British cars and weather sock Port Perry

PORT PERRY–What would a gathering of British cars be without a smattering of British weather?

The sun did eventually show its face at last Sunday's inaugural "Brits on the Lake" event. But it was during the intermittent morning rainfall that most of the 150 or so cars cruised in.

It made it doubly appealing that organizer Bob DeShane had asked participants to wear their "wildest Hawaiian shirts."

DeShane was ecstatic at the turnout – and a little worried that if half a dozen more showed up, there'd be nowhere to put them on the couple of blocks closed off downtown.

"We'll need more space next year," he said. "This is definitely going to be an annual thing."

Open to all British vehicles, the day was dedicated to the Mini and also Marcos hand-built sports cars. Both were introduced in 1959.

The Marcos is a rare bird in Ontario. Ron McLeod of Oakville showed up in his 1970 Mantis 2+2 with his friend Cleone Duncan.

He believes that his car, powered by a 2.5-litre fuel-injected six-cylinder Triumph engine, is the only left-hand-drive example.

"I happened to be in England, saw a picture of a Mantis and had to have one," said McLeod, a retired engineer. "I went to the factory and had it built with left-hand drive."

DeShane had his Mini Marcos there, a sort of hot-rod jellybean. It weighs 410 kilograms with a full tank and the 1,380 cc engine produces 115 horsepower. DeShane says it'll hit 225 km/h.

He's a hefty guy and admits that it's a lot easier to get into the car than out.

"But it's surprisingly roomy," he said. "Jem Marsh, a partner in Marcos, was 6-foot-4 and he built the first one for himself."

DeShane was saying there are only about three other Mini Marcoses in Ontario when John Nicholls, passing by, overheard and chipped in, "I have one of them!"

It is, Nicholls said, "still a little rough around the edges" so he and his wife, Lynn, were there in twin Minis.

The turnout was mostly sports cars, though there were quite a few Minis, both ancient and modern, and everything from a mid-'50s Bentley to a couple of V8-powered Triumph Stags.

John Greenwood, a past president of the Vintage Automobile Racing Association of Canada, brought the 1960 Lotus Seven he's had since 1964. He bought it from Ian Raby, who was a close friend of Colin Chapman, the genius behind Lotus.

"So the car is that close to the king," said Greenwood.