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The Spring Thaw Effect

By Warwick Patterson

Over the past few days I’ve been trying to write a concise wrap-up article about this year’s Spring Thaw Adventure, but it has been difficult for several reasons. First, as an organizer, the days of planning, preparing, and participating merge together into one blur and my experience becomes very different from a participant’s. That said, there are moments over the three days that stand out in my mind and make me realize why I love classic cars and why its important for people to get out and drive them.

When Dave and I decided to boost the numbers up to 60 cars from the 42 we had in 2009, we didn’t think much of it. It made for slightly more work in the hotel and restaurant department, but otherwise nothing really changed. We knew we were onto something special when the 2010 event sold out in the span of a week, but it was humbling to step up onto the bench in Hope, BC to address over 120 participants. This had become something much more than just going for a drive in the country with crazy friends!

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Driver's Meeting, Hope, BC. Photo: Lee Pederson

The general public and governments dismiss ‘old’ cars as things that pollute our streets and should be scrapped to help stimulate a false economy. And yet, here was a group of people ready to strap in and drive the snot out of their ‘clunkers’ for the pure art and enjoyment of driving. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face as car after beautiful car rolled past to the start line and took off on their adventure. A big thanks to the town of Hope for the red carpet roll-out, especially Inge at the Visitor Centre, Victor of the Chamber of Commerce, and the Mayor, Laurie French.

Hope Mayor, Laurie French, and Chamber President, Victor Smith, wave off the competitors at the start.

Sometimes our event plans are tested in advance and we know they will work. Other ideas look good on paper and we have to leave it in the hands of Mother Nature and the local hosts to make it a success. Such was the case with our Friday lunch stop at See Ya Later Ranch winery. On the pre-runs it seemed to be a nice venue, the manager owned a Sunbeam Alpine, and they were keen to host our group. “Make it so!” we said, and a couple weeks later, sixty cars rolled into the vineyard. The sun came out, a bag lunch was provided, and it couldn’t have been more perfect! From my perspective, hurdle number one had been surpassed but there was still two days to go. During the event, I live in perpetual fear of finding out I’ve confused my rights and lefts when composing the routebook!

Cars parked for lunch at See Ya Later Ranch winery. Photo Warwick Patterson.

Sandwiches and Scenery at See Ya Later Ranch

One of the highlights of the weekend for me was at the first photo location on Saturday, at a small one-lane bridge leading to Black Sage Road in the heart of wine country. The first car to appear was the 1953 Aston Martin DB2 followed closely by the ex-Carrera Panamericana Alfa Giulia TI. After crossing the bridge they both accelerated in unison up the hill and across the ridge, sending their refined roar across the valley. I felt a twinge of pride, knowing that Dave and I helped bring these two cars together on that road to be enjoyed as they were meant to be – at full song on a twisty ribbon of tarmac.

This is one limit the 1953 Aston Martin DB2 won't be breaking.

One of the more common stories Dave and I heard over the weekend, is how the Spring Thaw created a hard deadline for a project. An engine rebuild or restoration that perhaps would drag on all summer, suddently gets an injection of urgency. There were many cars in pieces just months and weeks – and, indeed, days – before the event. Our Spirit of the Thaw award went to Duncan and Kirk Cowen in their V6-swapped MGA. Duncan was still trying to get the motor to fit in January and at 12:05am the day of the Spring Thaw the car roared to life for the first time and they hit the road. Better yet, they ran with the top down through sun, rain, hail, and snow the whole weekend. I’m not even sure the car had a top! These are the sorts of insane people the ‘Thaw was intended for.

Duncan and Kirk Cowen won the Spirit of the Thaw award. Photo Warwick Patterson.

For the second year in a row, the entourage spent Saturday night at Sun Peaks Resort north of Kamloops. With ski season over, most of the restaurants and shops are closed, so finding somewhere to feed 130 people can be a challenge. The Delta Hotel said they could fit that many people, so we arranged for a meal there. It was only when I walked in the doors that I realized we were going to be in the ballroom! This was not right…first a winery stop and now a ballroom dinner? There goes our grassroots low-budget credibility!

Dinner at Sun Peaks Resort on Saturday. A slightly grander affair than expected!

'Parc Expose' in Sun Peaks, BC

To cap off the weekend of adventure, the cars headed over the Duffy Lake Road from Lillooet into Pemberton and finished in Squamish, BC. The Duffy is an amazing stretch of road, often used in car commercials, and takes you from dry, arid desert terrain over the mountains and back into the coastal rainforest. This time, Mother Nature gave us warning that perhaps our time was coming to an end, and she started throwing a few snow flakes into the mix at the top of the pass.

