For the past 13 years Cecil Furlotte and his son Vince have indulged the passions of  men of all ages for some of the ultimate boy toys: vintage automobiles.

The annual spring event always falls on the day before Father’s Day and draws enthusiasts from Calgary, Edmonton and Hinton to show off cars from an era when Detroit designers took their inspiration from sharks, space travel and aircraft .

There were new cars as well, and Vince didn’t move far from his latest love, a 2008 Shelby Mustang, powered by a 5.4 litre, 32- valve super-charged engine that generates 540 horsepower. 

“It gets to the speed limit very easily,” he says. With just 600 km on the odometer, he has “not a clue” as to the car’s fuel economy.

Cecil has been collecting cars since 1976. A 1974 Buick was his first. He has 23 in all; including 11 in a warehouse awaiting restoration.

“I’ve always liked old cars, especially the  57’s,” he says, surveying the fleet of gleaming rides in show-room condition. “The Dodge, the Pontiac, are from 1957; the Desoto from 1959 and Corvette 75.”

All of the rides are stock, “except for the Dodge which has a 354 Hemi in it: You can bury the needle pretty easy,” he grins.

The small parking lot on Patricia Street was packed with cars representing Detroit’s big three, and American Motors Corp., one of the last of the small manufacturers.

“It’s a fun hobby,” says Gerry Joly, a member of the American Motors Car club, from Calgary and Edmonton, who make the trip to Jasper every year.

Club members drove eight cars to an international meeting of AMC owners in Denver last year and returned with seven trophys. 

His “baby” is an AMC Rebel, one of the original “muscle cars” that was made for just one year – 1970.  “It’s the second one I’ve owned. Everything is original. I baby it a little more than the first one – maybe because I’m a bit older.”