I imported my 300K convertible into
Canada in the summer of 1987. I was thinking what a kinder gentler
time it was in those days to import a car. Just drive up to Canadian
customs, tell the Border Control agent that I was importing this car,
go into customs, pay the duty based on the bill of sale and that was
it. Not like these days when I bought my Ram K coupe and just
recently my 300G. Hire a broker, reams of paper work, notify US
customs at least two weeks in advance, on the day of importation,
present the car to US customs for an inspection then head on over to
Canada Customs to pay the duty and customs fees. Well, any way the
deed was done.
We signed up for our first meet in
the fall of 1987 at Rochester, NY. Ohhhh, sensory overload when I pulled
into the hotel parking lot where the meet was being held.
I had to
circle the parking lot a couple of times to take in the images of so
many legendary Letter Cars.
These were cars that I had read about,
but never seen before. I did recognize George and Eleanor’s
black 300J.
I didn’t know a single person
there, but we were soon swept up by the meet host, Chip Chapman. He was the perfect host and soon made us strangers feel at ease. He
went over and looked at the K convert with me and then we looked at
his 300H coupe. Chip had a great sense of humour. I must have had a
horrified look on my face when I saw the huge rust holes in the rear
seat floor pans of his H. He quickly pointed out that those are
“Not rust holes. They are the rare Trash Be Gone Option”.
The cars were great, but meeting and
talking to their owners was the real ticket. We made so many life
time friends at that meet. Jim Krausmann introduced himself and
told me about seeing me on the freeway in Michigan the day I brought
the K home. I think we calculated that we lived about ten miles
apart as the crow flies. However, the reality is there was a border
crossing to be added in, so we actually were about 45 miles apart.
Another Canadian couple that we met were Bob and Sheila Crawford.
They lived about an hour away from us. Paul DelGrande from Toronto
and Dave Underwood from Ridgetown, about a half hour from me. I
eventually bought Dave’s 300D coupe. Of course, we knew George
and Eleanor and we met Ray and Jo Ann Jones. There were many other
club notables at the meet. I can’t recall if we met the Moons
or the Cunninghams there or the Cornfoots or Jerry Kocur or Bruce
Brownell. Whenever I think of Bruce, I think of 57 300Cs and his
great 300C taxi story. What a fabulous weekend. Beautiful cars, great
people and a whole new family.
