Atlantic Nationals
Written by Keith Fudge

Recently, Dennis Gage and the My Classic Car crew headed to the city of Moncton in the maritime province of New Brunswick, Canada for the Seventh Annual Atlantic Nationals.  Held in the historic downtown area of Moncton, this show featured something for everyone in terms of vintage vehicles!  When Dennis first arrived, he met Bill Doherty, the Show Chairman, who told him a bit about the event. 

Bill began by saying that 2007 marked the 7th year for the show, and the event has grown steadily since its inception.  Bill also went on to say that a good deal of the success of the event is owed to the city of Moncton since they promote the show so well!  In fact, they close off the downtown streets from 8 a.m. until midnight for the participants to fully enjoy the surroundings and the four-wheeled attractions!  Bill said that last year’s event drew close to 110,000 people with 1,601 cars registered.  This year he estimates more than 1,800 cars in attendance!  The weather was simply beautiful.  With so many awesome cars in attendance, it was difficult for Dennis to know where to begin!

First, Dennis ran into Peter Atkinson and his sweet 1951 Mercury Monarch!  Peter told Dennis that he has owned this car for 31 years.  In fact, it was his first car! Peter went on to say that when he bought the car he had to have his brother drive it home because he didn’t even have his license yet!  The car is painted in two-toned green and features a factory green Plexiglas visor!  Peter restored the interior himself, investing $137.00 and sewed the seat covers on his wife’s sewing machine.  Under the hood is the original 256 cubic-inch Flathead V-8 that has been bored over .060.  While this is all impressive, that wasn’t all Peter had in store!  Behind the Monarch was a matching travel trailer.  Peter and Dennis went inside the trailer.  Sure enough, there were all the comforts anyone needs for a nostalgic road trip!  Next, Dennis ran into Kevin Campbell and his sweet 1975 Bricklin, a car that was manufactured right in New Brunswick!  Kevin began by telling Dennis that he first saw a Bricklin when he was 12 years old and knew he had to have one!  Concerning the orange color of his car, he told Dennis the paint would not be scratched away as the pigment was dyed into the acrylic plastic on the body.  Kevin went on to tell a bit of the car’s history in relation to the city and region.  One of the ironies is that even though the cars were built in Canada, they couldn’t be purchased there.  The most recognizable feature of the Bricklin is its gull wing doors that are electrically powered with some hydraulic assistance.  Kevin told Dennis that the American Motors 360 V-8 originally powered the cars, but when AMC fell behind in production, Bricklin turned to the Ford 351 Cleveland V-8. 

Soon Dennis spotted a real rarity in the form of a 1967 Chrysler Imperial convertible!  Owned by John Wall, this droptop is indeed scarce as John said that only 577 were built!  The car has been totally restored from the yellow exterior to the green leather and wood trim inside and is powered by the legendary Chrysler 440 cubic-inch V-8!  Next, Dennis found a real hot rod in the form of Gary Steeves 1953 Chevrolet Business Coupe.  One change Gary made to this black beauty was that he installed a back seat for the grandkids.  The car features a stunning red and white interior and is pretty much complete using the parts from a ’55 Chevy, except for the modern gauges.  On the exterior, Gary shaved all the handles and other ornamentation.  Under the hood, he went old school as well with a six-cylinder sporting an Offenhauser intake fitted with dual Rochester carburetors.  What a sweet ride!  Last, Dennis spoke with Roger Albert about his awesome red and white 1969 Ford Bronco!  Dennis noted that these early SUVs are getting more difficult to find all the time.  Roger told him that he purchased the vehicle in 1989 and that it was originally brown in color.  Roger has made several improvements such as a dual shock absorber setup and a roll bar built from electric conduit casing!  Also, he refurbished the stylish black and white vinyl interior with paint.  Yep, vinyl paint was the remedy, and Roger says he repaints the seats approximately every three or four years.  This Bronco is also from the first year that Ford used its 302 V-8, and this one still has the original oil-bath air cleaner! How cool!

Dennis and the crew had a great time in Moncton, NB, Canada at the Atlantic Nationals.  This year’s event will be held from July 10-13.  If you would like more information, give them a visit on the web at www.atlanticnationals.com.  That’s it from north of the border.  So until our next visit, “Honor the timeless classics.  Happy Motoring!”