Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is an unlikely place to hold a January car show because this is a city where -40 is a very real possibility.
The ‘We are the Classics’ car club decided to forget about the calendar, so they hosted a car show yesterday.
They called it the Beaters with Heaters show, consequently MyStar took a 180-mile road trip in the ’63 Plymouth to celebrate the occasion—self-respecting car guys don’t show up in a new Hyundai.
Jerry Sutherland
They picked a nice day for the event, so they had about 20 entries for the Beaters with Heaters event. Not surprisingly, there were more trucks than cars there because Alberta is proudly cattle and oil country.
Fords were the truck of choice at this show, along with a few square-body Chevys. These guys don’t just build these trucks for show because most of them are daily drivers that do real work in the real world. It’s like stepping back to 1979 when you see them lined up in a parking lot.
The demographics at this show are far different than the ones you’ll see at Baby Boomer dominated summer events because most guys were under 30 at this event. If you want to see the future of the hobby look no further than the We are the Classics event—these guys really know their stuff too. It’s a 20-something crowd with 60-something knowledge.
Jim dug up some stories at the show including a 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix. The owner found it after a few years looking for something to work on–and enter the hobby.
He’s a proud member of the car culture now and he’s passed his enthusiasm on to his 13-year-old son. Look for his Poncho story very soon on MyStar.
Jim also found a retro-cool 1950 Ford Tudor at this event.
The owner is fearless because he’s driven it to Vegas a few times–so a nice day in Edmonton wasn’t even a challenge for his trusty old shoebox Ford. The old Tudor is still a work-in-progress because he has some fine-tuning to do on the old warrior.
There was a really nice 1948 Mercury (Canadian) Sedan Delivery at the show.
Jim took that story simply because this old Canuck truck was so nice it could win a few trophies at most shows–yet it was at a winter car show. The story behind it was even cooler than the truck so you’ll see it on MyStar in the very near future.
I like the philosophy behind this event. It’s not for the faint of heart because most guys wouldn’t expose their beloved classic to January streets in Edmonton Alberta—no matter how nice it was yesterday.
I understand that caution because of the massive investment in their vehicles, but I also like the maverick spirit found at events like Winter Beaters with Heaters. These cats take you back to the old days when a high school kid turned a Model T or ’37 Oldsmobile into something you could drive all-year round.
We need more of that. Great show guys.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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