Before every car show starts billing itself as a ‘season closer‘ a big collaborative meet was organized under the JDM Central banner. A spot in North York near Allen Rd and Hwy 401 provided a soundproof spot. The noise of the highway drown out any engine revving.
Clubs involved in the meet included GTA Redlines, 905streetkings and UnculturedCars promising a diverse bunch of vehicles. This was a JDM meet, hut there were Euro cars and American muscle everywhere. A 3rd gen Supra parked next to a Subaru WRX represented the far east contingent, while an Audi S4, BMW M5 and even a Porsche 911 represented the best of European rides.
Anybody can walk into a dealership and plunk down a deposit on a new BMW, but classic cars are getting harder to find. A turn-of-the-century Ford Mustang with Lambo doors drew attention. So did an ultra-clean VW GTI from the early ’90s. Demaras Racing’s classic Synthwave SVX was not the oldest car at the meet; that title went to an ’89 BMW 635 CSI in champagne. Simply lovely.
For a rare treat, there was actually another Subaru SVX at the meet. This one was a ’95 in burgundy, bone stock, and needing some TLC. Still looked cool though. And the owner had big pans about an engine swap, manual transmission conversion, and all kinds of lofty goals. But for now, he was still satisfied to enjoy it as a daily driver to school each day
There’s always a chance that the crowd will be unruly, and the police will shut down the meet. So beforehand, the SVX was part of a photoshoot outside of the Times Square Diner on Wilson Heights Blvd, just a few clicks from the Billy Bishop Blvd car meet location.
The old Greek guy who owned the diner was only too happy to leave the neon sign on for an extra hour, and enjoyed the neon underglow on the late model BMW M5 and retro Subaru SVX.
After the meet there was an endless cruise. First to Yorkdale Mall where the neon signs provided incredible reflections on the shiny cars, then later to a west end Etobicoke locations, and finally back to the east end for a midnight burger at Johnny’s. A great Saturday night out.