Dusty Wheels rolls out vintage gems at indoor show
By Ian MacKay
An early fastback was one of the outstanding vehicles displayed by members of the Dusty Wheels Auto Club during their annual indoor show on Sept. 28.
Kim Sothman from Elrose was shown as the owner of the 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe 2-door Business Coupe that husband Trevor bought in the eastern United States around 15 years ago.
When they bought it, the coupe was “almost exactly” as it appeared at the Dusty Wheels show, Kim said. “The only thing we did on it: it used to have a bench seat, we put in buckets. That’s pretty much it.
Corral collection: Outstanding antique, classic and special vehicles from around the province, such as this mid-1950s Ford Fairlane and the late-1960s Ford Mustang fastback behind it, arrived for the “car corral” held in conjunction with the Dusty Wheels Auto Club’s indoor show. The vehicles filled the southern part of the AGT Centre parking lot and took up close to half the northern lot. Photo by Ian MacKay
Kim Sothman from Elrose poses with the 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe 2-door Business Coupe that she and husband Trevor own, during the 40th annual Dusty Wheels Auto Show on Sept, 28 at the AGT Centre. To the right stands Mel Swyryda’s 1953 Ford Coupe. Photo by Ian MacKay
“My husband saw it online,” she explained. “It looked really good and he made an offer and he got it. We got lucky - it was really good.”
They don’t drive it much, she said.
“We haven’t had it out for a really long time,” Sothman said. “We got it out for Elrose Homecoming (in late July). We had to put a new battery in it because it hadn’t been driven for so long. So it’s been kind of fun this year, but just for the last month.”
It’s been to Brandon and back, Swift Current and to Biggar twice, she said.
“A lady in Moose Jaw used it for a wedding vehicle,” she added. “She was friends with one of our daughters and she wanted a vintage vehicle and my daughter said, ‘We’ve got one.’ ”
“We have a lot of choice but this is one of my faves,” Sothman said. “It’s very loud, it’s very fast and it can be temperamental like old girls can be,” she said. “But it’s pretty good.”
The car club didn’t offer prizes this year as the show was, with one exception, restricted to members only because of the uncertainty that upgrades to the AGT Centre would be finished in time. The exception was a 1970 Mercury Marauder X-100 formerly owned by Merv Dawe, an original Dusty Wheels member, that Jim Angus from Harris now owns.
Other pre-Second World War vehicles on display included a 1929 Chrysler Series 50 Coupe and 1928 Chevrolet coupe, both owned by Duane Kidd, Bob Gardner’s 1929 Gardner, Bill Etter’s 1923 Ford T-Bucket, Barry Churchman’s 1928 Chevrolet Sedan, David Saville’s 1928 Ford Model A hot rod and Neil Mick’s 1936 half Chevrolet, half Ford rat rod.
Churchman, an original, continuous member of the club who organized the show, sounded pleased with the response.
He said that three Eliminators told him about the last time they’d staged an indoor show in Swift Current. It drew 15 cars and eight were Dusty Wheels vehicles, they reminded him.
“We said we’d never put on another car show, then you put on one that’s fantastic of members-only cars,” he said they told him. “Some of the guys are proud of their cars and they finally got a chance to put them in an indoor car show, which makes them very happy. It is amazing to come to a car show of members only.”
As for the members, “I honestly believe they were quite surprised that (their vehicles) looked so presentable in that type of atmosphere,” Churchman said.
“The car corral was fantastic,” he added. “The support we got from out-of-town clubs and true car guys was amazing.” Clubs were advised it was a members only show but that they would be “more than welcome to participate in the car corral,” he said.
“They all felt that they’d wanted to participate because it’s hard to believe that a small town can successfully put an indoor car show on for 40 years,” he said.
“The new cement and the rink atmosphere was fantastic,” Churchman added.