Feature photo – Left to right; Mark Daust who is the vice president of the Healey Club, George Dyke – president Citroën Autoclub Canada, John Burrows – president of the MG Club, and Duane Grady – president Ontario Jaguar Club.
The Citroën Autoclub Canada August monthly meeting in Toronto proved to be a diverse affair! Back in June, CAC president George Dyke was contacted by Duane Grady, newly elected president of the Ontario Jaguar Club about organizing a get-together. There is an age old rivalry between France and England and the thought was that some fun could be had with it. The goal wasn’t to do a re-enactment of the scenes from “Monty Pythons Holy Grail” or anything that.
Since the Citroën Autoclub already had a busy summer agenda and the Jaguar Club have never had summer meeting before (something Duane wanted to initiate), they concluded that joining the CAC for their August Meeting at High Park would be the best way to have a casual night of meeting another club and appreciating the cars. And no jokes about rust or Lucas electrics!
As soon as the meeting was announced with the Jaguar Club (billed as billed as the “New British Invasion”), the feedback as positive; “You know I like this idea, my mother had a 2 CV” or “Wow that’s great I’ve always loved Citroen’s” etc, etc.
Aside from the cramped parking, typical at High Park in the summer, there was an eclectic mix of Citroëns, (even a Maserati Khamsin) a slew of Jaguars and visits from the president of the Toronto MG Club and vice-president of the Healey Club. There was a lot social interaction and surprisingly strong interest in the Citroëns. George Dyke walked the Brits through a brief orientation to the engineering features of the Traction Avant, 2CV, DS and GS models that were in attendance.
Everyone thought the event when well, but the feedback confirmed it success. Responses like the following:
Thanks Duane for setting up the meeting with the Citroën Club.
Based on various conversations, I know we all enjoyed it a lot. Great presentation by the Club President with lots of technical detail.
I have lots of Citroën memories when I lived in Paris, and all of them had the wow factor. I remember a friend’s mom would pick us up at soccer (many many years ago) in a blue CX station wagon. The first time I sat in the third row, and looked way far forward at the road as we floated about, I thought “this is the coolest yacht ever!” I even had a little scale model of the car, and the same blue color. Then the various 2CV’s leaning during fast corners… being in the country side in a small gs (like the white one yesterday, but in a light green), and seeing the central lever raise the suspension… too many nice memories. I hadn’t thought about them in many years!
And one of my first memories of a cool car was the DS (21 or 23, not sure… I was about 3 years old). I still have the image engraved into my memory, the long tree-lined road in Rome, what angle I saw and how far it was, etc.
How about a CHIPS episode (I loved it when I was little). I can’t believe I only found it in Italian. Anyway, you’ll get the idea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWiRxHJHNWc
Thanks again Duane.
Rodrigo
Click here for a photo gallery of the evening taken by Bonnie Grady who is the Jaguar Club secretary as well as Duane’s car girl wife.
Rodrigo. (Young Rod is Jag Club VP.)