Willy’s Garage with Paul Williamson
Riding to Remember
Veterans and hotrod culture go hand in hand
Soldiers on top of a Lav3 armoured vehicle.
Somewhere in this crazy world right now a Canadian or American soldier is daydreaming about coming home. He's imagining how great it will be to kiss his sweetheart, to spend time with his family, to sleep in his own bed and to enjoy a slice of his mom's apple pie.
If history is any indication, more than a few of those soldiers are also daydreaming about the cool car, truck or motorcycle they are going to obtain with the mone y they earned overseas.
The roots of the custom car and motorcycle culture can be directly attributed to soldiers who returned from the Second World War. These brave young men ventured off to a foreign land to fight for our freedom, and in the process they lived an action-packed existence that would make even the most ardent thrill-seeker run for cover. Upon their return, many of these veterans found themselves disenfranchised from the civilian world.
To put it bluntly, they were bored.
They certainly didn't miss the terror and anguish of battle, but they surely longed for the camaraderie and excitement their former lives had thrust upon them. In that spirit, they began buying up old Harley-Davidson war surplus motorcycles and old Ford cars at a feverish pace. They stripped these vehicles of all the parts they deemed unnecessary, and put to use the ingenuity and technical training they'd learned in the military to create fast and furious machines.
To an outsider these hotrod cars and hopped-up motorcycles may have appeared crude and dangerous, but…
Getting together for one last ride
Cruising season may have come and gone, but Dale Hickey, the organizer of the weekly Cruisin' The Peg event at the Canad Inns Transcona is hoping to get everyone together one last time before the snow starts flying for the Rainbow Dreams Trade Show and Fundraiser in support of the Rainbow Society.
On Saturday, Hickey will host a unique automotive-related trade show in the afternoon and a social in the evening at My Bar, located in the Transcona Inn at 826 Regent Ave.
Highlights will include displays and demonstrations from local car clubs and a number of businesses that cater to the classic and special-interest vehicle hobby. The trade show runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is open to both adults and children. It's also free. The social kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and is only open to adults. The price for a social ticket is $20 and that includes a bud, spud and steak dinner.
Hickey has also gathered a great selection of prizes for the silent auction.
"The trade show will be a chance to meet and talk with builders, customizers, detailers and body people," Hickey said. "If you are looking for Christmas presents for the car, motorcycle, snowmobile or ATV enthusiast in your family this will also be the place to be."
In addition to the trade show, IHRA Pro Modified World Champion drag racer Kenny Lang is the special guest -- he'll be autographing pictures. If the weather co-operates, Lang's 1953 Corvette race car will be parked outside.
Enns Brothers…
A 20,000-km ride for the cure
Alisa Clickenger (above) and Mike Gold's adventure will take them right to the tip of South America.
One spent more than 20 years touring the world with the Canadian Navy, while the other left the corporate world to explore the road less travelled. Together the dynamic duo of Mike Gold and Alisa Clickenger are embarking on the motorcycle adventure of a lifetime.
Gold, 45, a retired sailor who was born in Toronto but now calls Winnipeg home, is joining American moto-journalist Clickenger, 43, from Falls Village, Conn. on a fund-raising ride in support of cancer research that will take them through the United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America en route to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, the southernmost tip of the Americas. This epic journey is expected to last five months and when completed will cover more than 20,000 kilometres.
"Mike and I met at the BMW national rally in Gillette, Wyoming back in 2008 and rode around for a week together," said Clickenger. "I've teased him ever since about making this trip and he shocked me about three months ago when he told me he was coming along for the ride."
Gold admits that he was initially reluctant to make the trip, but now has no regrets. "Alisa was trying to convince me to go along for more than a year and I kept coming up with all the reasons why I couldn't do it," said Gold, "but then I started thinking about all of the planning she has done and how committed she is to cancer research and realized that this was the opportunity of a lifetime.…
2010 MERCEDES E CLASS SEDANS: Safe and sound in the fast lane
Sleek, stylish and loaded with safety features
TORONTO -- There are massive signs along the 401 highway in the Toronto area warning drivers that if you are caught speeding more than 50 km/h over the posted 100 km/h speed limit, you will be fined $10,000, have your licence immediately suspended, and your car will be impounded for a week.
