As classic car shows go, the Steamworks Concours d'Elegance is still in its infancy. 2007 marked the 5th year for this event in Vancouver's historic Gastown district and, as good shows should, it keeps getting better. The variety of entrants was outstanding and that, in my view, is what makes it entertaining. Antiques, classics, sports cars, muscle cars, vintage motorcycles and, this year, 1932 Ford Deuces were represented, with just enough of each to whet the appetite. Your reporter journeyed from Vancouver Island the day before in order to be up bright and early (well, early... I'm not a morning person) when cars can be photographed in the best light with the fewest number of bodies (human) in the way. Shot over 100 photos, now edited down to 36 that I hope to present in album form for your enjoyment. I say "hope" because I'm not yet certain that Flickr, the photo album site, will give me a URL that you can click to view the photos without logging on. Stay tuned for further developments.

Meanwhile I will post some daily blogs with one photo each, representing the best of the show. That's "best" in my opinion as I didn't stay for the awards, needing to board a bus for the incredibly awkward transport system that links the Island with the BC mainland. So please feast your eyes on this 1896 "Voiturette" built by Léon Bollée. It arrived on the bed of a restored vintage truck and there it stayed, the oldest car in the show and the one with the most historic interest. Powered by an air-cooled, single cylinder 650cc (3hp) engine using hot-tube ignition and three forward gears, it was, in its time, the world's fastest gasoline-powered vehicle. Fast enough to win the Paris-Dieppe race at 24 mph and the Paris-Trouville race at 28 mph. It had a tube frame with a steel footwell at the front to protect passengers feet from puddles. The driver sat at the rear. The Hon. Charles Stewart Rolls was an owner seven years before teaming up with Henry Royce.