2020-02-20

BRANTFORD’S PISTON PUSHERS WILL BE THE FEATURED CAR CLUB AT THIS YEAR’S TORONTO MOTORAMA SHOW

BRANTFORD'S PISTON PUSHERS WILL BE THE FEATURED
CAR CLUB AT THIS YEAR'S TORONTO MOTORAMA SHOW

March 13, 14 & 15, 2020 at Toronto's International Centre

TORONTO, ON // FEBRUARY 18, 2020 • In the lead-up to the Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo, each year, car show co-ordinator Gary Challice and the Motorama team discuss and determine which car club will be recognized as the 'Featured Club' at the show.

"We consider all of the established clubs; the ones that have a reputation for supporting the car club culture," explained Challice. "We also look at special anniversaries, the ages of the clubs and their contributions to their communities. And based on all the factors, we decide which one will be the Featured Club at Motorama."

For this year's show, which takes place March 13, 14 & 15 at Toronto's International Centre, the Brantford, Ontario-based Brantford Piston Pushers will enjoy the designation of being the 2020 Featured Club at Motorama.

Reacting to the news, the Brantford Piston Pushers spokesman Gary Graham said, "The Brantford Piston Pushers brag that we are the oldest, fastest and biggest car club in Canada. We were registered in 1954 and have been based out of Brantford ever since. Present-day, we are primarily a social club with 125 members."

Founded in 1954, the Piston Pushers have had a profound effect on the Southern Ontario drag racing scene, playing an instrumental role in the opening and running of the first drag strip in Canada, Kohler Dragway, now known as Cayuga Dragway at Toronto Motorsports Park.

Additionally, the club's founding president, Don Douglas (who remains a member to this day) and founding member Larry Rook, purchased the first timing tree in Canada. The club's members were also among the first to build and race with flathead Ford power. Over the years, club members held numerous records at Kohler Dragway.

"This year, we're celebrating the second decade of our annual 'Remember When' cruise, a mobile car show we hold in Brantford every June."

At Motorama, the Piston Pushers will have 16 vehicles on display in their unique, interactive, U-shaped display, including cars from past members like Ron Lush's 1940 Plymouth Coupe, Tim Turvey's Hemi-powered 1929 Model A and Charlie Haviland's 1923 Bucket T Altered.

Additionally, the club will have its 1949 panel truck and custom trailer in the centre display, which features a 3/4-scale version of the club's old clubhouse sign. Adjacent will be a pair of Chevys (a 1955 and a 1957), lined up 'side-by-side' in front of the original Kohler Dragway 'Christmas Tree.' The booth will also feature a 1957 GMC pickup truck sporting in excess of $120,000 worth of modifications.

"The theme of our display is 'Memory Lane.' We're quietly celebrating our 65th anniversary; our display will be dedicated to past members who have come and gone," continued Graham.

The Brantford Piston Pushers have built a strong reputation for supporting the local community, working with Brantford-area charities like the Lansdowne Children's Charity and the Brantford Food Bank. The club also puts on an annual Christmas basket program for local people in need.

"The more money we have, the more we give," added Graham.

Although the Brantford Piston Pushers will be feted as this year's featured car club, they will not be alone at the show as nearly a dozen other clubs will be represented throughout the show.

Among the other car clubs expected to be on hand in Hall 2 are (in alphabetical order): the Brampton Street Rods, Corvette Club of Durham, Durham Region Mustang Club, Highway 11 Cruisers, Ontario Camaro Club, Ontario Vintage Mopar and the Turbo Buicks of Southern Ontario in Hall 2. In the Hall 4 Mayhem room, The Infidels, The Lead Kings, The SOBs, The Hellions and The Don River River Rats will have vehicles in club displays.

"We're very happy to welcome the Brantford Piston Pushers as the Featured Car Club at the 2020 Toronto Motorama show," said Gary Challice. "We're also very excited about the other clubs that are coming to the show. Showgoers can expect to see great variety and amazing equipment. We're also looking forward to seeing some neat club displays."

 

ABOUT THE PISTON PUSHERS: Founded in 1954, the Brantford Piston Pushers are celebrating their 65th anniversary during the 2019-2020 calendar year. The club was a founding member of the first full-time drag strip in Canada, Kohler Dragway, which remains open to this day under the name Toronto Motorsports Park. Over the years, club members have held numerous drag racing records at Kohler Dragway and remain an important part of their local community through charitable efforts and the club's annual 'Remember When' cruise around Brantford each June.

