Halifax's new classic car museum officially opens this weekend

Keeping Up: Steele Wheels Katie Kelly gets a sneak peek at the new classic and exotic car museum coming to Halifax

A new classic and exotic car display is officially opening this week in Halifax.

The Steele Wheels Motor Museum has 64 cars and more than 25 motorcycles.

The museum is the latest venture by Rob Steele, the CEO of Steele Auto Group.

“He started working on acquiring some vehicles that were a little special, things that were unique, things that people might not get to see every day,” operations manager Jennifer Holm told CTV Atlantic’s Katie Kelly.

The Bayers Lake venue made its debut last year, with the opening of the travelling Rolling Stones “Unzipped” exhibit.

It officially opens its doors as a motor museum and event venue on Saturday.

“(Rob) is a car lover and a music lover, which is why we also have a terrific stage and sound system in here for any live performance we choose to have,” said Holm.

The venue also includes an arcade, projection screens, food vendors and drive-in theatre.

But when visitors walk in, the cars will likely grab their attention.

“(They’ll) just be instantly wowed, I think, at the glitz of the vehicles, the light shimmering off the bumpers, the chrome, the paint, the smells,” Holm said.

She adds the goal of the museum is to evoke emotion.

“Everyone has a car story, even if they don’t know what it is yet. They’ll remember what their grandmother drove or what they drove to their wedding or their prom or whatever they learned to drive on.”

The oldest vehicle at the venue is a 1923 REO Speed Wagon.

“That is actually on loan to us from Marilyn Davidson. She’s the daughter of Eric Davidson, who was the blind mechanic, a man who was blinded in the Halifax Explosion and went on to become an auto mechanic for the city of Halifax,” Holm explained.

“It goes right up to a 2022 Ferrari -- and everything in between.”