With
the dozens of photos in hand, Lamont enlisted the help
of his talented friend, George Flemming to reconstruct
an exact duplicate of the original top, including the four
small pot lamps that illuminated the passenger compartment
on the evening rides.
Since
the completion of the seven-year restoration process
the car and related memorabilia have been on display at
the
Tin Lizzie Auto Museum, located in St. Francois Xavier.
On display, people such as the car's third owner, Harold
Johnson, can look in on it and many tourists and school
groups who visit can learn of the car's historical significance.
Fellow
Royal Bank Employee and Lamont's friend Steve Beall makes
his weekly trip to the museum to clean and polish the
car.
Taking on a restoration of this magnitude has been very
challenging and not without some frustrations, but overall
it's been fun and I feel a sense of
pride that I was able to preserve a piece of Winnipeg history." Says
Lamont
For
his efforts, Lamont's Cadillac will again be called upon
to perform service to the Royal family, to transport Princess
Anne, who will be  officiating at this evening's opening
ceremonies for the XIII Pan Am Games. Utilizing the same
48 year old vehicle that once carried the princess' parents
on their tour 48 years ago can only be eclipsed by the
fact that this year marks 48 years since the start of the
Pan Am Games in 1951.
This
Sunday, the Cadillac will return to the Tin Lizzie for
their second annual Concours d'Elegance, "Classy Car
Show", sponsored by McNaught Pontiac Buick Cadillac
Limited. The judged show begins at 11 a.m. and will feature;
the music by Ray Wheeler's Specialty Music, an outdoor
barbecue, and activities for the children.
Dixion Motors was purchased in 1975 by the McNaught family and has operated
at the same Portage Avenue Location for the past  25 years as McNaught Pontiac
Buick Cadillac Limited. For the next two weeks, Gord McNaught is looking
forward to displaying the Stan and Nancy Lamont's 1951 Cadillac "Royal
Tour" convertible in their dealership showroom located at 634 Portage
Ave.
|
|
All
are welcome to take a closer look at this beautifully
restored convertible and see the many fine features to
be found in the new 1999 Pontiac, Buick, and luxurious
Cadillac automobiles. The
Fifth Avenue Connection
August
4/99
Randy,
Now
that the Pan Am games are drawing to a close I have  managed
to find some time to gather up some information surrounding
the 51 Cadillac's role in the opening ceremonies, and
as promised I am sending you a video. The video starts
with the original 1951 Royal visit in which my car carried
Queen Elizabeth on the tour throughout the providences
of Canada, and including the car's role in the opening
ceremonies of the original 1951 Pan American Games.
Following
that is a video of the car during the opening ceremony
of the current Pan American Games. All are images captured
by the Royal Photographer, copyright to the Royal Family,
and are not for public viewing.
Believe it or not, we had to go through three days of rehearsals. The temperature
all three days was in the 90's with high humidity with no breeze. You can imagine
the stress put on the car idling for long periods of time, virtually crawling
for the other.
Your 6-Volt Alternator and electric
radiator cooling fan and electric
fuel pump was a wise  decision.
All worked well and kept the car rolling without incident.
The cars participation was very brief but obviously very
significant. Had anything malfunctioned at the wrong time
you can imagine how embarrassing that would have been!
My
wife and I attended the opening ceremony, and it was
a fantastic show, very classy, the 51 Cadillac set the
stage. I was very proud to be a part of something as
significant as this. It was very pleasant dealing with
you and your Company. I appreciate you sharing your expertise
and I have the highest regard for you and your products.
I cannot Thank you enough.
Best
Regards,
Stan
Lamont
|