 

ABOUT THE MOTORAMA CUSTOM CAR & MOTORSPORTS EXPO: The fifth annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo takes place March 13, 14 & 15, 2020 at The International Centre, across from Toronto's Pearson International Airport. The show features more than 330,000 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.

 

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WORLD-CLASS AUTOMOTIVE ARTIST RON GIBBS TO PRESENT ‘PANEL JAM’ AT TORONTO MOTORAMA SHOW



WORLD-CLASS AUTOMOTIVE ARTIST RON GIBBS
TO PRESENT 'PANEL JAM' AT TORONTO MOTORAMA SHOW



March 13, 14 & 15, 2020 at Toronto's International Centre



 

TORONTO, ON // FEBRUARY 20, 2020 • The sixth annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo will feature a unique presentation by acclaimed automotive artists Ron Gibbs of Burlington, Ontario, Danno Drouin of Brantford, Ontario and Guelph, Ontario's Rollie Guertin. The trio will be combining their skills to create three distinct panels – in real-time – at Motorama. The show takes place on March 13, 14 & 15 at the International Centre, across from Toronto's Pearson International Airport.

Dubbed, 'Panel Jam,' Gibbs, Drouin and Guertin will be pinstriping three black canvases on Saturday and Sunday in Gibbs' booth near the Pinty's Stage. Drouin and Guertin will also have their own individual booths featuring their award-winning artwork in the 'Mayhem' room (Hall 4).



"For the past 20 years, I've done demonstrations in airbrush and pinstriping, like this, at the SEMA Show for companies like House of Kolor and Sherwin-Williams," said Gibbs. "And I've known Danno and Rollie for years; they're friends of mine and are well-known as two of the best pinstripers in Canada."

Additionally, Gibbs will be producing a painting of the show's featured celebrity guest, Chip Foose, which will be auctioned off for charity on the Pinty's Stage just prior to the announcement of the Motorama Grand Champion on Sunday afternoon.

"That's a pretty big deal for me," said Gibbs. "I've known Chip for a long time and produced artwork for him over the years. I'll begin painting it about a week before Motorama and then finish it at the show. It will feature Chip and some of his most iconic cars."

Gibbs is an airbrush artist, custom painter and proud Canadian with more than 45 years of experience and is recognized as one of the top airbrush artists and pinstripers in the world.


"I've always been an artist and car guy at heart, and I've transitioned from working primarily on cars to also doing automotive-based artwork as well," said Gibbs, who acquired the moniker 'CdnRatFink' many years ago when an author of a car magazine story compared him to Ed 'Big Daddy Roth,' the legendary automotive artist, custom car builder and creator of the 'Rat Fink' character known throughout the automotive world.

Gibbs' custom paint work has won awards at some of the most prestigious custom car, truck and motorcycle shows in Canada and the United States, and has custom painted more than 25 vehicles for companies and manufacturers like Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Mercedes and Iwata, many of which have been featured at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada. His work has been seen on the covers of many automotive, truck, motorcycle and art enthusiast magazines.



In 2018, Gibbs earned the prestigious 'Painter Award' at SEMA, which is considered one of the highest honours in automotive custom painting. He was also handpicked by Asset Iwata to be part of the 'Air Affair Group' in Salt Lake City, Utah, consisting of 12 of the best airbrush artists and custom painters in the world.

"That was a real honour for me as I was the only Canadian in the group," said Gibbs. "The largest airbrush / custom paint gallery in the world is in Salt Lake City at Asset Iwata and it's amazing to have my work displayed in such a world-renowned gallery."

           Additionally, Gibbs' work has appeared on television shows like Counting CarsBitchin' RidesIron ResurrectionChop Cut RebuildDream Car GarageHolmes on Homes and The Rick Mercer Report. On the motorsport side, Gibbs has produced artwork for the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame, and NASCAR teams like Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Racing and Hendricks Motorsports.

 

ABOUT RON GIBBS: Burlington, Ontario-based Ron Gibbs, dubbed the 'CdnRatFink' is a proud Canadian and one of the most sought-after automotive artists in the world. His award-winning work has appeared on numerous magazine covers, in popular television shows, at every major automotive show in Canada and the United States and in some of the most prestigious art galleries in North America. In more than 45 years as an automotive artist, Gibbs has worked with legends in the custom car industry, including Chip Foose, and earned the one of the highest accolades an automotive artist can earn when he won the Painter Award at the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

ABOUT THE MOTORAMA CUSTOM CAR & MOTORSPORTS EXPO: The sixth annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo takes place March 13, 14 & 15, 2020 at The International Centre, across from Toronto's Pearson International Airport. The show features more than 330,000 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.

 

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