Winter in Canada means many things, but to old-car owners, it’s the season when everything stays in the garage under a blanket; salt, snow and hot rods simply don’t mix. For a mid-winter pick-me-up, many of them flock to car shows.

Indoor hot rod shows started to gain momentum in the 1960s, as the car hobby became more popular. Hot rods took hold in the 1940s and 1950s when young men dropped powerful engines into old Fords and took them racing on the dry lake beds in the southwest. These loud, rough machines slowly became more common on the street, and were eventually joined by custom cars, made by smoothing out and modifying 1950s cars.

Car shows have waned somewhat since their heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, but they can still draw the crowds, especially if the promoters are savvy enough to include the tuner vehicles that appeal to younger audiences. That was the case at Performance World Custom Car & Truck Show, held in Toronto on March 10-12 (www.performanceworldcarshow.com).

Mopar Speedshop was on hand with a full range of aftermarket parts and a wildly flamed Dodge Caliber. General Motors’ huge display included a tuner Chevrolet Aveo. It’s hard to imagine the time and money that went into this Saturn Ion, but the results are worth it. Pennsylvania-based custom car builder Ken Fenical, better known as “Posies”, brought his Aeroliner. The handbuilt hot rod isn’t based on a real car, but is influenced by classic cars of the late 1920s and 1930s with its long hood, short deck and sculpted lines. Designed by legendary customizer George Barris and built by Jerry Kind of New Jersey, this car started as a 1938 Graham. The exaggerated nose and curved fenders are the factory design and earned the nickname “Sharknose” back in the 1930s. A 1940 Dodge pickup has been modified with a Chevrolet 350cid engine, automatic transmission, “candy” paint and a frame from a 1987 Chevrolet S10 pickup. Like many of the cars on display, it was built by its owner. He’s Wayne Marsh of Cobourg, Ontario. Not all collector cars have to be serious. Here, an owner breaks all the “established” rules by turning a 1992 Chevrolet Blazer into an old-style “rod” with primer paint, wide white wheels and “lake pipe” exhaust — and it looks great. Click images to enlarge

Older cars filled the first four interconnected buildings; the fifth was the Funkmaster Flex Custom Car & Bike Show Tour, featuring tuner cars displayed alongside strobe lights, fog machines, loud music and entertainment. Normally I’m not much of a hip-hop fan, but the excitement and passion here made this display one of the highlights of the show.

While the line can be blurry, collector vehicles are generally divided between “show cars” – those built specifically to tour the show circuit, not to be driven – and “drivers”, which are found on public roads in fair-weather seasons. Many indoor events concentrate strictly on show cars, especially in California and other southern areas where “drivers” are taken out year-round. But Performance World, like most Canadian shows, features both, and so alongside the super-smooth machines with their chrome rotors and spotless engines, you’ll also find cars that will be at the local cruise night in a couple of months.

Television shows like Rides and Overhaulin’ give the impression that all cars are built by professionals and cost a great deal of money. Those cars are out there, but when it comes to the “drivers”, many of them are built right at home by their owners, often with help from fellow car club members, and for much less than you’d expect. TV star Chip Foose is probably one of the most talented individuals on the planet, but for every professional fabricator, there are a hundred backyard builders who turn out fantastic work.

Another thing most showgoers don’t appreciate is the work, time and money that go into just putting a car into an indoor show. The “show” cars arrive strictly in enclosed trailers; the “drivers” may come in under their own steam if the roads are dry, but most of them are hauled in, as well. In some cases, the displays involve as much work as the cars themselves, and can be worth several thousands of dollars. Even the floor of a display can be pricey: a 20×20-foot space is wall-to-wall, not a remnant. Some of these cars are sitting on more than $600 worth of carpet.

On top of that, add the expense of hauling the car, spending three days at the show (with motels for out-of-towners), incidentals and any time off work, and even a car with the very plainest of displays will still cost an owner about $1,000 over the course of the weekend. Winning a cash award may offset some of it, but for most people, this is strictly a labour of love. I put my Studebaker truck into one of these shows many years ago, and saw exactly what’s involved; it’s tough to describe exactly how much work it is, but there’s a reason why most owners look like they’ve been put through a wringer come Sunday night.

But when spectators come through the doors, when they stop at your display, when they comment on how good the car looks and how great it is that these old beauties are around – well, that’s what it’s all about. At least, until the weather clears up, and you turn the key in the ignition, listen to the roar of the exhaust, and head off down the road for another summer.