Experiencing the Thrill of an Open Road Adventure

Photography by Andrew Snucins

A wise man once said, “There are car enthusiasts and there are driving enthusiasts.” While the world isn’t so black-and-white, there are few events that are able to cater to both groups of enthusiasts. Day or weekend-long driving tours are often able to please both drivers and car enthusiasts, and one of the up-and-coming names in the business is Classic Car Adventures.

With events across North America, it’s perhaps only fitting that with roots in stage rally competition CCA is often praised for its often exemplary route selection and event preparation. Founded by Canadians Dave Hord and Warwick Patterson, a quick call with Hord helped to confirm that holding driving events is a lot of work.

“Every few years, new companies pop up because from the outside it looks pretty simple,” Hord says. “But if that was the case, many more people would be doing driving events.”

Confirmed by Hord, CCA really was first conceived as he and Patterson piloted a broken Volkswagen Beetle through a freak snowstorm—not in Canada, mind you, but in the Nevada desert! The pair was inspired by their experience, and wanted to find a way to share the joy of a classic car adventure, albeit without ungodly weather and better snacks.

CCA has a simple formula: bring a love of cars and the desire to enjoy a long drive. Each event caters to different regions and vehicle tastes, with a straightforward event schedule, route book (kept secret until entry), and an emphasis on safe-but-fun driving.

Unlike many drive events, the ones held by CCA feature a pre-event tech inspection to ensure each vehicle is fit for duty—and so that once out in the middle of nowhere, an easily-caught fault back at the home base doesn’t turn into an expensive tow…or worse.

Good meals and accommodation for overnight events is included in the entry fee, which typically runs about $500—pretty inexpensive for a weekend out, let alone one spent enjoying new roads. CCA’s Hagerty Spring Thaw Classic just wrapped up, but the company has events planned for the rest of 2015 in a number of different regions, including Vancouver, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Washington and Oregon; and Denver, Colorado.

No matter where events are held, however, CCA puts an emphasis on adventure. With many driving events run as little more than expensive parades, it’s refreshing to see a new approach that should satisfy both car enthusiasts and driving enthusiasts.