British cars 'look damn cool' at Brits by the Bess in Saskatoon

The Union Jack was flying high in Saskatoon Sunday when 87 cars from across the pond were displayed at the Brits by the Bess car show.

Run by the Saskatchewan British Car Club, the showcase at the Delta Bessboroughhotel attracts enthusiasts from across the province who display classic imports such as MGBs, Jaguars and Triumphs.

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Founding member Alvin Mitchell said older British cars might not have been the fastest, but they "had a spirit to them".

"They maybe couldn't go the fastest in a straight line, but they could maybe go the fastest around the block, kind of thing, because they would handle so well," he said.

"Also; they look damn cool. There's just noother way of putting it," Mitchell added.

The club started 18 years ago and its membership has grown to 128, making it one of the largest in the province.

Mitchell remembers the club's first meeting, when its mandate was still being fine-tuned.

The members had been considering creating a club dedicated to European sports cars, but a member who arrived with a four-door sedan a Zephyr sealed the club's future.

"We went 'No, we can't call it a sports car club', we had to call it the British Car Club, which was wonderful," said Mitchell. "Otherwise there's a number of cars here that are not sports cars per se and that allowed us to expand it."

The showcase was the 17th of its kind. The club also recently launched a Regina chapter.