Our car club has been tossing around the idea of having a web site built. As it happens, I was checking out KIRK's blog today and realized the quick and dirty way to get our history on the web is through a blog. This is the 53rd year of the Roadmates Car Club. I'll add more when time allows. Below is the blog if you're interested: http://36couper-roadmatescarclub.blogspot.com/
Great read Al, I spent many many many nights at that club house when I lived in Toronto....the Roadmates always had time to help me as a young kid trying to build a hotrod....I built a Duece Roadster with Duke several years ago...We built the whole car including the paint in that old dusty shop next to the club house...there was purple paint everywhere....But it was on the front row of the 50th Detroit Autorama and looked great....I have many fond memories of that club house....I just made myself home sick!!!!! John
......and Duke is still cranking them out at the age of 72. Building a '37 Buick 4 door convertible right now. Don is building a '50 Chev tin woodie. The shop is always full. Good to hear from you!
36Couper read you blog, recognized alot of the names. One time our club from WNY went to a show in Oshawa where my buddy Tom gave Gary Chalas a ride in my Morris Van. Tom knew Duke Brown and Reynolds and we stopped at the Roadmates Club House. We saw the place and then grabbed a beer and went outside where there was a bonfire. Well, we're out there for awhile and all of a sudden this one girl came over and was staring at us, she looked very drunk--or high. Then she just turned around faced the fire and proceeded to walk through the middle of it and out the other side. Tom said to me,"We better go now". And we were out of there! Did your Fiat happen to be the Karbelt car? Hey, are Mitch and Gladys (sp?) still up that way? First time I met him was at '71 NSRA Memphis Nats and he had enough Molson for everone!
I've heard the fire-walker story but it was before my time as a member. Mitch is alive and kicking! One of the coolest members of the club. The Karbelt Fiat was owned by Nick Minialoff. Legend has it it is still around the Toronto area. Nick eventually raced a couple of the factory produced, light weight Mopars. He flipped one on its roof in Montreal and he hung up the helmut after that. He now owns a Ridler contender and a modernized '59 Corvette. Duke and Tony also raced a Fiat with a Potvin blower. I'll add more to the blog later today.
I can really dig this stuff. I have spent some time at the Roadmates Beer Cooler too. Great bunch of guys, I need to get up there again for the corn roast. Say Hi to Daddy Duke, Mich, Donnie and the boys. The Grand Run is in Pigeon Forge this weekend. I would guess 5000 cars in town already. Later.
36couper--Just thought I'd post a picture of a couple of great running Canadian cars I took at Niagara. The Karbelt Fiat and Wills Fargo.
Well, I've bookmarked the site, so I can show Dal Middleton, since he doesn't have a computer. I'm trying to convince him, he needs one.
Brothers Brown Fiat engine was owned by Roger Miller from London, Ontario. It was the first Canadian car to make it to the NHRA finals.
Hey Al, thanks to you I've been at the club house and enjoyed a beverage too, nice blog. Maybe we should do something like that, we are at 32 years and not on the web.
The Jalopy Journal
