Hot rods and vintage cars cruised across Western Canada, stopping at regional locations like Rosetown, Kindersley, Moose Jaw, and Swift Current before making their final stop in Medicine Hat. The cruise wrapped up on Saturday with the Gas City Auto & Trade Show (Show & Shine) in Medicine Hat. The event brought together 179 cars on display, drawing a massive turnout of automotive enthusiasts to celebrate a decade of the power cruise tradition.
One of the cars which grabbed my attention was Terry’s 54 Dodge Royal 500. The year 1954 was a big one for Chrysler’s Dodge division, as it was the first time that a Dodge had ever paced the Indianapolis 500. A Royal Convertible was chosen for the honours. This car was finished in a special and distinctive color combination of two-tone yellow and black both on the inside and out, and it was equipped with a rear-mounted Continental kit spare and Kelsey-Hayes chrome wire wheels. Under the hood, the 243 cubic inch Hemi V-8 was specially tuned with a four-barrel carburetor on a custom Offenhauser intake manifold, and it used the same parts that were available over the parts counter at the local Dodge dealer.
Dodge supplied some 701 Royal Convertibles that were produced in identical trim and included the dealer-installed speed parts under the hood, the factory-installed Continental kit, and the chrome wire wheels.