Near as I can tell, that means the speed limit is now 149. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but for a prairie boy like me, in Toronto even the slow lane is fast. These folks not only drive long distances on a daily basis, they also drive fast -- real fast.
While there are certainly a huge number of minivans, SUVs and vanilla-flavoured passenger cars in the Toronto area, there are also a large contingent of sleek sedans from the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Lincoln and Lexus.
Initially, one might think that owning such a car is little more than an attempt to elevate one's social status but, after touring the highways and byways that surround Toronto, it became abundantly clear to me why someone would not only want but actually NEED a car like the newly-designed Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350 or E550 sedan.
In addition to being sleek, stylish and fast, the new E-Class also has something very important going for it. It is jam packed with safety features -- so much so, that perhaps Mercedes should begin using the term "survival of the safest" as their marketing mantra.
Freshly redesigned for the 2010 model year, the new…
Oldsmobile gone but not forgotten
Local car club keeps popular brand's wheels turning
MOCC president Chris Robinson with his 1975 Oldsmobile Cutlass Salon.
GENERAL Motors may have ceased production of Oldsmobile in 2004, but a close-knit group of local auto enthusiasts is doing its best to keep the popular brand's wheels turning.
The Manitoba Oldsmobile Car Club (MOCC) recently celebrated its first anniversary, and already has more than 20 members. The club was founded by Chris Robinson, a lifelong Oldsmobile fanatic who is the proud owner of a beautiful Cutlass Salon that his grandfather John purchased brand-new in 1975.
"My grandfather passed away in 1980, but my grandmother Ethel kept the car in mint condition," Robinson said. "She gave it to my wife Janeen and I for a wedding present in 2005."
After tinkering with the car to get it just right, Robinson, who works at NAPA Auto Parts and is studying to become an automotive technician, began attending local car shows and cruise events and was surprised to learn that there was not an Oldsmobile car club in Manitoba.
"Although the Manitoba Pontiac Association took Oldsmobile under their wing, I felt there were enough diehard Oldsmobile enthusiasts in Manitoba to create our own club," said Robinson. With help from Janeen, Robinson made up some flyers and began handing them out to folks they spotted driving Oldsmobiles at local auto events. As word travelled, membership grew quickly.
"When I decided to create an Oldsmobile club it was to get people who love these cars together and meet, talk and swap ideas, maybe even see who had some spare parts," said Robinson, adding the bonus has been all the…
CRUISER OF THE WEEK: Flying south for the winter
When Roy Borton hops behind the wheel of his 1955 Studebaker President, he can't help but feel like a rock star. "Everywhere I go in this car it draws a crowd and people just love to talk about it," said Borton. Under the hood the car features a 259 cubic-inch Studebaker V-8 engine linked to an automatic transmission. To the best of his knowledge Burton is the third owner of this stylish coupe. The car was originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania, but was imported into Canada a number of years ago. Borton bought it from a school teacher in Windsor, Ontario seven years ago. Since purchasing the car he has restored the interior and the mechanical parts including the brakes and suspension, but the body is all original. With only 3000 built, this car is rare, but Borton does drive it in the winter months, the catch is he takes it with him to Arizona each winter. Have a safe trip Roy, and we'll see you in the spring!
-- Paul (Willy)…
Summer of (classic car) love
Hey -- why does it have to end when winter comes?
Friends helping friends at Cruz In 2009.
Last Sunday while hanging out at the final cruise night of the season at the Grant Park Pony Corral, I couldn't help but reflect on the summer we had. Despite the economic strife most of the world is currently battling, and of course all that lousy weather, there were elements of the 2009 cruising season that further reinforced my theory that Manitoba is the classic and special interest vehicle capital of Canada.
Perhaps that's a testament to the kind of folks who are attracted to the automotive hobby. The vast majority of auto enthusiasts here in Manitoba don't have pockets overflowing with cash or lakeside cottages they can escape to. They also don't have millions of dollars invested in stocks that are depleting like beer at a frat party.
Many have rural roots, and most have rural values. They work hard and play even harder.
Highlights include a loving spouse, 2.5 kids, and a nice house with a cool car in the garage.
