Ah yes… "Evening on Peel Street".
I believe it was I that coined this phrase in a past
issue of our beloved publication (Autosiaste vol.
22 no. 3 Oct/99 page 20). And it was, an evening of
sights, polished enamelled panels and chrome, as well
as an endless parade of beautiful ladies in the heart
of downtown Montreal during Formula One week-end.
In passing, the economic fallout from the Air Canada
Grand Prix (estimated at 100 million dollars) makes
it the most profitable event that is held in Montreal
during the course of the year.
Taking place under a seemingly threatening
sky, this year's gathering of the VEA, Austin-Healey
Club and BMW on Peel Street proved yet again to surpass
the previous years. BMW occupied Peel between Ste-Catherine
and De Maisonneuve, while the curb between De Maisonneuve
and Sherbrooke was occupied by the rest. I must say
that the cars in attendance were in my opinion the
finest examples of what the VEA has to offer, as well
as being an excellent cross-section of our club, with
every nation being well represented. And with such
a well-mannered (and ample) crowd on hand, the only
damage our cars sustained was a few stray fingerprints
or side mirror bumped out of position.
So here we are…on Peel…on
a Saturday evening…no rain…during Grand
Prix weekend…what to do?
As is now customary, the Montreal
Athletic Association graciously offered the
VEA members a complimentary drink. So some of us bellied
up to the MAA's
(English pub style) bar. If you were to stroll (or
push your way through the crowd) in the BMW section
of Peel, chances are that you would find (former Ferrari
driver and now BMW director) Gerhard Berger and (F1
driver) Ralf Schumacher, lights, giant screen and
flash pods, as well as late model BMW's accompanied
by BMW models. If your delights were of a gastronomic
nature, then this part of town surely did not disappoint,
with restaurants on hand to satisfy every palette
and (almost) every budget. While most VEA members
were off to dine at The Drummond, yours truly decided
to try Japanese delectables at Mikasa. Not only was
the sukiyaki (I just love saying that) good, Mikasa's
location allowed us to keep an eye on our cars while
eating. My only complaint was the absence of Fugu
(poisonous blow fish) or giant squid on the menu.
As in the past, there is always one
car that grabs my attention, but not necessarily in
a positive manner. During the course of the evening,
a 2002 Maserati Spyder (sporting an X-plate and Ferrari
Quebec license frame) parked itself in front of the
MAA.
It seemed quite impressive up close, but taking two
steps back I noticed the car taking on a more bland
and dare-I-say generic allure. Granted, the front
of the car is a pleasure to look at with its traditional
front grill, but the designers at Italdesign seemed
to have lost inspiration and took a safe predictable
route with the rest of the car. I won't even dwell
on the interior or the lack of a traditional shifter…or
the fact that this car is too quiet. I know that some
people will want to boil me in oil, but you can take
this as merely the opinion of one man for whom political
correctness is not his forté. And if you really
want to see me get nasty…ask me what I think
of the Coupe.
All criticism aside, I took great enjoyment
in simply hanging around my car and trading Fiat-related
anecdotes with people from the four corners of the
globe. As well as the usual European and American
tourists, there were people from various parts of
Asia, Japan and South America. It almost makes me
want to say "Who needs to travel? Just wait for
the Canadian Grand Prix and have the world come to
you!"
Cheers go out to our benevolent president,
for yet again another successful outing (or parking).
And on that note…à l'année prochaine.
P.S. If people wish to change my opinion
on the 2002 Maserati Spyder, a nice (subtle hint)
test drive can make all the difference.
