Car keeners enjoy hands-on demo

Car enthusiasts gathered last weekend at a new Comox Valley business for a hands-on demonstration.

Thirty-three members, representing five car clubs, were invited to Original Restorations Auto Body. They came from the Courtenay Old English Car Club, the Campbell River British Car Club, the North Island Cruisers, and the Campbell River and Courtenay vintage car clubs.

“Every little bit of this meeting was excellent. It was a pleasure to watch a skilled craftsman do his work,” said one participant. “It was the best and most worthwhile shop tour our clubs have ever done.”

Members were able to damage a fender with a two-pound hammer and then watch as it was straightened and shrunk back to its original state, Original Restorations owner Jim Stepan says in a news release. A sanding and polishing demonstration was also done on the quarter-panel of a recently restored 1970 Porsche 911.

While some members do body work on their own cars and were there to learn, others were just intrigued by the uniqueness of the shop and its owner, and are thrilled to have this level of expertise available to them locally, Stepan states.

“This was such a great time. It was truly fun sharing my skills with car enthusiasts,” says Stepan, whose work has twice been recognized in Porsche Club of America events - 1st Place 1996 Zone One Concours 356 class, and Best of Show Porsche Parade Banff 2005.

Original Restorations is a Concours (or “competition”) quality auto body shop that focuses on vintage automobile restoration. Their focus on originality makes them a unique and desirable service to car collectors on the Island – an area where there are over 40 car clubs and unlike the rest of Canada, a place where collectors can enjoy their vehicles year round.

For more information on this specialty shop or to book a demonstration for your car club, contact Original Restorations at (250) 338-7724, or check them out on-line at www.originalrestorations.com. And for more information about Vintage Auto Clubs, contact Brian Smith at btsmith@island.net.

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