#klassic plus

Great time to catch up on your reading while getting some ideas for your ride. Klassic Plus, Canada’s greatest automotive publication, can be yours for $15.00 shipping included. That’s 160 pages of some of the world’s greatest rides.

By Michael Hozjan

I doubt very much that when the Piston Poppers Car Club introduced custom car shows to Montreal and Quebec City anyone of them thought the shows would still be around fifty years later. Yes there were other shows before, but none in the grand scale of the Piston Popper’s celebrations.

Today the Salon Auto Sport de Quebec [city] is the province’s oldest continuously running indoor car show. It has succeeded where others died, it has withstood changing trends and transcended generations of car enthusiasts, and this year was no exception, bringing in people of all ages.

Three years ago, with his eyes set on retirement, Mr. Jacques Picard who had partnered with founding Piston Popper member Aurele Collette pictured below fifth from left sold the show to the region’s drag race promoter Martin D’Anjou who seems prepared to carry it for the next few decades.

Stealing the show were the three handcrafted beauties from Rick Dore’s stable of creativity, the Illusion (above,forefront) the Black Pearl (the show’s poster child) and the Shangri-La, below.

Our old friend Apostolis, better known as,  “Spanky” of V8 Custom Guitars (left) recently joined forces with Rick Dore of RD Kustoms fame to create two wild guitars. Spanky’s wood carved creations capture the cars’ features down to the minutest detail and pay homage to Rick’s rolling works of art. While still in rough form they were unveiled for the first time at the show to tease show goers of what to expect.

Martin D’Anjou commissioned The Black Pearl inspired guitar to be auctioned off later this year with the proceeds going to the Quebec Cancer Foundation and Rick Dore hopes to sell the Illusion to whoever buys the car, which will also go on sale later this year.

Rick Dore and The Illusion

Fresh from the Toronto Motorama, this Model A killed it.

The Sam Posey clone Challenger is a regular at the Course Vintage events.

Custom vans were numerous, this rockin ‘80 short wheelbase Econoline belongs to Adrenaline reader Denis Simoneau of Gatineau, Quebec

Watch for this beauty in an upcoming issue of Adrenaline’s Souvenir Album

Some eye candy

Gille Villeneuve’s Formula Ford courtesy of the museum by the same name

It’s been six years since I first met Jean-Francois Launier (above left with yours truly) in Detroit. He stopped by the Adrenaline booth to chat and sign some autographs. If the name doesn’t ring a bell, let me quickly just say he is Canada’s foremost custom coach builder and only the second Canadian to win the prestigious Ridler Award. The Ridler is given only to the crème-de-la-crème of builders and JF was on the short list twice before winning it with outrageous ’64 Buick Riviera, taking the trophy back to home to Osoyoos BC. (you can catch his journey to the Ridler in Klassic Plus issue #3)

I kept hearing K.I.T.T. calling my name all weekend. The star of Knight Rider was one of the cars in a movie/tv show cars display.

After hearing my name being callled by K.I.T.T. I began looking for Daisy Duke after seeing her Jeep, but no such luck.

More eye candy

Yes the gears actually work to engage the clutch and work the carb. Another insane creation from our friend Andre Bobinas of Atelier AD

The other top hitter at the show was JF Launier’s latest show stopper, an Acadian Canso. That’s a Canuck version of Chevrolet’s Nova.

JF Launier autographing copies of Klassic Plus chats with Rick Dore.

It seems that I’m always photographing JF Launier’s team on their knees cleaning up the car and display.

Meilleurs voeux pour un Joyeux Noël et que la Nouvelle Année vous apporte santé,  bonheur et prospérité.