The 19th annual Atlantic Nationals Car Show draws thousands to downtown Moncton

Hundreds of cars on display in Moncton The 19th annual Atlantic Nations Car Show brings thousands of cars and car enthusiasts to the downtown core of Moncton.

The Hub City has some pretty hot rods in town this weekend for the 19^th annual Atlantic Nationals Car Show.

“This car show is second to none in Canada,” said car enthusiast, Troy White. “It’s fantastic!”

The annual Atlantic Nationals automotive extravaganza had cars old and new lining the streets while hundreds snapped photos of all the different roadsters.

“We’re got 500 cars on the main street and on the side streets here,” said Larry Way with Atlantic Nationals. “We’ll have 1,700 cars at the park on Saturday and Sunday, thousands of spectators and this, this really is an incredible show.”

Car enthusiast, Allan Leblanc, has been to all 19 shows in the Hub city.

“They’re celebrating 20 years next year. I’ve probably been coming to 19 of them,” said Leblanc. “I missed the first year! I didn’t know it was going to be such a great turnout and everything else!”

Leblanc brings his 1980 Datsun 280-ZX, and with only 500 of them built in Canada, he said it’s always a conversation starter.

“Most people who talk to me about the car have had a friend or themselves had one of those, and that’s what they love to talk about. It’s not so much that car, but the experiences they had with their own,” said Leblanc.

Troy White travelled all the way from Irishtown-Summerside, Newfoundland to show off his 1963 Impala SS. He says the 15 hour trip by car and boat, is all worth it.

“I just love driving in the old car and just floating on the open road and stuff. It’s a lot of fun!” said White.

White says it’s the social side of shows like this that keep him coming back year-after-year.

“Anybody sees an old car, they always come up and start talking to me and say ‘Oh my dad has this’ or ‘I had that’ and it’s cool!” explained White.

Leblanc says when it is his time to retire showing his classic cars he knows they will be in good hands.

“That car was supposed to go to my son Sean, but now all of the sudden I have a granddaughter named Mieka, 6 years old, and has decided to take over the car,” said Leblanc.

The show wraps up on Sunday evening.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Eilish Bonang