How often does a historic vehicle event come along that is not only amazing fun for the participants but also great PR for the hobby? An event that promotes and celebrates the joy of owning historic vehicles while attracting others to the historic vehicle community by demonstrating exactly what these vehicles can do?
And to top it off, an event that’s right here in British Columbia?
The annual Hagerty Spring Thaw Adventure is just such an event.
Billed as a budget-minded driving adventure through British Columbia for pre-1979 touring and sports cars (no trucks or motorcycles), the “Hagerty Spring Thaw Classic Car Adventure” kick-starts the B.C. classic car season April 25-27.
Organized by Squamish Classic Car Adventures, this three-day, 1,200-kilometre (750-mile) road trip has grown in popularity so quickly that there is a waiting list to join the field of 60 participants.
In past years, most drivers have come from Alberta, British Columbia, Oregon and Washington, but some have travelled much farther.
John Calvin and his daughter Megan made the 2,000-mile roundtrip from Salt Lake City in a 1978 BMW 635 CSI Alpina. Another participant flew in from Florida, having had his car shipped to Seattle, and then drove to B.C. to participate in the event.
The Spring Thaw is not a race, but it’s still an adventure. For starters, the only information given prior to the event is the time and location of the starting point, and a detailed route book is distributed to drivers 15 minutes before the field departs on Day One. This year, the event starts in Squamish and concludes in Hope.
Spring Thaw drivers come from all walks of life, but they share a passion for driving historic vehicles.
This was clearly evident last year; among the amazing collection of vehicles that participated were a 1953 Aston Martin DB2, 1956 Porsche 356, two 1959 Alfa Romeos, a 1964 Porsche 356 Carrera 4-Cam and an array of “practical classic” marques such as BMW, Fiat, Lancia, Lotus, MG, Opel, Porsche, Saab, VW and Volvo, as well as at least five North American cars and a $1-million Bentley Continental Coupe.
How to best describe the energy and fun of the Hagerty Spring Thaw Classic Car Adventure?
First, try to imagine an annual reunion of some of your greatest car-nut friends. The vibe is welcoming and the adventure is exciting from the word go. Just pick a point on the map and drive.
Are you starting to get the picture?
Nigel Matthews is the director of sales and marketing for Hagerty Canada, LLC — Hagerty is the world’s largest specialist provider of collector car insurance and provides many resources that support the classic car lifestyle. Contact him at nmatthews@hagerty.com or visit hagerty.ca.
WIN A SPRING THAW SPOT
As the presenting sponsor, Hagerty Classic Car Insurance has secured the No. 2 door decal and is offering an opportunity to win a spot in the event.
To enter in the free contest;
1. Visit this page or hagerty.ca and look for Win a Spot in the Hagerty Spring Thaw Classic
2. Submit a short story (between 300-500 words) telling us about your car and why you would like to participate in a classic car rally – this one in particular.
Entries should be emailed to springthaw@hagerty.com no later than midnight PST April 5, 2014.
For full details of the event visit www.classiccaradventures.com and select Spring Thaw Classic
