COURTNEY McCLURE The Standard
SCUGOG: Get ready and rev your engines for the annual Brits on the Lake Classic Motoring Revival in downtown Port Perry.
After a three-year absence, the British classics are returning to the streets of Port Perry, so mark your calendars for Sunday, July 30th and join the car show on Queen Street. The show starts promptly at 9 a.m. and will end around 4 p.m. later that afternoon.
The organizer of Brits on the Lake, Bob DeShane, born and raised in Port Perry but is now a resident of Lindsay, shared that the British classic car show gathers many people each year. In 2014, there were about thirteen-thousand visitors.
According to Mr. DeShane, the community should check out Brits on the Lake for many reasons. “Downtown Port Perry is the perfect spot to host the British car show because the historic buildings make an excellent backdrop,” said Mr. DeShane.
During the car show, attendees see cars they haven’t seen before. The show may invoke nostalgic memories for people who may recognize some British classic cars like the MGB, Triumph and Jaguar.
“They can say, ‘I had one of those cars,’” explained Mr. DeShane. “There’s a lot of nostalgia tied up in seeing the cars and even smelling them.”
According to Mr. DeShane, British classic cars smell different than other classic cars. Some British classics smell like leather and wood.
Attendees who have visited the show in past years also get to reunite with old friends who they may not have seen since the last time the car show was held. “British car people have the ability to make great friends that last for a long time,” said Mr. DeShane.
British cars are loved and cared for in many countries worldwide, according to Mr. DeShane.
“Our vets came back having established a love for British cars when they were in England, waiting for D-Day,” said Mr. DeShane, explaining how British classic cars became so popular among Canadians.
British classic cars also formed the “basis” of road racing.
He developed an interest and love for British classic cars because he has been around them for many, many years. And he owns a few of his own.
“It’s nice to see [British classic cars],” said Mr. DeShane, “but it’s the people who own them that make [the cars] special.”
Mr. DeShane would also like to extend a thank you to the community for hosting Brits on the Lake after a three-year hiatus. He’d especially like to thank the businesses in downtown Port Perry.
This will be the 12th anniversary of Brits on the Lake, and Mr. DeShane hopes to see old and new fans.