Revved-Up For The 2017 Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Expo

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

Canadian automotive enthusiasts are on the cusp of finding some undiscovered wonders of 2017. As spring grows closer and (one of these days) the cold wallop of winter will be worn out of the Canadian air, our favourite time is when our choice car, truck or motorcycle can roam roadways idyllically. It is also a time when motorsports shift into high gear as engine noises and tire smoke will fulfill our senses. In preparations and preview of what the 2017 automotive calendar will entail, the Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Expo fills Mississauga’s International Centre on the outskirts of Toronto.

The third annual event under its current motorsport and customized vehicle focus, the 2017 Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Expo establishes unity of speed, style as well as thrill. With prizes and honours up for grabs by exhibitors, there is a guarantee for seeing some Canadian automotive greatness from March 10th to March 12th.

Part of a grand view of motoring, sights to behold at this exhibition prominently features well-crafted modified automobiles ranging from rat rods to pieces produced by renowned professional customizers. In purely stock glamour, the two previous years of the Motorama show featured cars like a 1968 Ford Shelby GT500 Prototype and a 1977 Pontiac Can Am and a DeLorean DMC-12. For the racing fan, the 2017 Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Expo is a place to see new locally competed race cars before competition weekend begin to wear away on their finely fabricated body panels and paint schemes. The sport compact crowd is also well-featured within the International Centre as part of its own collection of cars. Spring Fever assembles together some bold examples of personal expression with a majority of import brands such as Honda, Mazda, Toyota and Hyundai.

With people behind the creation of this terrific automotive culture on display for the weekend, there will be some special guests at this year’s show who have contributed greatly to car love. Among the headliners at the 2017 edition of the Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Expo is the woman known as the First Lady of Motorsports Linda Vaughn. Gaining celebrity status as ‘Miss Hurst Golden Shifter’ starting in the 1960s, Vaughn remains an adored figure within auto racing and muscle car circles. Familiar with viewers of the classic Discovery show “Mythbusters” as well as Velocity channel’s All Girls Garage, Jessi Combs comes to Canada as an expert car crafts-person and an accomplished racer. Also from television, Chop Cut Rebuild’s Dan Wood returns to his hometown as a popular host as well as an actor from the original and rebooted Degrassi series. Steve Darnell from Vegas Rat Rods returns to the Motorama show for a second consecutive year and will be joined by his cousin ‘Barber’ Dave Lefler. Famed in hot rod circles for different reasons, the 2017 Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Expo other special guests will be famed builder Al Bergler as well as the very attractive modern pin-up style model Cherry Dollface.

Many exhibitors will also be present around the main festivities. Show sponsor Mothers Car Care Products, Johnsonville Sausage as well as a host of short tracks and car product suppliers will have booths assembled this year.

Admission to the three-day show is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $13 for youths ages 7 and 13 but free for children under 6 years old. For more extensive information on the 2017 Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Expo, please visit the event’s website at http://www.motoramashow.com.

The following compilation represents a sample of vehicles at the 2016 Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Expo.

2016 Motorama Custom Car and Motorsport Show

A Canadian Star Car: Red Green's Possum Van

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The 1967 Indy 500: When An STP-Sponsored Turbine Almost Changed Racing

Photo Credit: Uncredited Photographer/IMS LLC Racing has always been the ultimate proving ground for automobiles. Not only has competition promoted innovations big and small, race cars have also influenced overall vehicle appearance. At the 1967 Indianapolis 500, the STP-Paxton TurboCar fielded by the late Andy Granatelli provided a shocking example of how much racing at the speedway evolved over 56 years. Ever since the first 500-mile event was held at the 2.5-mile rectangular oval Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1911, the winning Marmon Wasp with a rearview mirror paved the way for what would be a grand showcase of automotive development. Accompanying “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” advancements in automobile technology showed greater sophistication with every passing decade in the quest for more speed. During the 1920s and 1930s, American race car designer Henry Miller offered groundbreaking engines to the Indianapolis 500. Miller also gave front-wheel drive technology it...

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