger that I dubbed the Joe Dirt Challenger as it was all patina’d up but still seemed to drive fine. Find ’em and drive ’em I always say!
Often the mechanicals can be revived, and once you are motoring down the highway you can’t see your paint anyways, so buy an old car, get a kid to help you change the plugs, filters and oil, then go for a cruise and a car show.