The annual Rolling Thunder Cruisers Show and Shine has always brought together a wide range of vehicles from across Yorkton and area, from completely original survivors to thoroughly worked over custom machines. Every year, there’s something different, and something that is not commonly found in the middle of the prairies. The 1973 Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 owned by Jeroen Wacki is an example of a car you don’t see every day in Yorkton.
Wacki admits he doesn’t know too much about the Bertone-designed coupe, after inheriting it from his father. The car has only been in the country since February.
“My dad bought it 8-9 years ago with a broken engine. I got the engine fixed up by a buddy of mine who actually made cars like these for racing.”
While the car is in good condition, Wacki believes it can be better, and he wants to fully restore his Alfa Romeo.
“My plan is, this winter or next winter, to strip it apart, do some major body work, and get it repainted.”
The Alfa Romeo stood out at the show because it was significantly different from everything else on display, being small and Italian and parked between some large, American luxury cars. Wacki admits that he’s considering putting some American metal in his own garage.
“I always thought that when we came to Canada we would need to have some North American cars. My wife wanted to have an old, nice Mustang, but with the garage filled up with European cars that’s not going to happen for the next couple of years.”
That includes a 1982 BMW 320e and a 1992 Porsche 911. All of them are drivers, and as a young father, he admits that can be a challenge, because he’s got to fit car seats in all of them. The Alfa was at the show duly equipped, but the Porsche required finding a seat made especially for the car by Porsche itself. But since there’s no point to a car if it’s not driven, Wacki wants to make sure he can use all of the cars in his garage.
