Article 22 October/November 2009

Best of Show

The Professional Car Society (PCS) is a car club dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of vintage ambulances and funeral vehicles. The PCS has about 1,100 members, of which two-thirds are owners of a pro car (ambulance, hearse, limousine or flower car manufactured on a car chassis). The PCS has 25 chapters including the Trillium Chapter in Chatham, ON. The majority of PCS members are Americans, but there also are 60 Canadian members, as well as 20 members from other countries. Some members say the club is about the cars, others say it's about the people, but I think it's both.

The highlight of the PCS year is the annual meet, which was hosted this year by the Mid-Michigan Chapter and was held in Flint, MI, I've been a member of the PCS for more than 30 years and have attended a few annual meets during that time, but had never brought a vehicle. However this year I loaded my 1975 Superior Cadillac ambulance into my trailer and travelled the 2,800 km to Flint. In total, more than 70 pro cars were in attendance at the Flint meet.

The five day annual meet included, among other activities, a tour of a member's pro car collection, a tour of a GM truck assembly plant, a tour of the Walter P. Chrysler museum and a tour of the Packard Proving Grounds. For many members, travelling in the pro car motorcades to the various events is a highlight of the meet.

The final day of the meet featured the Concours d'Elegance held in a beautifully treed park in front of the Alfred P. Sloan Museum on the grounds of the Flint Cultural Center. That evening the meet wrapped up with an awards banquet. I thought my Caddy might possibly win an award but was surprised to win both the Best Cadillac Award, presented by the Cadillac-LaSalle Club and also the Medic's Choice Award in the ambulance category. And I was truly delighted when my car also won Best of Show!

Copyright 2009 Peter Adsten