The Southern Ontario Region set out on our first tour of the year for 2014. We met in Bolton, then took backroads from our house to "The Guild" in Bradford Ontario. We were given a tour of their restoration facility, and TV set by a live celebrity! Owner David Grainger showed us his collection and told us interesting stories about his shop and his TV show. For those of you in the USA, tune into The History Channel this fall for "Restoration Garage".
http://www.history.ca/restoration-garage/We met in Bolton and had coffee and donuts at our house… my street never looked so good! I sold Les's '61 to the lady across the street for a quarter and a kiss!
David Grainger gave us a personal tour of the shop. Not many Chevy's… A lot of high dollar classics. Of note was the first car designed by Farina for his body company, Pininfarina. It was designed on a Lancia Aprilia cabriolet chassis, and shown at the 1946 Paris Auto show. The show promoters would not allow it to be displayed because Italy was a "defeated nation" and not part of the United Nations. Farina parked it outside the main entrance to the hall for 10 straight days, and became the hit of the show without ever being in it! Pininfarina was given the feature spot in the 1947 show, after the great reviews they got in the press for 1946. This is the very car that was shown outside the hall in 1946. Estimates for it are well over $1 million at auction when the restoration is complete.
David shows us a 1938 Delahaye… getting ready for Pebble Beach.
This '58 Apache was going to be restored as "an old farm truck" until they checked the paint code and realized it was a special order for the 50th anniversary of GM. It's getting the show truck treatment now…
Ed & Linda Ansell joined us for the shop tour with their 1965 Chevelle…
Don & Judy Lampkin's '64 Impala & Paul & Maggie Rozon's '53 stop for fuel…
I managed to get the top down on the '50 for the ride home. Jane & Abigail followed us all in the new car.
Also along for the stop at the Antique Warehouse in Barrie was John & Happy Thomson. I love their all original 1934 coupe!