My dear Reader, for those of you who know me – perhaps more keenly than I care to confess – I have long suffered to endure a fascination with the North American passenger automobile. Though I am inclined to blame my father and his father (because each was throughout his life devoted to the same retail amusement) I recall being distracted as though instinctively by such conveyances from a very early age – say at least 9 or 10 when I recollect driving my father’s Oldsmobile sedan much the same way a young boy might play upon his father’s country tractor. At the time we lived in a remote rural area where the opportunity to do so presented itself. I should add in my defence that I knew from a young age that my father had previously owned a Studebaker sedan with power seats and windows; and that my grandfather’s 7-passenger Packard limousine was complete with a chandelier in the back. Indeed I later discovered that the vehicular trend insinuated the entire Chapman family and beyond. My cousin Richard Kitchen’s father (Uncle Herb) was a shameless champion of the Oldsmobile 98 (which was then an impressive display of sheet metal).

Later at prep school at St. Andrew’s College in 1963 my roommate Keith Forsythe’s father arrived late one autumn afternoon with his brand new red Mustang convertible (one of the first off the production line) which we together happily paraded about the campus before rocketing through the red brick gates onto Yonge Street like a parcel of mischievous boys that we were. Years later in undergraduate studies at Glendon Hall my former roommate visited me in his mother’s Cadillac Eldorado which he invited me to drive. Actually he asked me to drive it because he preferred his motorcycle (a custom which has never captivated me).

There were other similar impressions at prep school  – usually those arising from visits by parents during sports events. One sunny day at a football game at BRC (Bishop Ridley College) in St. Catharines, Carr Hatch’s family parked their shiny new Thunderbird sedan on the grass adjacent the field.  The car was black. The tyres had distinctive red/green/white narrowband sidewalls. It is a luxury I have never seen repeated.  That was sixty years ago. Now it is of course common not to have white wall tyres – rather plain black. At another cricket match the parents of a British chap (Sebastien Lockwood) arrived in their Jaguar automobile. At the time the Jaguar (which I believe was then owned by a British company and manufactured in England) was considered a bit of a gamble because it wasn’t built to accommodate Canadian winters.

At law school I recall another Oldsmobile 98 driven by Eric Balcolm and his partner Earl Hubley.  I drove in the car to visit them one weekend. They had a magnificent place along the South Shore of Nova Scotia; and, the extravagance of the automobile suited them well. Eric (a member of the provincial legislature) was a former associate of my father when we was commanding officer of Greenwood Air Force Base in the Annapolis Valley around 1955.

On March 1, 1975, while a Don at Devonshire House, University of Toronto and when graduating from Osgoode Hall, I was officially called to the Bar of the Province of Ontario. My father bought me my first car, a Mustang “4-on-the floor” (manual transmission). I loved it! But it wasn’t long before I began looking around at other cars. Since then I have owned a parade of new cars, all General Motors or Ford (I never found a Chrysler product that completely appealed to me though I did give the Cordoba a look). My favourites have been Buick, Lincoln and Cadillac.

Yesterday I bought another Cadillac – this time one which is fully electric. I was curious to advance into the modern era of automobile ownership. We have arranged to have a 240 volt outlet installed on a pillar beside where I park my car in the subterranean basement.  The outlet is meant to accommodate the charging cord as there is a gardenhose-style hanger adjacent to the plug. Naturally at my advanced age it is unlikely I shall challenge the capacity of the new car to remain fully charged for employment.  I understand the car is good for about 400 Kms which is more than ample to cover any full day of driving in which I might engage. As for the anticipated daily outings here in Almonte, there will be no difficulty maintaining the required capacity. Nonetheless we (my partner and I) have both expressed our wish to learn how to access and operate public charging stations, including familiarizing ourselves with on-line Apps and mapping access points to charging stations in the event of travel.

I am beginning to think this marks my swan song for automobiles. It is possible that the on-going technological advancements will prove irresistible. For the time being I am committed only to the new device. When I drove it yesterday I was satisfied with its comfort and handling.  I have never been one to embrace the racy model of passenger vehicles so the so-called “boulevard ride” is suitable for me.