Minis take on the Duffy Lake Road

One of those moments that made me smile and remember why we do this event came on our run through the pass in the little Mini. It was like we were transported back in time and suddenly had been dropped into a European mountain range. As I vigorously stirred the 4-pot to stay in the power band and pitched the little Mini into the corners to keep up, ahead of us romped a Renault Gordini, an Alfa Sprint Veloce, and a gorgeous Alfa Giulia SS. As Dave Birchall said, “Who needs Mille Miglia!”

Like we've been transported back to Europe 1966. Gordini, Sprint Veloce, Giulia SS on the Duffy Lake Rd.

And so it was with cooked brakes and tired bodies we arrived in downtown Squamish for the finish. Even through the bitter wind and rain, everyone seemed to have a weary smile on their face. In a cruel twist of fate, the other half of the organizing duo arrived in the back of the Sweep truck. Dave’s motor had made an awful knock-knock-knock sound while leaving Sun Peaks in the morning and the the oil pressure light came on. At the final awards, Dave found himself accepting the The Hard Luck trophy that he had just built days before!  Another really fun trip with like-minded crazy car nuts was in the books. New friends, new cars to lust after, and best of all, we don’t have to start thinking about the next one for at least a couple more weeks!

Thanks to all our supporters and sponsors – Hagerty Collector Car Insurance, AVR Import Specialties, Dave Koszegi Realty, BringaTrailer.com, Classic Motorsports, Permatex, Lordco Auto Parts, Northwest Auto Salon, and the West Coast Rally Association for helping us put on the event. Most of all, a huge thank you to all the participants who came out with their fantastic cars. The people are what make this event so fun.

Spring Thaw 2010 – Day 3 Photos

Another Spring Thaw is in the books, wrapping up with a romp over the Duffy Lake road to Squamish. A few snow flakes couldn’t dampen the spirits of the drivers, as the scenery and winding road stretched out ahead. Andrew Snucins braved the cold high-altitude temperatures for several hours to catch some more great photos. We’ll have a full event recap up soon – we need to stop vibrating from a weekend in the car and catch some sleep!

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Spring Thaw Day 2 – Saturday

Day 2 of the 2010 Spring Thaw is now in the bag, with participants driving through some of the most scenic parts of Okanagan wine country from Osoyoos to Sun Peaks Ski Resort. A few rain showers swept through, but the sun made a regular appearance, and after a long day in the saddle, teams gathered in the ballroom at the Delta hotel for dinner and to share tales of the day’s adventures. In lieu of a thousand words, we’ll let photographer, Andrew Snucins, tell the story with a highlight of his images from today.

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Friday at the Spring Thaw Adventure

The 2010 edition of the Spring Thaw Classic Car Adventure started out as a cold, drizzly affair, but that didn’t deter 60 classic cars from turning up in Hope, BC for registration and the official start. This year’s participants brought an amazing assortment of machinery – everything from a V8-swapped MGA work-in-progress, to a gorgeous Aston Martin DB2.

The first leg of the journey took us over the top of the Hope-Princeton pass, so there was some worry about snow at the top. Luckily, the snow line stopped just shy of the road and as soon as we crossed over into the drier climate of the interior, it was sunny skies and smooth sailing.

After about 3.5 hours of fun roads, the group pulled into See Ya Later Ranch winery, where a bag lunch, patio, and stunning scenery awaited. This was a great chance to get to know some of the other drivers, check out their cars, and tell stories. The winery even had its own classic truck, and the manager brought her mint Series 3 Sunbeam Alpine to work for the day!

After lunch, it was a short blast down the backroads to Osoyoos for the overnight stop. The local pub was invaded, and it’s off to do it again in the morning! More video and photos to come this weekend…

Triumph TR4 becomes a Dove

By Nigel Matthews

If you think the Dove looks like the Triumph equivalent of an MGB GT you would be absolutely correct, except it predated the latter by two years.

The Dove name derived from L.F. Dove and Co. of Wimbledon, a large Triumph dealership in London whose owner came up with the idea of building the car.

The exact number built is a mystery. But it is widely believed that Dove commissioned coachbuilder Thomas Harrington of West Sussex — the same people who built the Harrington Alpines — to build 100 examples.

