Friday, July 5, 2019
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Introduced as being the history, passion and talent behind the Northwest Deuce Days classic car show was Al Clark, featured at a Tourism Victoria media event to promote the 9th Northwest Deuce Days.
During July 18 to 21, Northwest Deuce Days will feature almost 1,400 cars around the Inner Harbour and on the BC Legislature grounds. That’s up considerably from 150 cars on display at the first show in 1998 at Kinsmen Gorge Park.
All the fuss is about cars built between 1932 and 1951, with special emphasis on 1932. The Deuce was built in 1932. The Deuce coupe won fame in the Beach Boys song Little Deuce Coupe, but Clark explained that Henry Ford made 14 models with big V8 engines, with the coupe being among roadsters, sedans, and pickups.
“As a lot of you know, I wasn’t going to do this anymore,” said Clark at the podium. “I’d had enough of it last time,” he said with regard to the sheer load of work it takes to mobile a free-admission public show of this kind, bringing car owner participants from around North America and beyond.
“Then Paul Nursey got a hold of me,” said Clark about Nursey who is the Executive Director of Tourism Victoria. Apparently Nursey had said: “We can’t let this go.” And so this year’s show follows three years after the 2016 show, with supports that make it possible.
“If it wasn’t for Victoria Tourism we wouldn’t be doing this,” said Clark. This time registration has been online which simplified that job tremendously. Registration opened May 1, 2018 and five weeks later was sold out at capacity with 1,200 cars. Then the City of Victoria gave the group some more area at Ship’s Point which allowed a waiting list of 160 cars to be included.
“Now we have up to 1,385 cars registered. That’s more cars than you’ll ever see in one day,” said Clark still himself with a bit of amazement about how the event has blossomed. Each registrant will get a customized event licence plate as a memento.
About 100 of those registrants are from the south Vancouver Island area, which means about 90% of show participants are heading to Victoria as tourists, which has got to be a big buzz for Tourism Victoria — a validation of their commitment to supporting Northwest Deuce Days this year.
One group of registrants is coming out of the San Francisco Bay area with 148 cars. “Just that one group. When I told them the date, they sold out the Grand Pacific the next day,” Clark told the 30 or so people gathered for today’s media announcement at the Hotel Grand Pacific on Belleville Street in downtown Victoria.
One fellow from New Zealand is coming in with the San Francisco group, who has shipped over his car from down below. Big clubs include the LA Roadsters, with all their vehicles to be on display near the bell tower at the Royal BC Museum. That club has donated to Victoria High School’s automotive shop for the last three shows; this year their donation will go to the Camosun College Automotive Technology Foundation.
“On July 18 some big-name car builders will be coming to Victoria from places likes Alabama, Colorado, Texas, and especially California,” said Clark.
Clark rattled off the names of some race car drivers who will attend the four-day Northwest Deuce Days event in Victoria July 18 to 21. On that list are Gary Beck, world champion drag racer; Jerry Ruth, known as ‘king of northwest’; and Indie car racer Danny Sullivan.
While most of the volunteers and car owners are themselves of vintage age, Clark says the Northwest Deuce Days demographic includes some younger people including a 16-year-old who is driving up to Victoria from the US with his dad. Travel appears to be no obstacle … an 87-year-old from LA is coming to the show. “Most of these people, esp from California, are well off. They don’t mind spending the money,” said Clark.
Cars will be grouped by vintage, with the 1932s in their own section, and another section with cars up to 1951. Just getting all those cars parked on Sunday morning ahead of a massive public audience arriving to view them — a massive effort that will start by 4 am and be done by 7 am — will require 90 volunteers. Over 150 volunteers are assisting with the full four-day show.
On Thursday July 18, one ferry load coming from Port Angeles will be all cars coming to Northwest Deuce Day. Clark and his team will meet them at the Belleville terminal at 1:45 pm and give them a rose to welcome them to Victoria. On Friday July 19 there will be three tours all at the same time, at Butchart Gardens, doing whale watching with Orca Spirit, and to Camosun College to see the automotive shop.
On Friday evening July 19 there will be a welcome social at the Hotel Grand Pacific. The Saturday July 20 ‘poker round’ starts at Clover Point and will make its way through every municipality. “The whole tour is 36 miles,” says Clark. In 2016 over 500 cars traveled the route. “It will be quite a show to see them driving around town.” In Langford on July 20 the cars will come along Goldstream Avenue between 10:30 am and 12 noon. Featured at the Saturday night gala at the Victoria Conference Centre will be six cars inside “to create a little atmosphere”.
“I’m a hot-rodder. But I appreciate all the cars. Vintage, and original,” said Clark who has built hot rods for a living for 25 years. He explained that long ago you’d find an old rusty car in field, head to the wrecking yard for junk parts, and from that create a jalopy. Today it’s about using brand new one-off parts, and bodies being hand-formed by master craftsmen. “And when finished they’re a rolling work of art,” said Clark.