Now that snow is a distant memory, classic car owners in Cook County are rolling their treasures out of the garage just in time for the Grand Marais Classic Car Show. Among them is Rick Backstrom of Grand Marais.

“I’ve had several different older cars,” Backstrom said. “It’s lots of fun. You get lots of looks.”

Grand Marais Classic Car Show

Hot rodders and fans of autos from another era convene in Grand Marais Saturday, June 12 for the community’s annual Classic Car Show. Classic cars will be on display at Artist’s Point from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a parade through Grand Marais at 2 p.m. and trophy presentations at the Harbor Light Supper Club.

Cars, trucks and bikes 1990 or older can be entered in 11 classes to compete for 25 awards. Cost for registration is $15. The show is sponsored by the Grand Marais Chamber of Commerce. For information, go to www.grandmaraismn.com or call the Visitor Information Center at (888) 922-5000.

Currently there’s a ’68 Impala Convertible in his garage, waiting to be restored. But the car he takes to car shows and races is a ’68 Dodge Super Bee which won best of show in the 2008 Grand Marais show.

He’s owned the Super Bee since 1995 when he and his wife bought one-way tickets to Arizona where they planned to search for old muscle cars. After looking at several auto traders, they purchased the Super Bee and drove it home to Minnesota.

“Every time I get a new car or truck, it’s fun to drive for a week or so,” he said. “[The Super Bee] is as fun to drive today as the day I bought it.”

Although in recent years the Super Bee has been steadily gaining value, Backstrom said he has no plans for ever selling the vehicle. He uses that decision as license to make some modifications to the car.

“If you go to a big car show, the more original it is the better chance you probably have of winning,” he said. “This car is a mix between original and how I want it.”

For example, the Super Bee closely resembles what its original appearance. Backstrom repainted the car shortly after he bought it and he added a stripe on the car’s back end that’s actually original to the car but was missing when he purchased the vehicle. However, he’s made some modifications to the car’s insides to better suit his purposes for the car. A couple years ago, he took out the motor and rebuilt it to make the car faster for racing.

“There are always things I’d like to do to it,” he said.

He takes the car down to a race track in Brainerd several times a summer and he said he’s been pleased with the car’s fast, powerful performance. He has several friends who also own classic cars and he said taking their cars to races and shows has been a great way to hang out with everyone. His wife and kids also share his interest in classic cars. In fact, his wife would like to see a ’68 Camaro in their garage at some point.

“If I could afford it, I’d have a whole garage full,” he said.

You can see the Super Bee and a collection of other classic cars, trucks, and bikes at the Classic Car Show on June 12. Vehicles will be on display on Artist’s Point from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cars will parade through Grand Marais at 2 p.m. with an award ceremony to follow at Harbor Light Supper Club. More information is available from the Grand Marais Visitor Information Center at (218) 387-2524.