GREATER VANCOUVER is home to a. growing number of automobile ca- thusiasts shops and automotive art galleries. Fer the car nut in your family, these specialty shops offer the type of gifts that will undoubtedly be appreciated. Scale model cars, books, shop manuals, posters, artwork, trivia, steering wheels, mug wheels, spoilers, stereos, and ‘other per- formance accessories are available, many of them relatively inexpen- sive considering their limited ap- peal. Here’s .a rundowa of Van- couver-area shops that specialize in automotive wares: Wilkinson’s Automobiiia 2531 Ontario St. Vancouver, B.C. V5T 2X7 Telephone: 873-6242 Hours: Tuesday to Friday, noon to 7 p.m.; Saturday, noon to 5 p.in. In 1988, brothers Bill and Ted Wilkinson packed up their belong- ings and moved from Montreai to Vancouver. Soon after, they opened Wilkinson’s Automobilia on Gntario Street, just off Broadway. “We came for the scenery and the good sports-car weather,” admits Bill. ‘‘Here you can drive your car all year-round, whereas there, well, you know ...”” Wilkinson’s Automobilia specializés in collectibles and gifts and the wails and shelves are crammed with a mind-boggling selection of model cars, badges, books, posters, artwork, patches Friday, December 11, 1992 - North Shore News - 43 AUTOMOTIVE Where to buy gifts for car enthusiasts Greg Wilson AUTOMOTION and cther automobilia. For those restoring or repairing older automobiles, Wilkinson’s is well worth a trip. There’s a complete ‘‘library’’ of old American and British car magazines — comprising over 200 titles — going all the way back to 1947. Particularly useful is an indexed guide to some of the more popu- lar magazines such as Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Road & Track. “You just can’t find informa- tion on many cars unless you go back to the original road tests,” explains Ted Wilkinson. Witkin- son’s also has a bonanza of origi- nal owners’ manuals that ge back as far as 1947. There’s also an_ extensive assortment of old sales brochures, which contain useful informaiioa FREE COURTESY CARS § QUALITY WORKMANSHIP , PRECISION REPAIRS | SATISFACTION GUARANTEED 24HR, INFORMATIONE FREE ESTIMAT S& EB NFORMATION _ CONSULTATION MAZDAS COST LESS HERE PERIOD! 700 JARINE DRIV : NANCQUVER | : A Prd nenbed Thre | Kags A Geo I SERVICE DEPT. OPEN 8 AM-9 PM MONDAY-SATURDAY | IT JUST FEELS RIGHT i 66 The 1/18th scale models are very popular because they're large and have a lot of presence to them. 99 for collectors or restorers. Origi- nal brochures sell foi as little as $25. *99% of our brochures are original. In the States they often reprint them, but nobedy reprints a Canadian brochure, because there’s no market for it. They're kind of handy if you’re putting a car in a show and you place them’ or: the seat.’” Wilkinson’s has the most com- plete selection of model cars in “The 1/18th scale models are very popular because they’re large and have a lot of presence to them,’ says Ted. ‘‘Then there’s 1/24th scale which is about 7 in- ches long. The smallest, 1/43rd scale models, are the most popular with the most variety,”’ says Ted. Die-cast model prices range from $30 to $150. Wilkinson’s also has new and used books on specific marques, technical information, history, racing, biographies and on ‘‘tany- thing you can think of about cars,’’ enthuses Ted. Bob & Waliy’s Guilery of Automotive Art - Ted Wilkinson, Wilkinson’s Automobilia 570 Clark Drive Vancouver, B.C. V5L 3H6 Telephone: 253-7081 Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30 p.m, Weekends by appointment. Paws ‘‘Waily’? Butvila and Luf “Bob'’ Linkert couldn't find an art gallery to display their automotive art, so they decided to open their own in 1991. Their gallery is located in a room above their firm on Clark Drive. “We have over a hundred paintings here, most of them’ be- ing originals. All our artists. are local, Craig Ainscough, Gary Cody, Hong Ho and photographers Gerry Frechette and Ken Martin,’’ says Paul But- vila. ‘‘There’s mine on that back wall over there,’’ he says pointing to some realistic, colorful cil paintings of both classic and rac- ing cars. “The majority of the paintings are oils. Luf does pen and ink, Hong Ho does some beautiful yatercolors. Frames are on top of that.”’ “Luf and } combined our tal- ents to do the cover for the All- British Field Meet program this year. | did a painting of a Morgan in color, and Luf did the background in pen and ink.” Most of the artists displayed at Bob & Wally’s contract out their work on a custom basis. “Prices range from about $180 for a pen and ink, cight up to $4,000 for some originals,’ says Paul. Bob & Wally’ s Gallery wel- comes new artists io bring in their portfolios. Overseas Auto 102 West Ist Avenue Vancouver, B.C. Telephone: 879-6288 Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday {0 a.m. to 4 p.m. Established in 1959, Overseas Auto is one of Vancouver's oldest automotive stores. They specialize in performance parts such as Ansa muffiers, Koni shock absorbers, Suspension Technics anti-sway bars and ground-effects body kits. Unlike Wilkinson’s ~- Automobilia, Overseas Auto has no problem with display space. Their warehouse is huge. Momo and Nardi steering wheels, alloy wheels, spoilers, car-bras, vented brake dust-excluders (‘‘No prob- lems with overheating brakes,”’ Says Hilton) are hung all over the ‘walls and shelves in a_ big, warehouse-like building on West Ist, just west of Main. . Owner and manager Russ Hilton has been in the automotive retail business for 33 years. See Aberdeen page 46 only bias is you ... the Customer! wv Unbiased safety, performance and reliability information on any make or model of new or used vehicle. Trades always welcome. Unbiased information on the depreciation rates of any new vehicle. Dc you ‘know what the future value of your new vehicle will be? You should. The most flexible finance & lease options in the industry that can be tailored to meet your specific needs. Free no obligation pre-approved financing for the purchase of a new or used, vehicle. ia Custom Lease believes you should enjoy the experience of acquiring your new or used vehicle. 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