My first car, when I was sixteen, was a ’34 Chev, 3-window coupe, which I channeled, removed the fenders, and painted green.

2 First car you worked on if not your own and what types of things did you do to it?

See my answer to Question 1.

3 Where did you grow up?

On the west side of Vancouver.

4 How did you become interested in cars?

I can’t really remember, except a pal of mine was interested and I used to read all the magazines he bought.

5 First memories of Hot Rods?

I guess from the magazines my pal bought and that I read.

6 What did your family drive, parents, uncles, grandpas etc?

My parents were poor; we had no car before WWII, and an old Chev when my dad bought it in 1946. One of my grandfathers had made a lot of money before the Depression, and he bought the very first Packard ever sold in Vancouver. As it was before my time, I never saw it – only some old photos of it.

7 Was your Dad into restoring cars?

No, he could only drive them.

8 Did your Dad approve, like, hate your love of Hot Rods/Customs?

He was okay with me and my cars, even helped me if and when he could.

9 Car Clubs you belonged to.

Having first been invited to join BCCCA, where some of my pals were members, I joined Igniters in 1957 mostly due to the fact that it was a smaller group, and I thought it would perhaps be friendlier. I was very active in the club and was awarded Honorary Member status for my involvement. As you probably know, there was another Association of car clubs besides the original BCHRA. It was the BC Timing Association, and it, too, was made up of a few dozen local car clubs including the Igniters. At one time, I was the president of the BCTA. During my term, I was contacted by someone from the NHRA in California.

It seems the NHRA decided to have a bigger presence throughout North America, they traveled to various cities and appointed many avid, active hot rodders in both small and large cities. Somehow, they got my name, and I was appointed the Area Advisor for this region. I’d love to say how important this position was, and tell you all the great and glorious things I did for the sport in my new role, but I can’t. As quickly as the NHRA got this program underway, the quicker they forgot about doing anything of note. It died on the vine; it died a slow death.

I was also a member of the local Sunbeam Tiger club for 24 years; a member of the Greater Vancouver Mustang Association; a member of the very small and local BC Cobra Club.

10 Did you ever race?

Yes, I drag raced my ’50 Merc for a few years. It had a S.C.O.T. blown flathead in it, so I ran in a class then called C/Gas Supercharged. There were very few cars in that class, so I had no trouble winning trophies at Bayview, Washington, which was the closest track in the late fifties, early sixties. As well, I raced at S.I.R. a few times, including Opening Weekend, at which I won my class.

I also used to slalom race one of my Tigers – the Wild One. These races were usually held on supermarket parking lots on Sundays.

11 Events you have traveled to as a car enthusiast, races and shows.

Wow, you’re testing my memory! I traveled south as far as L.A., and west as far as Denver. As well, many trips to small towns in Washington and Oregon.

12 Longest distance you have traveled in an enthusiast car (Hot Rod custom Muscle car etc)

I guess the longest trip I took in one of my cars was to Bonneville – 1960, as I recall.

13 Longest distance you have traveled to a race or car show towing a car?

I trailered my 1965 Sunbeam Tiger from Vancouver to Snomass, Utah, for three days of racing and showing. It was the 25th anniversary of the Tiger; 300 cars showed up there from all over the world.

14 What cool un-modified cars did you buy brand new or used over the years.

The cool ones? A 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk; 1957 Austin Healey; 1956 MGA; 1965 Ford 7 Liter (428”) Galaxie 2-door fastback; ‘01 BMW Z Roadster; ‘88 BMW M5 (one-of-150 in Canada); ‘04 Benz CLK 55 AMG.

15 What types of cars have you owned and built over the years

1934 Chev coupe; 1941 Chev coupe; 1950 Merc sedan; 1950 MGB; two Tigers – a wild ’65 and a tame ’66; and a hot 460 Ford powered Cardiac Cobra.

16 What types of cars are you planning to build/own in the future?

The last car on my list is a ’32 Ford roadster, which I have been wanting for a long time. As I write this, I am planning a trip east to see one that looks worth buying.

17 What type of work do YOU do on cars, chassis fabrications, body work, mechanical, wiring, etc.

These days, due to my age and the fact that I gave away all my tools and equipment six years ago, the work I do on my cars is limited to minor things, as well as cleaning and polishing.

18 A lot of the current members have been building cars since they got hooked as kids, but they also had other

hobbies and interests as well…what else did you do to pass the time?

The only hobby I had worth mentioning was salmon fishing, which I still do when the weather cooperates.

19 Crazy stuff you have done over the past….

You wouldn’t want to know, and besides that, my wife is reading this over my shoulder!

20 Crazy stuff you are planning to do in the future?

I’m about to start building a go-kart for my eight year old, car-crazy grandson; he says he’ll help me with it.

21 Are your kids, nephews/nieces and grandkids into cars…and if so what types?

My youngest son, father of my grandson, is into cars; he has a Lotus Elite.

22 What did you do for a living?

After college, I worked for a meat-packing firm until I was 32, then I became a stockbroker for an old Vancouver firm, retiring from it in 1991. Since then, I keep busy by training and coaching stockbrokers across Canada.