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Antique auto show to run great in ‘08

Antique cars conjuring nostagic images of everything from zoot suits to disco balls — not to mention lower gas prices — will be cruising the streets of Saskatoon this weekend.

From June 26 to 29, the Saskatoon Antique Auto Club (SAAC) plays host to the 47th annual international antique auto rally, Running Great in ‘08.

The convention is held in different Canadian cities every year. Saskatoon last hosted the event in 1999.

Cars will be coming from across the province, Alberta, British Columbia and several Northern states including Montana and Washington.

Antique autos are classified as vehicles produced during the 1910s into the 1970s. Though some of the cars are close to a century old, such as a 1915 Ford Model T making an appearance this year, most are in full working order.

“People take the time and effort to make sure these cars are in good condition, so they’ll be nice and shiny and working,” said Lorne Mysko, promotions co-ordinator for the SAAC.

Mysko says the highlight of the event is Friday night’s Antique Auto Display on 21st, on the north side of the Delta Bessborough Hotel.

Car lovers will be able to walk through and examine the automobiles and talk to the owners about the work they’ve put into the cars, he said.

Luc Vangool, registrar for the event, says there is a total of 120 vehicles set to make an appearance at the rally.

Four cars are from the 1910s, four from the 1920s, 13 from the 1930s, and 50 from the 1940s and 50s. There will also be some cars from the 1960s, 70s and even the 1980s.

“I’m getting really excited to see some of the cars, especially these really old ones,” said Vangool.

Vangool will also be showing off one of his own antiques, a 1954 Ford Skyliner, made when some windshields were made partly of plexi-glass.

Though he is happy with the registration numbers, Vangool says they are down from the 1999 event, and that’s a “sign of the times.”

Most of these cars will be driving to the rally, and that can get expensive when you’re only getting eight miles to the gallon.

“Old cars are not exactly exceptional for gas mileage,” he joked.