A Canadian man has nearly rebuilt his classic car collection after it was wiped out by a garage fire two years ago.
Garry Cassidy owned about 40 cars — including the only 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible ever made — that were lost in the 2017 blaze at his garage in Langley, a suburb of Vancouver, according to the Global News. All of them were insured, but that didn’t make losing them any easier.
“I’ve always been a big car guy but I don’t think my wife and I could have been more upset if we had lost a child,” he told the outlet. “It’s not about the money; a couple of those cars cannot be replaced. Write me a check for whatever, you can’t replace the cars.”
But Cassidy tried his best to fill his empty garage when it was rebuilt. About three weeks after the fire, he came across a 1956 Chevrolet Nomad with which he fell in love. He bought it. Since then, 24 more collector cars have followed.
However, Cassidy said his new collection will likely never rival his beloved original.
“I’m finding my enthusiasm isn’t the same as it was before because I don’t think you can replace what I had,” he told the outlet. “We are still getting some cars… some nice cars. But at this point I’m not lucky enough to get some really great cars.”
There’s been a few unfortunate collectible car fires recently. What I’d like to know/read, has any of those cars been restored? Almost any car, even burnt down the the frame, can be be. A true car lover would despite costs. Even if it had to be modified, but retaining its “look”. Especially these 1 of a kind, like this collectors 51 Chevy convertible. How do you junk a car like that? Please write about that, that’s promoting the love of the hobby.