On June 30 approximately 25 older English cars will arrive in Nakusp to join in the Canada Day Celebration and Nakusp’s 120 Anniversary.
Nakusp is the sixth stop on a 12-day tour of southern B.C. This tour of 2,300 kilometres, or 1,450 miles, involves 40 hours of actual driving. Beginning in Vancouver, we will be stopping in Hope, Osoyoos, Kaslo, Kimberley, Revelstoke, Nakusp, Kelowna, Kamloops and Pemberton before returning to our various homes.
The ‘owners’ of these cars do not consider that they actually ‘own’ these cars, but rather that they are the ‘custodians’ or ‘caretakers’ of the car. They have paid the previous ‘custodian’ for the priviledge of assuming the care and preservation of the car until the time comes to pass the car along to the next caretaker. It must be noted that when the time comes to pass the car along, rarely is the sum paid enough to cover the costs of restoration/preservation; the return on investment comes in the enjoyment one has had with the car, this being Priceless!
What better way to enjoy the car than to go on a long drive with friends and tour our beautiful province. Hence the Brits ‘Round BC Tour. A large part of the enjoyment of a tour is the sharing of our cars and experiences with the people in small towns such as Nakusp.
Of the cars you will see, the oldest is a 1954 Austin Healey and the newest a 1984 Lotus Super 7. Sadly, of the once mighty British Automobile Industry, only Morgan, of which there are three examples, remains in British ownership by the original owners, the Morgan family. All the other makes you will see have been out of production for decades, and even such stalwarts of the British Empire, Rolls Royce and Bentley are foreign owned, (German as in Volkswagen and BMW). What you will see is a somewhat rare collection of the past.
We hope you will enjoy seeing our cars as much as we enjoy joining your celebrations.