CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE June 2, 2018
On Saturday, local gearheads and lovers of all things vintage flocked to Victoria Avenue in Shawville for the grand opening of St. Amour Classic Auto Restoration Service (C.A.R.S).
Owners Robert and Cheryl St. Amour bought the shop in 2015 and did extensive renovations to the building, even demolishing a section and starting from scratch.
The St. Amours asked the former owner of the building, Nancy Alexander, to be the one to cut the official ribbon.
Robert started out restoring vintage cars as a hobby, but after he retired from a career in retail management, his personal collection started to swell.
Out front of the shop, Robert arranged what he called “100 years of cars” around the front of the building, starting with a 1917 Ford Model T and ending with a 2018 Chevy Camaro.
Robert explained that he recently had to change a tire on the Model T, which was a bit more of an ordeal than on a modern car.
“It’s just so unique,” he said. “You look at how things were put together back then.”
Further down the line, he pointed out a blue ’51 Mercury truck that he purchased in Alexandria, Qc.
“It’s got the suspension, power steering and brakes,” he explained. “Biggest thing is to get a front end clip from a more modern car, with modern suspension and that, it’s a better ride.”
Robert ensured visitors would know just how much he loves Camaros by lining up four generations (’68, ’69, 2010 and 2018) along the side of the building (with a ’67 inside), rounding out a century of automotive history.
He explained that he loves the look of the muscle cars of that era, which factored into his purchase of his 2010 Camaro.
“I bought it because they modeled it after the first-generation series,” he said. “The progression after the first generation went to a more rounded body … then they got into that sort of kit car look like the Mustang 2s … the 2018 is my brother-in-law’s, he got it a couple months ago. From 2010, when they first came back, to 2018, it’s night and day.”
In addition to a free barbeque and all the shop-talk visitors could handle, there were several door prizes raffled off to lucky individuals.
