A vintage car restoration legend is making his return to Richmond for the Sockeye Run Car Show this Sunday.
Harry Robertson, a longtime Richmond resident, who retired to Vernon eight years ago, is bringing one of his rare 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruisers to the car show.
Robertson is fascinated with the big Mercurys of the 1950s, especially the 1957 Mercury and Monarch series called the “Big M,” when the Ford Motor Co. sponsored the popular Ed Sullivan Show.
Robertson’s interest has spanned the spectrum of lovingly restoring Mercurys (he has owned 50 over the years, and presently owns two) to driving them in demolition derbies at Callister Park in the 1960s, when you had to have the biggest, strongest car of all!
ICBC bestowed a huge honour on Robertson, by placing his restoration project of a 1957 Monarch Turnpike Cruiser on the front cover of the 2000 calendar. More than 400,000 copies were distributed.
After the photo-shoot for the calendar, Robertson turned his attention to getting that car ready for its debut at the annual Vancouver Motorsport Show at the Pacific Coliseum.
Ironically, the Coliseum is located directly across the street from Callister Park, the scene of 48 demolition events over five years, from 1966 through 1970.
Another recognition for Harry’s automotive workmanship came his way when the Ford Motor Company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003.
They wanted 100 cars and a car from every year. There was a car from 1903 and for every year of production since that came to Dearborn Michigan.
Harry brought his beautiful Monarch to represent 1957. Only 185 Turnpike Cruisers were built in Canada and only six are known to exist today.
Dave and Anne Boyce started Richmond’s oldest and biggest car show, and chaired it for the first three years. Robertson was the chairperson for the years four and five. Randy Scherk took over after that and is still chairperson for this year, the 27th annual event.
On June 1, Robertson was nominated to be inducted into the Greater Vancouver Motorsport Pioneers Society. The ceremony will be Sept. 23 at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds. There’s more information on the Pioneer website, GVMPS.org.
