I lived in Saskatchewan for 30 years. For the last 18 of those years, I loved import cars. My older brother was one of the first to enter a Japanese tuner car in the Majestics Annual Car Show. At the time, it was really the only option for showcasing your car.
Over the next few years – at the height of the popularity of the tuner scene – a few shows rolled through Saskatchewan. All made big promises, but few delivered and fewer returned. The Volkswagen scene carved out their own community, but those who enjoyed Japanese cars were often forced to tag along at the more established classic car shows.
Eventually, the Japanese car enthusiasts resigned themselves to a series of small parking lot shows. That is, until one day, some blog named after an extinct bird and the science of reasoning threw together a half-assed car meet. Over the years, this meet grew in popularity and in numbers. It was an inclusive meet that brought the community together, but it also drew the ire of many more seasoned enthusiasts.
What was all the hoopla about? The answer is car quality. The people began to clamor for a car show, but there was no one interested or capable enough to put something of that magnitude together in the province.
Enter the Driven Show – easily western Canada’s most established and well-recognized car show. With successes under their belt from Manitoba, Alberta and B.C., it would seem that there was trapezoid-shaped piece missing from their monopoly.
With that, Driven set their eyes on Saskatchewan, and more specifically, the province’s largest city: Saskatoon. I’m sure it seemed like a risky endeavor to many people. As I mentioned earlier, a few had tried to plant the tuner car show flag in the past, and they all walked away with their tail between their legs.
So what makes Driven different? Is it all the cars that attend from out-of-province?
Maybe. Or is that there were a few SEMA-level builds that drew out the crowd?
That probably helps as well. But I would say that what Driven does better than anyone else is they integrate themselves with the local car scene. It never feels as if they’re outsiders coming in to show you how it’s done. They talk to enough people and form local relationships that you can’t help but root for them and try to make it work.
That is probably why the Saskatoon show was such a success. Well, that and the level of knowledge they bring to the car show game. But just how successful was the Saskatchewan show? It was the third most-attended Driven show of the season, only bested by Calgary and Toronto. And that was Saskatchewan on a bad weather day…
Congratulations Saskatchewan – you did it! You finally landed a reputable out-of-province car show. What does this mean for the future? It means that now there’s a measuring stick for builds and a place to show them. No more assuming or excuses. So keep supporting the scene because events like this will only make it better. What do you guys think? Comment below.