Five years ago when Sean Pritchard rented a car to drive to Southern Ontario in search of a VW Beetle for his wife Angie, he had no idea he was about to find the perfect 13th wedding anniversary gift.
He had prearranged viewings of six Beetles, and when he arrived in Barrie to inspect the first one on his list, all he knew was it was a ’67.
“It was under a cover, and when I flipped the cover, I immediately said: ‘Is it certified, will it run, and can I drive it back to Sault Ste. Marie today?’” Sean told SooToday.
What he found under that cover was a perfect replica of The Love Bug, a car made famous in the 1968 Walt Disney film of the same name.
With number 53 and racing stripes intact, Sean made the 10-hour drive back to the Sault in Angie’s anniversary present.
Ten hours because every time he stopped, Sean said, a crowd would gather around the vehicle as fans and aficionados snapped selfies with the ‘famous’ Beetle.
After wanting a Volkswagen Beetle for more than a decade, Angie said when Sean arrived at home with his new-found treasure, she was very surprised.
Surprised, pleased and very happy.
The Pritchard’s Love Bug was just one in a seemingly endless sea of interesting, classic, modified, and just plain cool vehicles showcased at Highland Ford Friday night for the Queen Street Cruise Car Show.
The evening also included a parade of classic cars from Highland Ford on Great Northern Road to the Essar Centre, and the Motorcycle Show and Shine at Reggie’s Tavern.
The inaugural two-day Queen Street Cruise wraps this evening at The Machine Shop as Bordertown Classics show off their custom rods.
Live music from Mojo and the Paul DellaVedova Band runs until midnight.
For more information about the Queen Street Cruise, please click here.
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