Inducted into the hall

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

It’s a historic first, and for the Motor City Car Club, it came out of nowhere.

In a gala on Oct. 22, the Oshawa-based group of hot rodders became the first car club to be inducted into the Canadian Street Rodding Hall of Fame, joining a list of dedicated individuals who have contributed to the development of the hobby of street rodding.

“It’s an honour,” says Gary Challice, a founding member of the club. “This came totally out of the blue to us…we weren’t even aware that we were nominated.”

Formed as an offshoot from the Canadian Street Rod Association, the hall of fame has been inducting nominees since 1994.

“The Motor City Car Club are a group of lifetime street rodders and dedicated car guys who has been instrumental in growing the hobby through their active participation and leadership both in the hobby and in their community,” reads a news release from the hall of fame.

Challice himself was inducted into the hall of fame in 1997, joining a list of distinguished individuals

“Anybody in the industry would pretty well know those people if they’ve been hot rodding for a while,” he says.

Widely known for its efforts putting on the annual hot rod exhibition Autofest at Oshawa’s Lakeview Park, the Motor City Car Club has been thriving in the city since  the 1950s and giving back in many ways.

The club was born from the merging of two similar groups: the Kontinentals Rod and Custom Car Club and the Igniters Rod and Custom Club, both of which called the Oshawa area home. The pair of clubs, through discussions inside both clubhouses, were able to reach an agreement on a merger.

In 2009, the club celebrated its 50^th anniversary. This year marked the 23^rd year of the annual festival, and according to Challice, the club has no plans of slowing down.

“We’re going as strong now as we ever were,” he says. “We’ve got some young guys and we hope that that continues on for a number of years.”