Yesterday I was privileged, along with long-time buddy Mel Satok, to view a most extraordinary car collection in Sooke, a suburb of Victoria, BC. Owner Ted Forbes, whose history working on oil-drilling rigs all over the world is as fascinating as the cars, currently owns some twenty 1950's and 1960's coupes and convertibles. Most are either restored or near-perfect originals, a few have yet to be restored. What makes the bulk of these cars unique is that they're Canadian-manufactured versions of Detroit's biggest, flashiest "land yachts" (as we sports car snobs called them). Ted, who must have the patience of Job, collects parts for a car he desires long before he finds the actual car. He does his own restorations, sometimes combines parts of two or three vehicles to create a Forbes original. I took few photos, asked too few questions, will happily share my experience with you over the next few weeks. Our opening shot is of a 1964 Chevrolet Impala intended for Ted's brother-in-law in Alberta. By the way, the weather was cold by Canada's southwest standards (it rarely snows or drops below zero but this year we've been pounded by eastern-type winter weather) so I must thank Mel Satok for accompanying me on this trip. Mel's a talented architect but not by any means a car guy. As I share his interest in design he tries to respond by sharing my interest in cars. Unfortunately Mel's hands are painfully affected by cold and as the garages weren't heated he suffered in silence. Now that's a friend! When spring arrives, I'll try to photograph some of Ted's cars in the great outdoors.