Third Annual Ottawa British Car Day

Our Third Annual Ottawa British Car Day was held Sunday July 14. While attendance was down from last year, with the threat of rain, it was certainly a great success from a NASOC perspective.

The trend this year seems to be the debut of new Singers which have been under long term restoration , squirreled away or simply not close to a suitable show venue. Mad Dogs and Englishmen saw John Slusar’s nearly ready car, plus several others that were grateful to finally find a suitable show venue.

In Ottawa, Ken and Graham Pearse arrived with their ’54 4AD which is nearing the paint shop at this point. Ken is the second owner of the car and had the misfortune of driving more than too close to the edge of the road 50 years ago. With a recently rekindled interest in the car, he and Graham have fast tracked its restoration and aim to be at Stowe in the fall.

Paul Bouchard arrived in his Super Ten with all four cylinders beating in a fine rhythm. While the car still needs cosmetic surgery, it’s amazing how much better an automobile can look when it’s actually running.

The surprise of the show was the arrival of Eugene Abondello and Phil Avis, driving Gene’s newly acquired ’35 Singer Long Tail. Alex Mandeville of British Columbia has long owned this little beauty, but with waning interest, let it go a couple of weeks ago to Gene. The Long Tail and my Nine Sports made a lovely looking couple. I look forward to seeing it at Stowe, where I anticipate this year NASOC will have 4 Pre war cars on display. This should be enough to establish a pre war class on its own.

Consistent with the trend for debut this year, we should see about 4 new cars at Stowe and record attendance. My prediction - 4 pre war cars and 7 post war. Be there for the best attended Stowe yet.