John Worlimont was explaining how he fit a 160-horsepower Camaro V6 into a 1970 MGB GT that used to run with a four-cylinder engine.
“Pretty much everything’s custom,” Worlimont summarized, standing next to the small bright blue sports car, one of several dozen parked on the front lawn of the Fort Langley Community Hall.
“I put air conditioning in it, improved the brakes, just a few minor changes.”
His intent was to make the MGB more comfortable on long distance drives, Worlimont said, and last year he did about 4,000 miles.
It was the 20th annual St. George’s Day car show held by the Langley Area Mostly British (LAMB) club, on Saturday, April 20, the first major car show of the year in Langley.
Virtually every classic older vehicle at the show had a story, and Worlimont’s was no exception.
A web page devoted to the restoration shows it took the Abbotsford resident about five years to finish the project, starting from the day he bought a rolling chassis from Arizona with a faded faded primrose yellow paint jobs, a little rust and a straight body, but missing “fenders, bonnet, and running gear.”
In addition to replacing drive train components, he put in Fiero seats and repainted the MGB.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: British car enthusiasts hold 19th annual Fort Langley get-together
Show regulars Aldergrove’s Ian and Doreen Davidson-Newby brought their classic double-decker 1951 Leyland bus, once used to promotoe the 167 Syndey Portier film “To Sir With Love,” showing off its just-restored interior, which has been repainted and its floors stripped down to the original hardwood.
On Saturday, Ian’s newest acquisition was drawing attention on the front lawn, the debut of a classic MG named “surfer girl.”
He explained it was named after the spouse of the previous owner, who lived on a three-acre estate in Honolulu.
“He’s 95 now,” Ian said.
“He hasn’t been able to drive it for a number of years because he can’t get in and out of it, and he wanted it to go to a good home.”
It required a lot of “blood, toil and tears” to renovate, Ian said, and some work remained.
“I still have some wet sanding to do and some other paint corrections.”
St. George is the patron saint of England and LAMB tries to hold its annual car show as close as possible to April 23, the day that pays tribute to him.
Anyone interested in finding out more about LAMB can visit their website at https://lambcarclub.org.
READ ALSO: Langley has become ‘car show central’
More than two dozen car shows will be taking place in Langley this year.
This month, they include the May 5 D.W. Poppy car show at the school, and the May 26 show at Brookswood Secondary.
The biggest Langley car show of the year, the annual Good Times Cruise-In, is set for Sept 7-8, in Aldergrove.
More information can be seen online at Harrison’s Auto Event List site at www.autoeventlist.com.