Triumph Dove GTR4 - Flickr Photo: Rally Pix

Starting with a Triumph TR4, the craftsmen at Harrington removed the trunk lid, rear bulkhead, tonneau panel and gas tank. With these panels removed, Harrington fitted a full-length roof, rear hatch door, and end panel made out of fibreglass.

The fuel tank was moved into the spare wheel well with a filler neck and cap located in the end panel to the left of the licence plate.

The high roofline and relocated rear bulkhead and fuel tank made room for two rear seats that could seat two small children in relative comfort. With room for a weekend’s worth of luggage in a compartment below the rear hatch lid, the Dove had the makings of a practical family sports car.

The Triumph Italia, built in Italy by Vignale, is the only other Triumph from the ’60s that comes to mind as being this rare. Triumph Italia was built as a left-hand drive car and the chance of an Italia sighting in North America would be that much greater than spotting a right-hand drive Dove.

I am aware of only a couple of Doves in the U.S. and perhaps a maximum of 10 in Europe. Triumph thought that the stylish Italia posed a great threat to their sales market, so the solution was to stop the supply of rolling chassis to Vignale. History often has a habit of repeating itself. The Rootes Group (Sunbeam Alpine), which had a long relationship with Harrington, forced them to stop making the Triumph Dove.

When cars rode in wooden crates

By Nigel Matthews

Wooden shipping crates and automobiles date back to at least 1908.

Henry Ford was a firm believer in wasting nothing. He specified the type of wood and the dimensions of wood for use in the crates in which his suppliers shipped parts to his factories.

When the crates were empty, they were dismantled and wood was used in various areas of the Model T car he was manufacturing. Ford also produced charcoal from the waste wood under the brand name Kingsford — still a leading brand used today in the U.S. and Canada.

Ford Factory c.1914

Wooden crates and the shipping of automobiles from the U.K. led to Billy and Reggie Rootes venturing into the car-manufacturing business. They began taking control of struggling British car manufacturers and built a huge empire producing vehicles under the names Hillman, Humber, Singer, Sunbeam, Talbot, Commer and Karrier.

In 1920, the Rootes brothers were the largest distributors of cars and trucks in Britain. Their U.K .distribution methods were so successful that they moved into worldwide distribution.

By 1927, 6,000 wooden crates were leaving their distribution centre located in Chiswick. The majority of British car manufacturers were using Rootes to export their products, living up to their advertising slogan “cars packed, shipped and delivered to all parts of the world.”

The practice of shipping cars in wooden crates continued until the mid-1960s.

In 1973, Japan’s K Line shipping company built the European Highway, the first roll on, roll off, (RORO) purpose-built car carrier capable of carrying 4,200 automobiles. Today’s car carriers are capable of carrying 8,000 vehicles.

K Line "Thames Highway" Car Carrier

If you look closely at the top image of the Morris Minor packaged and ready for shipping to Vancouver’s Fred Deeley Motors, you will notice that the wheels and tires were removed and placed inside the car to reduce the crate height.

Above the Morris in the picture, you can see the MG sports cars were low enough to leave on the wheels and tires.

Eye Candy: Ferrari 212

Our friend and fellow automotive journalist/enthusiast/cheerleader, Bill Lockwood, lives near a little slice of classic car heaven – Restoration & Performance Motorcars (rpmvt.com) in Vergennes, Vermont. He recently sent over some of his photographs of the gorgeous Ferrari 212 being restored there. Not only is the car a work of art, but their workshop itself is a fine example of where classic cars should live.

This early Ferrari 212 racecar 0086E won the Giro d’Sicilia and burned to the ground soon after. As the only 212 with this body type, it has been restored to exacting specifications by RPM. A Swiss agent working for Ferrari’s Heritage Group has certified it authentic – after some rather bizarre but period-correct modifications.

For instance, the 212 had some additional vents installed near the rear of the car closer to the end of its racing lifespan. Because these modifications were done to the car in the past, they had to be recreated now, even though the earlier version of the car was more aesthetically pleasing.

If you are wondering what a one of kind Ferrari is worth in this kind of condition, you probably aren’t in the buying demographic. It should fetch between $4.5 and $5 million at global auction.

These are pics of the car, just prior to receiving some finishing touches, like the leather straps to hold the hood down, etc.

The 212 will be tested at a racetrack in early March, in preparation for the trip to Italy to race the 2010 Mille Miglia that will take place from Wednesday, May the 5th (optional), to Sunday, May the 9th.

To see more about the 212 and other Ferrari Restorations, see the FerrariCraft blog at ferraricraft.com