The best way to cure a bad case of winter cabin fever is throw a good party in the spring.
The annual car show in Didsbury, Alberta Canada took place this past weekend and it was a great way to shake off the lingering effects of another long winter.
Jim Sutherland
Didsbury is a small community of roughly 5500 people located about 50 miles (80 km) north of Calgary, a famous Alberta city of almost 1.7 million people, consequently Didsbury is a home for some commuters who love its small-town vibe.
However, Didsbury is also a home for many car guys and girls who are willing to donate their time as volunteers and participants in their annual car show, so we look forward to their event every year-and not just because it helps us forget our long winter months.
The only upside to long winters is the generous amount of time between car shows, consequently car guys will tackle a project during the annual deep freezes. Sometimes one winter does not allow enough time to complete a build, despite the large number of days dedicated to sub-zero temperatures in cold climates.
A very cool 1946 Chevy 2-ton truck is a good example of a resto mod build that could not be completed in just one winter. In fact, it took three winters from start to finish because this ’46 Chevy truck is far removed from its long timeout on a farm when the old workhorse was retired and moved from indoor Quonset storage to outdoor field storage.
The years were not kind to the old farm truck, but its current owner was able to use a combination of solid mechanical skills, creativity and patience to build an amazing LS-equipped resto mod that made its debut at the Didsbury show.
Read all about this post war beauty in a future MyStarCollectorCar article.
Another guest of honor at the Didsbury show was a 1966 Ford Fairlane GTA, a very cool muscle car from the Sixties that has a brand-new lease on life in 2024. This car was a major rescue project that was saved by a car guy who was willing to invest his time and money to resurrect a classic Ford from a bygone era.
This car guy story has a happy ending that will be revealed to our readers at a future date. Stay tuned.
Another rescue story involved a 1967 Plymouth Barracuda that was sitting in a field for 30 years before its current owner saved it from a slow and painful death by deterioration. Now the Gen-2 Barracuda is a testimony to a dedicated car guy who gave it a rosy future while acknowledging its grim past.
Find out how he was able to build a one-of-a-kind car from a field car in a future MyStarCollectorCar feature.
A 1962 Ford Ranchero caught our attention at the Didsbury show because these little Blue Oval compact car/trucks are scarce and very few of them survived the past 62 years. The current owner of the Ranchero bought it 18 years ago and then drove it to his former home in Ontario, Canada from Kentucky.
His reasons for ownership included a funny recollection about the first car he smashed up when he was only two years old. All will be revealed in a future MyStarCollectorCar story.
The final addition to our Didsbury car show story collection was a beautiful 1969 Plymouth Road Runner convertible that was its current owner’s first car. He bought when he was only 14.
Life got in the way several times so the current owner was also the ’69 Road Runner’s former owner on numerous occasions before he got the car back for good a few years ago.
Learn all about the car guy’s long history with his Road Runner in a future MyStarCollectorCar article.
The Didsbury car show is always a great way to start the car show season for us and this year’s event was another home run.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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