Tag Archives: Ford

2012 Spring Mudfest at Gopher Dunes

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This past weekend, I had the opportunity to spend a beautiful afternoon at Gopher Dunes in Courtland, Ontario attending the 2012 Spring Mudfest event. With over 400 trucks competing in three different mudbogs and trail sections it was a sight to see and hear. As spectators, you are able to get very close to the action which is not for the faint of heart as experiencing these trucks first hand is truly a very visceral experience.

Who says a Pontiac Fiero and Chevy Camaro are not suitable for the mud?

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From the pint sized, four cylinder Suzuki Samurai’s, through to Jeeps of all kinds, Toyota 4Runners, Hummers and full size 4 x 4’s from decades ago, Mudfest attracts all types of enthusiasts to test their skill in the muddy farmland of Southwestern Ontario.

Here is an assortment of the machines at this year’s event.

1980s K5 Chevy Blazer

Chevy and Ford lined up and ready to go –

Heavily modified purpose built mudder

And don’t forget the Rednecks…

Having attended twice now, the one thing that still surprises me is the broad appeal of Mudfest. For example, some people roll up in their shiny new daily drivers while others bring their well used SUV’s and there are also the folks who come with their fire breathing custom fabricated mud slingers on trailers to be thrashed about for the afternoon.

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It really is a special event and worth experiencing if you are interested in trucks of any kind. Although trucks and 4×4’s are designed to be used and abused in the mud the reality is only 15% of them ever experience any type of off-road use so to witness them in action doing what engineers designed them for is enlightening. For more information about Mudfest, be sure to check out the Gopher Dunes page on Facebook.

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Toronto Spring Classic Car Auction

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I recently had the opportunity to check out the Toronto Spring Classic Car Auction held at the International Centre. Over the years, I have come to this show to experience the sights and sounds of the classic car scene in action and to keep informed on local prices. Attending in person, is quite the visceral experience as being up close with these vintage machines as they fire up their V8 engines to go up on the block is as close to Barrett- Jackson’s as you can get in Toronto.

I vividly remember the auction in the early 2000s and seeing top quality cars including; matching number Chevelles, 60s Corvettes and Mopar’s such as Chargers, Challengers and Javelins all rolling off the block in the range of 75K-80K and for the trailer queens you would see upwards of 100K bids. Well, those days are definitely over, and the new era is far more realistic and more interesting as there are now bargains to be had for anyone with cash.  Overall, prices of classic cars and trucks are down significantly since the peak in the Fall of 2007 before the global recession really took hold. For the full details of what things sold for check out final sales data. And with the added meltdown of the US economy and housing market over the past few years, far less US buyers are attending these types of Canadian events which has dramatically lowered overall values.

One local dealer who sells a tonne of cars at the auction is Segal Motorcar Company. They always bring some of the cleanest and most pristine high end exotics to the auction block including Porsches, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Maseratis and the odd Bentley.

Here are some of the highlights from the auction.

The next one is scheduled for October and is a must attend event if you are into classic cars.  And if you are lucky enough to be in a position to purchase one, just remember to bring your chequebook because for sure, there’s something for sale that would look great in your driveway.