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Taking restoration to a new level

Jun 5, 2016 | 9:03 PM

Car enthusiasts really appreciate a good restoration job, especially when it is taken above and beyond.

Top-notch restorations were on display at Territorial Place Mall Saturday, June 4 for the Vintage Automobile Club’s Show and Shine. Owners were invited to bring their favorite cars, trucks and motorcycles out to be judged.

Owen Jeancart, co-owner of a body shop in Rosetown, brought an especially unusual restoration job to the Show and Shine.

It’s a 1929 Ford Model A restored to look like a B-17 Bomber, which was used in World War Two. Nicknamed the “Flying Fordtress,” it took Jeancart and those in his shop 800 hours to build.

“I’ve built a bunch of rat rods and I had to either one up myself or go home so this is what I came up with,” Jeancart said.

Jeancart takes the car all over North America to compete, entering it in six to eight big car shows a year. So far his biggest win was at RatCity Rukkus in Las Vegas, which is a show for cars like the “Flying Fordtress.”

“Unfortunately all you get are trophies,” he said. “There’s no money in building cars.”

At the Show and Shine Jeancart’s B-17 took home a special interest trophy.

“This isn’t really the type of show for this car,” he admitted. “The judges here are looking for more classic vintage restorations, so she didn’t fare as well as I hoped.”

Nearly 40 cars and 20 motorcycles competed for an array of trophies. Some of the categories were vintage cars, special interest and trucks, among others.

ghiggins@jpbg.ca            

On Twitter: @realgreghiggins