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( Guest writer, member of British Automobile Touring Association of Nova Scotia ) To say I was apprehensive, when Bob Forest asked me to show his MGA at the, GRAND GALA AUTOMOBILE de MONTREAL 1998 on Mount Royal, would be an understatement. The Forest's were committed to attend a wedding in Maine on that same weekend (Sept. 12th & 13th) and could not attend. Bob had just finished spending millions restoring his wife's (oh! You didn't know that?) 1961 MGA roadster to concourse condition, and the thoughts of driving this beautiful automobile through Montreal'' Friday afternoon traffic were to say the least unnerving. I did agree, however, and on Friday evening after removing the MGA from Bob's garage, under the watchful eyes of the neighbors, started the trip from Kirkland to the Chalet on top of Mount Royal. I was worried that the car might overheat in traffic, but quickly realized that the key fob covering the temperature gauge solved that problem. I decided to follow the lake shore to St. Patrick street and up Atwater to the mountain. Unfortunately a lot of the other motorists trying to avoid the evening disaster on highway 720 had the same idea thus the going was slow. While enroute, it seemed, every time I stopped where people were standing by the roadside, I was inundated with comments or questions about the car. Except for stalling the engine at the corner of Atwater and St. Catherine, an obvious mechanical problem (sure, sure) the journey was without incident. Once I figured out how to get to the Chalet, the MGA was skillfully directed to its place by his Eminence Richard Grenon, who threatened to tell Bob how I was riding the clutch. It bares mentioning that Richard was also a nervous wreck by this time; trying to direct all these beautiful automobiles to their spots amongst the people, bicycles, and dogs. Within two hours most of the cars were placed, cordoned off and ready for the night. Time to head home for a well deserved rest. Saturday morning arrived with a bang as fierce thunder, lightning, and wind storm descended on the city. The rain stopped about nine AM and I started my walk to the chalet at the top of those 208 stairs. When I got to the top I found Richard as well as some of the other organizers running around folding tents and drying off the cars, and with weather ever threatening I proceeded to prepare the MGA for the days audience which were also the judges. At ten AM the gates were opened to the public and within seconds I was approached by a lady of obvious British origin who told me of her experiences with an MGA in the early 60's. This was just the beginning, and the questions and comments seemed to never end. In spite of the poor weather hundreds of people streamed in to admire this beautiful exhibition of automobiles and art. The show featured everything from a 1904 Oldsmobile to a 1972 Ferrari Dino as well as automobile art by well know artist such as Alain Levesque, Marco Benjamin and Ghislaine Paquette. During the day, I had occasion to meet many of the car owners who I joined that evening at the cocktail party and auction held in the Chalet du Mont Royal for the benefit of the Musee de L'automobiliste, another raving success. Sunday morning I once again climbed those 208 steps to the site that would take the breath from anyone, car nut or otherwise. The weather was beautiful and the site of all those beautiful cars under their multicolored tents, set against the Montreal skyline was something else. Within minutes of my arrival the crew directed by Richard Grenon started preparing for the days events, and at 10 AM the public started streaming in. The numbers were unbelievable, one estimate I heard was 15,000+ and that sounds conservative. My second task of the day, the first being another polish job on the MGA, was to fill out the ballet for participants choice. This was by no means an easy job, and I found myself going back and forth between different cars to make my decisions. When 3 PM rolled around it was time for the presentations. In addition to the 1938 Lagonda winning Public choice over all and the 1912 Ford winning most original, it came as no surprise to me that Bob's, I mean Helen's MGA won the prize for the best 60s car and I was very proud accepting the beautiful trophy on her behalf. The show ended at four and I headed for Kirkland where I was greeted by Bob and Helen who, should I say, were over the moon with the news of their win. In conclusion I would like to thank Bob and Helen Forest for the privilege of taking their beautiful MGA to the show. I would also like to thank Richard Grenon and his team for making my participation in this world class event, something to remember, and I am sure I speak for all the participants. Comment by Bob Forest: I want to thank Gerry Hull for taking the MGA to this great event. I did not recognize Gerry on my return, as he has lost over 100 lb. from climbing those 208 stairs! |