For the members of the Brampton Street Rods car club, it will be just a short cruise down Airport Road to Toronto’s International Centre where, for the first time, these local hobbyists will be recognized as the Featured Club for the 7th Annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo presented by eBay Motors Canada. The show takes place April 29, 30 & May 1.
Started by a group of friends and custom car hobbyists in 1987, the Gateway Cinema complex was the weekly meeting place for what was than called Brampton Rod and Custom.
“We had to change our name because people thought we were a speed shop,” laughed original club member Brian Sargeson. “That’s when we became the Brampton Street Rods.”
Shifting locations for their weekly cruise-ins over the years, most recently, the hobbyists can be found in the Shoppers World Brampton location every Tuesday night throughout the summer. Some of their cruises attracting upwards of 200 vehicles.
“Our own club, we capped it off at 50 members. But as people moved away, the membership shrank,” noted Sargeson. “Currently, we have a dozen active members, which is a nice, comfortable number, and all of us have cars!”
Among their collection of classic vehicles – most of which will be appearing at the Motorama show – are a 1979, original owner, Pontiac Grand Prix, a 1955 Chevy that has appeared in the Performance World exhibitions, a 1955 Ford Pickup, a ’37 Ford, a ’74 Barracuda, the requisite ‘57 Chevy, a 1969 Chevrolet C-10 and a 1955 T-Bird belonging to Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame Inductee Dave Franks.
Not limiting their cruises to local destinations, many of the club members have travelled south of the border, making visits to Syracuse, Kalamazoo, Indianapolis, and the Detroit Auto Festival.
Continued Sargeson, “We enjoy spending time together and meeting with other car hobbyists from different areas. We’re a pretty tightly knit group. We are very family-oriented, and we really enjoy helping people from outside of the club.”
Activities that are a part of the Brampton Street Rods social gatherings include such things as a regular 50/50 draw benefiting the local Salvation Army Women’s Shelter, the Peel Region Knight’s Table Food Bank and the annual Cruising for a Cure car show in support of prostate cancer, and an end-of-season, casual club barbeque that attracts a wide assembly of passers-by.
“The pandemic has basically shut down our weekly cruise night. All of our activities and meetings are done via Zoom, but we’re confident that the worst is over,” concluded Sargeson. “And we can think of no better way to kickstart the new season than by celebrating at the Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo. Our guys are really excited to get back in touch with the fans of this classic car culture.”
Enhancing the display of Brampton Street Rods vehicles at Motorama will be a photo-archive of past Brampton Street Rods members, their vehicles and club events. And, as several members of the club are involved in the aeronautic industry, an attention-grabbing glider airplane will act as a sheltering parasol over the entire exhibit.
Commenting on the Brampton Street Rods coming to Motorama, the show’s car coordinator, Gary Challice, said, “The Brampton Street Rods are a long-running and respected car club and we’re pleased to have them as the Featured Club at this year’s show. They have great energy, great cars and they’re going to add a lot to the show.”
The Brampton Street Rods are one of more than a dozen car clubs participating with displays at Motorama. For show info or to be part of it, email info@MotoramaShow.com or call (416) 962-7223.
ABOUT THE MOTORAMA CUSTOM CAR & MOTORSPORTS EXPO: The seventh annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo Presented by eBay Motors takes place April 29, 30 & May 1, 2022 at The International Centre, across from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. The show features more than 300,000 square feet of custom cars, hot rods, racing vehicles of all kinds, tuners, displays and exhibitors. Motorama is Canada’s biggest late-winter celebration of automobiles and motorsports. For information about the show, including tickets, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more, call (416) 962-7223, email info@MotoramaShow.com or visit www.MotoramaShow.com.
