Advertisement

Horseless carriage club brings living history to Kingston area

Click to play video: 'Horseless Carriage Club brings tour to 
Kingston-area'
Horseless Carriage Club brings tour to Kingston-area
Vintage cars motor into the Kingston area on the Horseless Carriage Club of America's tour – Jul 26, 2019

The sight takes you back in time: dozens of antique cars from all over North America.

On Friday, members of the Horseless Carriage Club of America put their antiques on display for nearly three hours, steering large crowds to Market Square. Forty to 50 of the 70 to 80 vintage cars in the Kingston area this week were on hand.

“There are chapters all over the world. We happen to be the Southern Ontario chapter,” said Debbie Tzountzouris, one of the organizers of the club’s tour. “Every three years we invite other chapters to come and join us for a week of touring.”

WATCH: How to get your car featured in film and TV

Click to play video: 'How to get your car featured in film and TV'
How to get your car featured in film and TV

The Market Square stop was one of a couple on their second-last day in the area. Tzountzouris says all the cars on the tour are Brass Era cars as they were built before 1916.

Story continues below advertisement

Gil Fitzhugh from New Jersey says his 1914 Ford Model T is “very easy” to drive.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“It’s counter-intuitive, of course,” he said. “You shift gears with your feet, you give it gas with your hands. It takes a while to learn it, but I’ve taught kids to drive this car. It’s very, very easy.”

The Model T is the vehicle of choice in the group, as well over 60 are on tour.

Fitzhugh says old cars like his represented freedom at a time when people had to travel by horse.

Tzountzouris had her own view on what attracts people to antique vehicles.

WATCH: Rust Valley Restorers return old wrecks to their former glory

Click to play video: 'Rust Valley Restorers return old wrecks to their former glory'
Rust Valley Restorers return old wrecks to their former glory

“The more technological we get, I think the more we try to bring people back to a simpler time,” she said. “We feel that we’re a travelling historic automobile group and we want to keep these cars on the road. Once they go to a museum, the chances are that they will not be driven again.”

Story continues below advertisement

And that, according to Tzountzouris, would be a very sad day.

The tour wraps up on Saturday.

Sponsored content

AdChoices