More than 400 car owners put on display their labours of love at the 20th annual Downtown Orillia Classic Car Show.
For most, if not all, of the car owners who soaked in the attention being showered on their cars, it’s not about the money they spend on their vehicles.
You just do it, said Ted Hoy, who was at the show with his 1928 Ford Sedan Delivery.
“I’m retired, so it keeps me busy,” said the Anten Mills resident. “It keeps my mind going because there’s always something you can make better in these things.”
Hoy bought the vehicle about eight years ago, thanks to late-night searches on Kijiji. The Ford truck attracted his attention, primarily because he built a hot rod in 1960 and also because, in his opinion, Ford has always built good and stylish trucks.
He has made some changes to the vehicle since he bought it.
“I’ve done a lot to it, like dressing up the engine shroud and adding rocker covers,” he noted.
In winter, it sits in an insulated garage, and is back on the road after an oil change in the spring.
While Hoy had bought his vehicle as is, Garth Harris built his Jeep in honour of The Rat Patrol.
“I used to come home and watch the show,” said the resident of Hamlet. “So I built this Jeep as homage to it.”
Over two years, he ordered some pieces off the internet to add to the project, but he is most proud of the parts he built by hand.
“I built all the guns myself,” he said, adding they don’t work and are just on there to complete the look.
Harris and his wife can be seen driving their Jeep around town and parked down by Couchiching Beach, where the unique vehicle gets a lot of attention from passersby.
“People appreciate the work that has gone into this,” said Harris. “When you get people who remember the show, it just takes them back to that time.”
The Jeep is winterized just as a boat is, he said.
“I put it on a block and take off the tires and just store it in a garage,” said Harris.
Where car shows are mostly made up of passionate classic car exhibitors, there are some car enthusiasts who bring exotic tastes to the event, with Camaros and Corvettes and Lamborghinis.
David Chalmers, of Orillia, brought out his Dodge Viper ACR Extreme to give people a taste of speed and stealth.
“There are only two cars of this colour in Canada,” he said. “It’s the fastest track car at Nürburgring (a motorsports complex in Germany).”
Chalmers said he had brought it to the show because it’s unique.
“It’s an investment car,” he said, adding the value has probably doubled since it was purchased.
To make sure the investment pays off, Chalmers he takes good care of the car and gives it only as much exercise as it needs.
It adds to the flavour of the car show and attracts people, said Chalmers.
Other items that were attracting people’s attention included the 1923 LaFrance fire engine and the Orillia Heritage Centre’s display of the 1912 Tudhope 4-36 Touring.
“We’ve come to the car show quite a bit,” said Meredith Smith, great-granddaughter of J.B. Tudhope. “We always like to see if the Tudhope is out.”
The Toronto resident said it’s nice to rekindle that connection with Orillia and to show her two girls a piece of their family’s history.
“It’s fun, and it’s nice to support the festivals that are in Orillia,” said Smith.
To see people from outside Orillia flock to the downtown for the car show helps fulfil one of its purposes, said Lisa Thomson-Roop, manager of the Downtown Orillia Management Board.
This is one of the most popular events in the downtown area, she noted.
“It’s good for businesses when you have about 20,000 people walking on the streets and past their stores,” Thomson-Roop said. “Restaurants report today as their biggest sales day.”
The car show has been growing for a few years, she said, adding it’s at capacity this year. The wide variety of classic and exotic vehicles are on display on Mississaga Street, all the way from Front Street up to Albert Street, including parts of Peter and Andrew streets.
For next year, Thomson-Roop said, the board is thinking of expanding it to Couchiching Beach Park for additional parking and space.
It’s made a success thanks to all the sponsors and the stores that participate by giving out door prizes, she said.
“We do it because it sheds incredible light on downtown Orillia and all we have to offer,” said Thomson-Roop.
