Engines revved up and interest among automobile enthusiasts ramped up Saturday as 140 vintage and new cars made their way to the eighth Ramara Classic Car Show.
Maintaining an old car according to new standards may cost lots of money, but for these enthusiasts it’s about the sentiment and nostalgia.
Doug Renault proudly brought his 1964 Dodge Polara convertible to the show. He bought the car in 1964 for personal use.
He said for the 13 years he drove the vehicle, he came across many people who said, “I wish I had this car, I would have kept it.”
That’s exactly what Renault ended up doing.
“It was my only car for 13 years, so it wore down pretty badly,” he said. “In 2005, I had it completely restored.”
The cost? Renault wouldn’t give an exact number, but he added at that time, the car was appraised at $35,000 and the restoration cost more than that.
Now, he brings it out of storage every spring and it’s road ready after about four hours of work, which involves an oil change, a polish job, and brake shoe check up.
The rest of the summer, Renault said, the car costs about $200 a month for gas fill ups.
Lots of people come up to him at the car show to ask if the convertible is for sale. “It’s not for sale; my kids may get rid of it when I die,” Renault added emphatically.
A different kind of classic car was also present at the show. A 1931 Ford Model A "rat rod", which John Bull of Orillia built in four months using parts from various other cars.
“Back in the day, it didn’t matter how it looked,” he said, referring to the weathered appearance of the car. “It just had to go fast enough.”
Built on a custom frame with a 350 Chevy motor powered with a Paxton super charger, Bull said all he could say about the price is that the engine cost $20,000.
Car parts used in building it are from other models, such as Jaguar, Corvette, and Chevy van.
“It’s to build a tribute car,” he said. “It’s just to show there are other ways of doing cars. Everything doesn’t have to be shiny and nice.”
Renault drives the car to various shows around the area and also likes to use it to take his grandkids for ice cream.
“They love it,” he said. “It’s loud and proud. It reminds them of cars in cartoons and the Hot Wheels series.”