There's also another key factor in the life of a Manitoba auto enthusiast.
It can be summed up with one word.
Community.
Much like diehard Bomber football fans who will sit in the rain and cheer a team with a losing record, there is a large contingency of cruisers who never miss the chance to see and be seen in their favourite machine.
On the surface the numerous auto events that take place in Manitoba throughout the summer months may appear to be nothing more than a gathering of gearheads talking about their respective rides.…
A Tour de Porsche hits town
Auto Haus Porsche sales manager Nick Nacionales with racers Pierre DeMarais and Jonathon Urlin.
A semi-trailer loaded with six new Porsche models that has been travelling across the country made a stop in Winnipeg early last week as part of Canada's very first Tour de Porsche Test Drive Event.
Winnipeg's exclusive Porsche dealer, Auto Haus Porsche, invited 48 prospective owners to experience a variety of Porsche's latest models in a number of unique driving situations.
In two waves, groups of 12 were treated to either breakfast or lunch at the Pembina Highway dealership before being paired off and given the opportunity to take an extended test drive through the city.
The test drives led the group to the Red River Exhibition Grounds where drivers participated in autocross, slalom and accident avoidance exercises led by a pair of professional race car drivers.
"This event provided a fantastic opportunity for driving enthusiasts to experience what it's like to get behind the wheel of a Porsche, not only an extended test drive through the city, but also in a controlled environment," said Auto Haus Porsche sales manager Nick Nacionales
The event catered to drivers who have never owned a Porsche but fit the brand's demographic of potential customers, he added.
"We specifically invited people who own other brands of sports cars or luxury vehicles so that they could experience a Porsche from the driver's seat."
There were six new Porsche models available, including a pair of Cayenne SUVs, and variants of exotic, mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports cars that included the Cayman S, the Boxster S, and the iconic 911.
Scott Stewart, a 40-year-old senior wealth manager…
Cruiser of the week: Heavy Metal
You sure wouldn't know it by looking at Jerry Molaro's 1956 Chevrolet 150, but when he rescued the car in 1990 there was a tree growing through the engine compartment. Nowadays, there's a 383-cubic-inch Chevrolet crate motor under the hood that produces a stump-pulling 400 horsepower.
Jerry did lots of the restoration work himself but is quick to point out that he had lots of help getting the car to its current state. The bodywork was done a few years back by his sons Curtis and Travis while they were taking the autobody course at St. James Collegiate, and the blue-tint primer finish was applied by Wayne Koss. The lion's share of the mechanical work was done by Adrian VanderGraaf of Automotivation. Chip Foose 17-inch wheels wrapped in beefy Kumho rubber were recently installed and a fresh interior is presently being stitched up by The Upholstery Company in Mesa, Arizona.
-- Paul "Willy"…
Lauding the Lada
Local fans celebrate Russian-built classic
Richard Loiselle's 1990 Lada Signet wagon
For many auto enthusiasts the mere mention of a Russian-built Lada conjures up images of an unreliable bucket of bolts that handled like a garden tractor but wasn’t quite as fast.
Dean Baker is out to change that image.
Last Saturday, Baker organized the second annual LadaFest. He was joined at Kildonan Park for a barbecue and show-and-shine by a handful of fellow Lada fanatics, including a mechanic who drove in all the way from Saskatchewan to partake in the festivities.
On the surface it might look like Baker and his buddies have been indulging in a little too much Russian vodka, but this small but committed group offers a compelling argument that Lada cars and trucks really weren’t all that bad, they were simply misunderstood.
“There were probably a lot of Lada owners who didn’t realize how much maintenance the cars required and treated them like they were disposable,” said Baker, “but if properly maintained, a Lada is practically indestructible.”
Built by Soviet/Russian automaker AvtoVAZ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AvtoVAZ), LadaCanada started importing vehicles into Canada in 1979. Cars included the Lada Signet sedan, Signet station wagon and Samara hatchback. The most popular model, however, was the Lada Niva, a small bare-bones SUV that was on the road long before anyone knew what a small SUV was.
More than 60 per cent of Lada production was exported, mainly to western countries. Lada is the only car brand found on every continent of the world, including Antarctica, where the Russian research base used Lada Nivas. The United States…
