Like many people who enjoy summertime in the city cruising up and down the streets, Greg Charters doesn’t need any convincing. He’s a classic car guy with six beauts in the driveway.
It’s more than a passion; it’s practically his entire life. His garage is filled with memorabilia and tools. His young daughter even has her own sweet ride that she buffs to make sure it shines all the time.
Classic cars are indeed a family thing. It must be something in the blood.
“My dad was into cars, but cars weren't as much collector things 40 years ago. He had cars that would be at car shows now driving them daily in the wintertime,” he said. “I really like nostalgia and I really like knowing where we came from.”
This is just one of the many reasons why he’s been a member of the St. Albert Cruisers for two decades. He also loves the camaraderie of the club members and having the chance to relive so many grand automotive glory days with stylish wheels, rumbling engines, and having the kind of connection to the asphalt that you can only get in a car from a bygone era.
He understands that time has changed and that cars, for most people, are about getting from Point A to Point B.
“Of those people, how many have had the opportunity to drive a classic or special interest car? I think that if those people were to experience the pride of ownership, of driving down the road and having people wave and give them a thumbs up, or even strike up a conversation with them at a gas station when they are filling up, they would see that the driving experience is so much more than just Point A to B. There is a certain road feel that you cannot replicate in most modern cars where everything is computerized and assisted.”
To him and to most Cruisers, it’s not just a community. It’s a culture.
