The 5 hottest rides from the 2019 Canadian Hot Rod Tour

Going out for a drive is fun. We all are on board with that. Going for a five-day road trip through two countries with 150 friends is even better, according to the group that passed through the Hagerty Garage last Saturday.

“Our slogan is drive a little or drive a lot, just drive,” said Frank Colgoni, the founder of the Canadian Hot Rod Tour. “We are welcoming to all cars and the 87 cars out here today really show the breadth of all the fun-to-drive vehicles out there.”

The group was on its third day of driving. Though it was an early start all the way in Saginaw, Michigan, they were all in great spirits with clean cars as they arrived to the Hagerty Garage for lunch in Traverse City. As the cars arrived and parked, we picked out a few of our favorites to share with you.

1932 Ford under the nickname Hotdog

You have to be bold to mix bright yellow and red when building a ’32 roadster, but in our eyes, this car pulls it off. It certainly can’t be overlooked in a crowd.

Patina’d 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline four-door

It might not be super modified, but the livery of this one cannot be replicated easily or quickly. I still don’t understand how surface rust can spread so evenly, but it must be nice to never have to worry about waxing it.

1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu

The first-generation Chevelle is often eschewed for the more popular second-generation cars and their factory big-block powerplants, but this Azure Aqua example just looks right sitting on classic five-spoke wheels.

1946 Ford pickup

This pickup’s paint caught my eye as it was turning into the parking lot, and I was lucky enough to get my camera lens pointed at it quick enough to snap this photo. I would have never picked pearl white for this truck, but the owner proves I always make bad choices when it comes to paint because this truck has the perfect character to pull off the bright color.

Frank’s 1932 Ford

This is the car that started the Canadian Hot Rod Tour back in 2007. Frank declared he would be finishing the car, which he started working on in 2005, in time to road trip across Canada with his wife Judy. From the stance to the interior, it is quintessential hot rod, and that makes it awesome. Frank obviously loves to drive it and didn’t even flinch when it started raining as everyone rolled out of the lot and headed north to the next stop. We need more drivers like Frank.