Car Show Roundup (so far!)

It’s hard to believe that July is almost half over now, which means the cruise season is reaching its peak. And although several of the big shows are still coming up, many of the more notable shows have already come and gone.

Two of those great shows-the small yet venerable “Henry Ford’s Birthday” show & shine, and “Cruisin’ Gimli Beach” took place over the last couple of weeks. Both shows brought more bitchin’ rides than most people could take in, not including the sideshows & attractions-including local rockabilly band Not In Service.

The summer of 2009 marked the seventh anniversary of “Cruisin’ Gimli Beach,” one of the more entertaining car shows of the year. The hard working organizers went all-out to create an inviting atmosphere for both car owners and car enthusiasts from across the province. From this angle, it looks like the show took over the entire “Beachin’ and Boozin” town (Gimli is home to both an incredible beach, and the only distillery in the world producing Crown Royal rye whiskey).

There was a time when Buick wasn’t known for being your elderly neighbor’s car-and a time when station wagons could be ordered with all the go-fast toys. This Buick Sport Wagon reminds us that getting a big car didn’t always mean getting an SUV.

Believe it or not, the Bricklin SV-1 was designed entirely to be a “safe” car, not a sports car. Everything about it was meant to shield the driver from harm, including the big Ford or AMC V8 engine. Sadly, it did a great job of protecting everyone except the taxpayers in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, who lost millions subsidizing the failure of Bricklin Motors-a company with one goal and no clue. Ironically, the Canadian postage stamp featuring the car ended up outselling the car itself.

How’s this for entertainment-take an old car on its way to the junkyard, drain all the oil out of it, fire it up and take bets to see how long it lives. The “3800 series” engine (a direct descendent of the legendary Buick 3.8 litre V6) ran for more than 10 minutes without a drop of oil in it before quietly revving down to a stop.

Everyone knows the story of a guy who saw a car at a car show, or on the side of the road, and bought it on the spot. Now I don’t want to get all gonzo here, but if I had the cash on hand, I would have walked away with this beautiful Corvair Convertible.

Even though most people are familiar with the name, very few of the actual cars are left on the road today, especially convertibles. I heard it has to do with a jerk author who rallied against the concept of actually being able to enjoy a car. I recommend purchasing books only from authors who actually appreciate what they’re writing about.

One of the best parts about local car shows is how close you can get to the car and admire the details that went into it. This pinstriped motif might have been ho-hum when seen from behind a velvet rope in a convention centre, but its true awesomeness shines through when you can admire it up close.

The same rule goes for big details, too. From just a few feet away, you can actually pick out the blue pinstriping that separates the double-layer flames on this gorgeous red F-100.

There were even a few local celebrities on hand. Here, Paul “Willy” Williamson of the Winnipeg Free Press rolls back to the big city in his recently purchased 1949 Pontiac 2-door.

That about wraps up our coverage of Cruisin’ Gimli Beach for this year, but that’s not it for us. Head on over to our Facebook page to check out last weekend’s “Henry Ford’s Birthday” car show, sponsored by the Manitoba Mustang & Ford Club. The coolest part of checking out pictures on the Facebook page? You can add your own pictures from any car show, cruise night, or even the parking lot at your neighbor’s bar mitzvah! Even better? It’s free! Just get your Facebook account (if you don’t already have one) and join up today. You’ll be glad you did!