Cars, cars and more cars.
That was what I saw at the Fourth Annual Drive Festival Presented by Mobil1 at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) in Bowmanville on September 6-8.
This was my first time attending the festival, and I wanted to talk to industry people and vendors about The Car Magazine and take some photos and line up interviews.
I saw new cars, old cars, classic cars, sports cars, open wheel race cars, modified cars, hot rod cars, hyper cars, electric cars, gas-powered cars, fixed-up cars, beat-up cars, test-drive cars, wrapped cars, club cars, video car games, vendor cars, cars with personalized plates, and even some miniature model cars.
I have attended the Canadian International AutoShow as a member of the media for several years, but this was a different type of event for car enthusiasts because it takes place outdoors and has various exhibits. I’m not saying it’s better than the AutoShow, just a different kind of experience.
From the moment I entered park, I was immediately alerted to cars that were driven around an enclosed track, going at fast speeds and doing quick turns and even spins. There was a lineup to be in one of the cars and, no, attendees were not allowed to drive them.
I had to be careful where I walked on the road because at any given moment a race car zipped by. Some of them drove on route to the track, while others were returning.
And the further I walked, I was able to see the race cars parked in areas.
While the weather fluctuated – at times rainy, windy and sunny – it was obvious that it didn’t matter to attendees. There were enough tents to take shelter, including many with cars of various eras, so all and all it was okay.
Some cars stood out. A gleaming purple Huayra Roadster, which retails for more than $2.4 million, was one of several hyper cars that really caught the eye.
Another was a silver Tesla Cybertruck, which has a design that will feature a beast mode version and a version with bulletproof windows that can’t roll down. Elon Musk clearly is going bigtime on this.
Another one was a Sunoco race car driven by Canadian Motorsport Hall of Famer Horst Kroll. Norris McDonald, who covered car racing for the Toronto Star, wrote about Kroll following his passing in 2017. He described Kroll as “courageous, determined, brave, talented, unique, and totally original gentleman. Courageous, because when still a teenager he left his friends and family behind and escaped from East Germany to eventually make his way to Canada, being unable to speak a word of English when he arrived.”
Being fascinated with personalized plates, I saw several of interest: A Toyota with the plate UI MAMA; an Audi with the plate DJSPLNTR; a Corvette with the plate MY17VETT and another with the plate 1ST GEN; a Ferrari with the plate DTHSTARR; a BMW with the plate CRZY4BMW; a Dodge with the plate TORQUED; a Shelby Cobra with the plate KOBRA R.
I was particularly interested in a Dodge Viper with the plate VPRCLBON. It belongs to Bruce Hadfield, President of the Viper Club of Ontario. I talked to him for a story I’m planning to write about him and his club.
I also saw a car promoting Barbados and it really had a presence because, well, on the day I visited the festival the weather was not exactly tropical.
Overall, it was great to spend a day seeing a little bit of everything car related.
Perry Lefko is the Content Manager of The Car Magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]. Feel free to forward any story suggestions or comments.
