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Good Times roll at record-setting Langley car show

More than 1,200 collector vehicles attract crowd of 65,000 along two-kilometre stretch of Fraser Highway

Alyn Edwards
Sep 18, 2021  •  September 23, 2021  •  3 minute read  •  Join the conversation
The Rio Red 1958 Chevrolet Impala — just one of many, many sweet collector and classic cars at the show — has all the extras.
The Rio Red 1958 Chevrolet Impala — just one of many, many sweet collector and classic cars at the show — has all the extras. Photo by Alyn Edwards

The Vancouver-area car show season essentially began and ended on one day – last Saturday (Sept. 21), the day of the Langley Good Times Cruise-in. The only other major show in Metro Vancouver was to be the BC Custom Car Show to be held next month at the TRADEX Centre in Abbotsford in October. It has been cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions.

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The Langley show saw a record 1,200 collector vehicles displayed along nearly two kilometres of the Fraser Highway that was closed off through Aldergrove for the day. The event drew an estimated 65,000 people. Good Times’ president Riccardo Sestito says the show has been an annual event since 1996 but had to be cancelled last year. This year, COVID restrictions caused uncertainty until just a few weeks before the event.

“We collected money for sponsorship and booths but we didn’t spend it because we weren’t sure we could put the show on,” the local insurance broker said at the collector car swap held the day following the car show. He noted the Township of Langley in the Fraser Valley east of Vancouver may have more collector vehicles per capita than any other place and many were on display in the downtown Aldergrove business centre.

  1. Brian Chudyk with his Chevrolet Nomad which was the first one off the assembly line for the 1956 model year.
    Brian Chudyk with his Chevrolet Nomad which was the first one off the assembly line for the 1956 model year. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  2. Brian Chudyk’s Chevrolet Nomad was the first 1956 model off the assembly line and was sold new in Vernon, B.C.
    Brian Chudyk’s Chevrolet Nomad was the first 1956 model off the assembly line and was sold new in Vernon, B.C. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  3. A fully optioned 1955 Chevrolet Nomad owned by Darryl Christie.
    A fully optioned 1955 Chevrolet Nomad owned by Darryl Christie. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  4. Brian Kozak took 20 years to restore his ultra rare 1970 AMC Rebel named The Machine by American Motors Corporation.
    Brian Kozak took 20 years to restore his ultra rare 1970 AMC Rebel named The Machine by American Motors Corporation. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  5. The 390 cubic inch V8 engine produces 340 horsepower in Bryan Kozak’s 1970 AMC Rebel ‘The Machine.’
    The 390 cubic inch V8 engine produces 340 horsepower in Bryan Kozak’s 1970 AMC Rebel ‘The Machine.’ Photo by Alyn Edwards
  6. The Rebel Machine.
    The Rebel Machine. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  7. The unique red, white and blue paint design sets Bryan Kozak’s 1970 AMC Rebel ‘The Machine’ apart from other collectibles.
    The unique red, white and blue paint design sets Bryan Kozak’s 1970 AMC Rebel ‘The Machine’ apart from other collectibles. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  8. The rear end of the Rebel Machine.
    The rear end of the Rebel Machine. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  9. A 1970 Plymouth Superbird shows off its wings at the 2021 Langley Good Times Cruise-in.
    A 1970 Plymouth Superbird shows off its wings at the 2021 Langley Good Times Cruise-in. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  10. A Canadian-built 1968 Pontiac Beaumont Sport Deluxe ordered new with a 396 cubic inch engine delivering 350 horsepower through a four-speed manual transmission.
    A Canadian-built 1968 Pontiac Beaumont Sport Deluxe ordered new with a 396 cubic inch engine delivering 350 horsepower through a four-speed manual transmission. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  11. 1960 Eldorado.
    1960 Eldorado. Photo by Alyn Edwards

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Brian Chudyk displayed the ‘Number One’ car. It has that distinction because his 1956 Chevrolet is the first Nomad station wagon to come off the assembly line for its model year. The vehicle identification plate on the firewall proves it. It reads Body No. 1. This historic car was purchased new in the Okanagan city of Vernon and remained there until Chudyk bought it. He didn’t know it was the first 1956 Nomad built by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors until after he made the purchase. It received international attention when it was featured on the cover of The Nomad Post magazine.

