Shoulder to shoulder is the best way to describe Piston Ring's 34th annual World of Wheels, held last weekend at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.
In addition to a great lineup of stars and cars, the lousy weather that kept everyone longing to stay indoors all weekend surely contributed to the strong attendance. Organizers estimate more than 30,000 spectators rolled through the three-day event.
Garth and Cam Storms from Airdrie, Alta., displayed their nostalgic Cadillac powered 1938 Ford pickup to rave reviews.
Everyone we spoke with at the Free Press Autos display commented that they really enjoyed the eclectic variety of vendors and vehicles on display at this year's show.
In addition to being the place where old friends reunite following a long winter in the garage, the annual show is also the spot where the latest automotive trends emerge. This year when the streets finally dry up, rest assured classic cruisers, street rods and muscle cars will still be extremely popular, but also expect to see an increase in late-model cars and trucks with mind-bending alterations showing up at the many outdoor car shows and cruise nights.
One of the highlights of the show was the local unveiling of Mater, the loveable tow truck from Disney's animated hit movie Cars. Kids of all ages lined up all weekend for a chance to get their photo taken with this real-life rendition of the popular cartoon character.
Rumour has it that the chassis from a 1980s Ford minibus could be found beneath Mater's masterfully created steel and Fiberglas body. Complete with smiling eyes on his windshield and a toothy grin, Mater was painted just the right hues of rust and dust to totally seal the deal.
Another very popular truck, that also featured Ford underpinnings, was Leonard Boschman's awesome 2008 home-built Hummer H1. This testosterone-laden beast was built from scratch and features a hand-crafted aluminum body laid on top of a 2002 Ford F-350 SuperDuty truck frame. The attention to detail, both inside and out on this freshly built rig, is awe-inspiring. Boschman, who lives in MacGregor, did the lion's share of the work on the truck himself but credits many talented local companies and individuals with helping him complete the project just in time for the show.
Above, The Piston Ring crew with Mater from Cars, clockwise from left to right, Jarret Newton, Julie Sakuta, Steve Leuzinger, Melissa Tennant, Mike McKirdy and Tanya Newton.
Under the hood, the truck features a stout 7.3-litre PowerStroke diesel engine. Every angle of this rig is awesome, it rolls on 22-inch Jesse James wheels wrapped in meaty Toyo tires, and even features a custom leather interior with a mind-bending audio system. This homemade Hummer is also covered in cool artwork laid down by talented airbrush artist Brian Fidler. The buzz from truck fans is that they can't wait to see this mean machine on the road.
Club displays were also popular again this year, with 10 local clubs putting on great displays that showcased members' vehicles alongside nifty props. The American Motors (AMC) Club of Manitoba was the hands-down winner in the club-display category with an amazing selection of red, white and blue AMC muscle cars stabled in a cool vintage drag racing-inspired display. The AMC Club of Manitoba is a relatively new club, and charter member Robin Carruthers and his fellow AMC aficionados should be commended for their award-winning vehicles and display.
Another truck that had everyone's attention was the 1938 Ford pickup, owned by father-and-son team Garth and Cam Storms from Airdrie, Alta. This radical rat-rod looks like it was rescued from a barn just in time for the show. Highlights include a 429-cubic-inch Cadillac engine with six two-barrel carburetors resting on top, and enough authentic patina to make even Mater look like a youngster.
The truck is named 'Redeemed', and was displayed alongside a nice presentation from the Christian Rodders and Racers Association, an international ministry whose congregation collectively cruises and races for Christ. It's nice to know that amidst all the skulls and flames that were popular in recent years, not everyone in the old-school element of the hobby is running with the devil.
Other show highlights included the amazing display of classic vehicles presented by the Gauthier Automotive Group. It's refreshing to know that in the competitive world of auto sales there is still a local family selling cars that has a bona fide interest in our hobby. Jason Gauthier and his capable crew did a tremendous job, and should be commended for the beautiful cars they had on display.
The World of Wheels is also the place to promote upcoming events for the summer. Tireless members of the Manitoba Association of Auto Clubs (MAAC) were on hand all weekend passing out this season's scheduled events. One upcoming auto event is the Dreams and Legends Car Collector Auction, slated for June 13 and 14 at the East St. Paul Arena.
Albert "Al" Ducharme was inducted into the Manitoba Motorsports Hall of Fame. Ducherme was one of Winnipeg's first hot rodders.
