Car fans roll into Oshawa for Autofest

Jil McIntosh

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

It's considered one of the defining moments of summer in Oshawa: Autofest custom car show revs up today and tomorrow at Lakeview Park on the city's waterfront east of Toronto.

"You're going to see 1,600 pre-1976 specialty vehicles," says Bob Clarke, vice-president of Motor City Car Club, which stages the event. "There will be hot rods, custom cars, street machines, trucks and antique vehicles, all on the 30-plus acres of the grass and park."

Longevity is the key here. The show has run annually for 16 years and the Motor City Car Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary. These guys are in for the long haul: three members have been part of the club since the beginning, while Clarke has been a member for 44 years.

And while the collector cars – which range from the 1920s right up to the early 1980s – are an integral part of it all, the Motor City Car Club sometimes seems more like a service club than a car alliance. Autofest makes money, which is promptly given away: $15,000 last year, for the second year in a row, to the Grandview Children's Centre in Oshawa – which offers programs for children with special needs or disabilities. Clarke estimates the club has donated almost $100,000 to the centre over the past eight years. The facility has used the money to help repair its swimming pool and to install a playground.

"They're not government-funded, so we help to support the repair and maintenance of their facility," Clarke says.

The show is naturally aimed at auto fans, but there's also a craft and artisan show and sale, petting zoo, and a miniature horse exhibit for those not so enamoured with the art of the automobile.

There are also auto-related vendors and a silent auction of memorabilia, NASCAR material and apparel. Special displays include cars from the Toronto-based Performance World show, and high-performance Chrysler models.

The show has become well known to car aficionados, many of whom come quite a way to attend. Last year's "Long Distance" trophies were awarded to a 1963 Dodge panel truck from Alberta, and a 1963 Pontiac Acadian – a model that was only sold in Canada – whose owner drove it in from Michigan.

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