5 Canadian-built vehicles to watch at Canada’s longest-running collector car auction
After a delay of four months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 46th annual Okotoks Collector Car Auction—Canada’s longest-running collector car auction—will be held September 18–19 in Calgary, Alberta … with real people in attendance.
While most auto auctions have been held online since mid-March, Okotoks will be take place at Calgary’s New Horizon Mall with bidders present. There will be a preview on Friday, September 18 from 6–9 p.m., local time, with the auction to follow on Saturday, September 19 at 10 a.m. According the Okotoks website, spectators will not be allowed.
At least five Canada-built vehicles have been consigned so far. Check out these uniquely Canadian rides below:
1966 Pontiac Parisienne Convertible
Full-size Canadian Pontiacs were built with Chevrolet chassis and engines, so you had Pontiac style without the Wide-Track underpinnings. This two-door convertible, painted butter yellow with white top and white interior, is powered by a 283-cubic-inch V-8. Its original owner bought it new and drove it until 1999, when she was 87. (The dog in the photo is, tragically, not included.)
1939 Pontiac Chieftain Opera
Built in Canada and sold new in Regina, Saskatchewan, this 1939 Pontiac two-door coupe was hot-rodded long ago and now carries a 350-cu-in V-8 in addition to black paint and red/black interior. Built on a GM B-body frame, it has coil spring suspension on all four corners, giving the car a smooth ride and great handling ability. It still has its original small folding seats in the rear.
1968 Chevrolet Chevelle
This 1968 Chevelle two-door hardtop comes with its original build sheet and GM Canada Heritage Letter. Painted red with a black top and back interior, it has plenty of muscle under the hood, with a 350-horsepower 396 big-block. Although the V-8 isn’t the Chevelle’s original mill, it comes with its original block. And despite the severely cropped auction photo, it does, in fact, have a grille and rear bumpers.
1966 Dodge/Fargo Power Wagon
For nearly four decades, from 1936–72, Chrysler sold light-duty trucks in Canada that looked a lot like their U.S. counterparts. Although early models had notable differences, later Dodge and Fargo pickup trucks were essentially the same—except, of course, for the badges and branding. This light green Fargo Power Wagon, which has definitely seen better days, possesses a 318-cu-in V-8 and is listed with this short description: “4×4, not a lot of rust, typical Alberta farm truck.”
1975 Bricklin SV-1
It’s difficult to talk about Canada-specific cars without mentioning the gullwinged Bricklin, so it’s appropriate that the Okotoks auction has one—and a beauty at that. The creation of Malcolm Bricklin, the “SV” in SV-1 stood for “Safety Vehicle,” and the company hyped the sports car’s tubular steel perimeter frame and robust bumpers, which could withstand a 12-mph impact far beyond the government’s novel 5-mph standard. The two-seat wedge has a fiberglass body and an American engine: a Ford 351W (Windsor) V-8 that was rebuilt in 2005, when an upgraded cam and Edelbrock four-barrel intake manifold were added. The owner has since had the seats recovered and has added new carpet, speakers, cruise control, heater, and Michelin P255/45/R17 tires. Fly, Bricklin, fly.
