The elegant garages at Mrs. McDougald's 'Green Meadows' home were full of priceless cars the likes of which I had never seen before.
The collection included a 1937 Rolls Royce Convertible.
A 1931 Bugatti Type 37 Racing Car once owned by World Land speed record holder, Malcolm Campbell.
A fire-red 1928 Alfa Romeo Zagato and
a supercharged 1928 Mercedes SSK with a hood so long that I could picture Cruela Deville driving it in Disney's 101 Dalmatians!
There was also a 1926 Bentley.
A 1923 Vauxhall Touring
A huge 1918 Packard.
A two cylinder 1904 De Dion Buton.
A 1908 Hupmobile and a 1921 Kissel Goldbug with dangerous passenger seats that you pulled out from the side.
A 1909 Ford Model T and two motorbikes, that Mrs. McDougald and her husband drove in the 1930's.
In another room were vintage limousines:
A 1928 Hispano Suiza with a leatherette body.
A 1926 Isotta Fraschini, built for King Alphonso of Spain.
A 1935 Rolls Royce Continental Convertible and a supremely elegant 1939 Rolls Royce Phantom, with a twin six, twelve cylinder engine that did nine miles to the gallon and would have been perfectly suited to a Hollywood starlet of yesteryear arriving at the Oscars.
And then there was the 1912 yellow Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, which had not run for eighteen years, yet after only four hours of work with the assistance of a Rolls Royce mechanic was back on the road for the last state visit of the Queen Mother to Canada4.
This was a vehicle that you operated rather then drove, with a double clutch, and gear box so exact I could literally feel the cogs of the gears fall into place. A real treasure to view and to drive.
In London there was a Phantom VI Rolls Royce, used on special occasions by the Royal Family.
For everyday use at home in Canada and Florida the fleet included a 1961 Rolls Royce Phantom V, a huge 1979 Yellow Lincoln Continental with special hubcaps emblazoned with the family crest, a 1974 Cadillac Fleetwood Limousine, a 1971 Eldorado Convertible and various other vehicles for everyday use.
I loved driving them all.
This classic vintage car collection can now be found in the Canadian Automobile Museum in Oshawa, Ontario.