Imagine some of Western Canada’s best custom cars and hot rods parked on a front lawn of a museum-like residence on a summer day. Funk’s Garage on Fraser Valley acreage an hour east of downtown Vancouver is unique. Hank Funk with wife Elaine, founders of Cap-It International, a successful truck accessory and outdoor adventure chain of stores, have a dream garage at their rural Abbotsford home.
Inside the garage decorated with period neon signs and memorabilia are early 1930’s hot rod roadsters and coupes along with vintage motorcycles, custom cars and early pickup trucks. What started as a small gathering of car friends has turned into an annual picnic with the owners and builders of west coast dream machines. It’s like a formal car show with trophies, but it’s not formal. Just a group of enthusiasts celebrating excellence in the car hobby while sharing cold drinks, chili and barbecued hotdogs.
The top honour of the day went to Walter White’s freshly restored 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport glistening in jet black with its 409 cubic inch big block engine and four-speed transmission. A deep green 1958 Porsche 1500 speedster in magnificent condition was a runner up. B.C. Hot Rod Association president Keith Biddlecombe received a trophy for his olive green 1932 Ford roadster sans fenders which is everything a traditional hot rod can be. And Peter Ouimet was recognized for his 1931 Rolls Royce ‘woodie’ shooting brake station wagon with modern General Motors running gear and sumptuous brown leather interior.
Members of the Abbotsford Police Department displayed their 1964 Chevrolet Biscayne police car powered by its original 396 cubic inch engine that was restored from the ground up through donations and help from community businesses and supporters. Local car collector Garry Cassidy displayed his customized metallic orange 1953 Pontiac ‘woodie’ station wagon. The most unusual car displayed was a Derham-bodied 1946 Chrysler limousine that once conveyed millionaire John D. Rockefeller Jr. through the streets of Manhattan.
Elvis, embodied by Steve Elliot, entertained the 100 guests at Funks’ Garage. But the real showstopper was the 1933 Ford coupe being built by Hank Funk, who is an internationally recognized artist. His garage is where art, design and engineering come together. So far, 3,500 hours have been spent over the past three years to hand craft his 1933 Ford coupe as a tribute to the Bonneville dry lake racers that set speed records on the sand with their cut down cars in the late 1940’s The project will take another year to complete.
Funk’s chopped and dropped Ford coupe is powered by a 1940’s Lincoln V12 engine with vintage speed equipment including high compression heads and triple carburetors. The most compelling feature is what’s called the track nose – a custom aerodynamic front with a hand-built grille assembly. This literally took months to fabricate by first building a wooden buck and then hand forming the aluminum shell and then the grille.
This is what takes place at Funk’s Garage where the art and history of hot rodding and custom cars continues to be celebrated.
Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and a partner in a Vancouver-based public relations company. [email protected]
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