Local auto buff and co-organizer Dale Hickey noted that the event promises to be a gala auction that will not only offer a wide range of classic and special-interest vehicles, but will also generate funds for the Rehabilitation Centre for Children Foundation. Look for a full preview of this exciting event in an upcoming instalment of Willy's Garage.
On Saturday evening, show awards were presented to the many deserving participants and by all accounts, the judges were bang on. A nice element to the ceremony was the induction of three local motoring legends into the Manitoba Motorsports Hall of Fame. This year's inductees included drag racing and engine builder extraordinaire Ken Murray, the community-minded John Tennant of Piston Ring and longtime local street rodder Albert "Al" Ducharme.
Ducharme is credited with building and driving the first hot rod to hit city streets back in the late 1950s. My late father Dave often spoke of how he and his car-crazy buddies used to chase Ducharme all over town to get a closer look at his rumbling Ford hot rod. They rarely caught him, but on Saturday I got the chance to catch up with Ducharme and he shared some kind words about my father and the many other local rodders who now reside in that big car show in the sky.
It was a touching conversation that reminded me that our local rodfathers had it right the first time around. No politics, no rumbles, just some nice genuine guys who shared a passion and mutual respect for cool cars and one another.
This year, on the second floor, the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Show made its World of Wheels debut. For a first-year effort, organizers were more than happy with both the participation and crowd response to this cavalcade of chrome. Robyn Gray, a longtime motorcycle enthusiast and former co-owner of Harley-Davidson of Winnipeg and more recently The Bike Works, announced his retirement from the motorcycle business just a few weeks ago. Don't worry though, we haven't seen the last of Gray, who helped organizers fill the second-floor exhibit with a great selection of classic and custom motorcycles.
The Rolling Thunder exhibit also featured a nice variety of local vendors who cater to Winnipeg's two-wheeled crowd. The definite highlight of the Rolling Thunder exhibit was the appearance of Vinnie DiMartino on Saturday.
For those of you who have been living under a rock, Vinnie is one of the former stars of American Chopper. He recently left Orange County Choppers, along with fellow celebrity biker Cody Connelly, to start up V-Force Customs. Vinnie had loads of time for everyone who stopped by for a photo and autograph, and presented himself as a genuine nice guy with a passion for both motorcycles and cars.
Shelley Ostrove, the amiable public relations director for World of Wheels, remarked that Vinnie was among the most approachable celebrities he had met in his 19 years with the show. "Everyone really had nice things to say about Vinnie after meeting him," Ostrove said. "We knew he was popular and now it is clear to see why."
While the Willy's Garage crew was standing around gawking at Vinnie, a hilarious moment occurred. A youngster walked up to me with starry eyes and asked me for my autograph. Trust me, this never happens. As I was fumbling for my pen, his mother stepped in and advised the little guy that Vinnie was actually the guy behind me. "That's just Willy from the newspaper," she said as he darted around me. Ouch.
Over in the Free Press display, we launched our new Autos website to rave reviews. A big thanks goes out to everyone who helped make the display a reality, especially our presenters. Dave Radey showed his General Lee Charger for just the second time, and Bernard Harfield presented his award-winning 1977 Trans-Am. Smokey and the Bandit and The Dukes of Hazzard played in the background on big-screen TVs loaned to us by the kind folks at Advance Electronics.
Hats also go off to the Nott Autocorp for lending us a sleek Audi TT Roadster. We held a contest where the winner can pick a car from Nott's luxury lot and I'll take them for a hot dog lunch in Lockport before heading to the Pony Corral on Grant Ave., for the full VIP treatment and an up-close look at the weekly Sunday night cruise.
The contest winner will be announced next week, as soon as we find someone willing to actually go on the date with me. The joke all weekend was that second prize was two dates.
While the General and the Bandit were certainly popular, the highlight of our display was Eleanor, a 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500E loaned to us by Jim's Classic Corner. A big shout out to Larry D'Argis of Classic Cruising fame for getting us in touch with Jim Higham, who is selling the car for a private client. The line all weekend was, "If you have to ask you can't afford her, but if you think you can round up the cash just drop me a line and I'll put you in touch with Jim."
For his part, if Eleanor sells as a result of the show, the new owner may want to take D'Argis for a test drive but beware, he has a leather blazer, and if you don't accompany him, rest assured she'll be Gone in 60 Seconds.
A big congratulations goes out to everyone involved with Piston Ring's 34th annual World of Wheels, the exhibitors, the vendors, the spectators, and especially show chairman Ron Lechman, and public relations director Shelley Ostrove. Both these gentlemen did an outstanding job presenting us with yet another awesome show.
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