Retired flight engineer Bryan Kozak displayed a seldom-seen 1970 AMC Rebel known simply as ‘The Machine.’ One of only 1936 built by American Motors Corporation in 1970, the car’s 390 cubic inch V8 engine delivers 340 horsepower through a four-speed manual transmission. With its distinctive red, white and blue paint treatment, it was a showstopper. The rare muscle car was reportedly wrecked in Vancouver decades ago by a visiting U.S. serviceman, who subsequently abandoned the car. Kozak discovered the remains in the backyard of a home in Burnaby. It had been stripped of most of its valuable parts. It took 20 years of sourcing parts and pieces on eBay and elsewhere to complete the restoration. The results are spectacular and drew crowds all day.

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You would have difficulty guessing Karl Fisher’s radically altered ‘rat rod’ began life as a 1938 Dodge truck. Built from many bits and of other long-gone vehicles, the low-slung creation was the most photographed vehicle in the show.

  1. A radically-customized 1949 Ford features a chopped top.
    A radically-customized 1949 Ford features a chopped top.  Photo by Alyn Edwards
  2. Fully customized 1950 Mercury coupe displayed at the 2021 Langley Good Times Cruise-in.
    Fully customized 1950 Mercury coupe displayed at the 2021 Langley Good Times Cruise-in. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  3. 1950 Mercury Custom.
    1950 Mercury Custom. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  4. A rare Canadian-built 1955 Pontiac Laurentian convertible on display in Langley.
    A rare Canadian-built 1955 Pontiac Laurentian convertible on display in Langley. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  5. The Langley Good Times Cruise-in was centered in the Aldergrove business area on the Fraser Highway.
    The Langley Good Times Cruise-in was centered in the Aldergrove business area on the Fraser Highway. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  6. A classic car and parts swap meet turned into a ‘swamp meet’ on a rainy day at the Langley Good Times Cruise-in.
    A classic car and parts swap meet turned into a ‘swamp meet’ on a rainy day at the Langley Good Times Cruise-in. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  7. An estimated 65,000 people showed up for the Langley Good Times Cruise-in.
    An estimated 65,000 people showed up for the Langley Good Times Cruise-in. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  8. Seldom-seen Huppmobile Skylark was sold new in Calgary and is one of only 30 built in the 1939 model year.
    Seldom-seen Huppmobile Skylark was sold new in Calgary and is one of only 30 built in the 1939 model year. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  9. Surf's up in classic style with this beautiful Greenbriar van.
    Surf's up in classic style with this beautiful Greenbriar van. Photo by Alyn Edwards
  10. These rides are owned by members of the Langley Loafers Hot Rod Club which began in 1957.
    These rides are owned by members of the Langley Loafers Hot Rod Club which began in 1957. Photo by Alyn Edwards

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Among the unusual cars on display was Lee Johnson’s 1939 Huppmobile Skylark sedan. It is one of only 30 built by the Hupp Motor Company that year using the body dies from the production of the previously built Cord 812 automobiles. Johnson’s Huppmobile was sold new by Hammill Motors in Calgary. Photographed in 1960, the rare Huppmobile Skylark was in terrible condition and needed a complete restoration.

Cars that also received a lot of attention at the Langley Good Times Cruise-in included an all-original 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible that spent much of its life in Victoria, a 1958 Chevrolet Impala convertible and 1963 Chrysler 300J with its cross ram dual four-barrel carbureted engine delivering an astonishing 390 horsepower. Radically customized cars included a 1949 Ford two-door sedan and a 1950 Mercury coupe. Both were black and had chopped tops. Rare Canadian-built Pontiac cars on display included a 1955 Laurentian convertible and a 1968 Beaumont Sports Deluxe coupe powered by a 396 cubic inch engine delivering 350 horsepower with a four-speed manual transmission.

Event organizers promise the Langley Good Times Cruise-in is scheduled to come back even stronger in 2022.

Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and partner in Peak Communicators, a Vancouver-based public relations company. He can be reached at aedwards@peakco.com

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