The Reynolds- Alberta museums are a major tourist attraction in central Alberta and a great tribute to the Machine Age.

Built around the collection of Wetaskiwin businessman Stan Reynolds, the $22.5-million facility features more than 100 restored artifacts ranging from ancient fire engines to vintage automobiles, many in perfect working condition. Opened in 1992, the museum uses glossy exhibits, hands-on dispays, videos, fascinating film archive material and interactive computors to tell Alberta's history of mechanization in three areas: Transportation, Agriculture and Industry. - But above all, it's a monument to the Car in Alberta.

Consider what motorists endured at the begining of the century, when the automobile was introduced to Alberta. Back then, roads followed old trails, railway allowances, ruts in farmers fields, and even river and creek beds. By the 1920's, the roads were usually good when dry but boggy or totally, trecherously slippery when wet.

An excellent mix of vehicles were present at the Calgary, Alberta "Show & Shine" in Canada, attended by the President of the Pantera Club S.A.

The only thing to put a damper on the afternoons activities was the no-show of the other de Tomaso Pantera's and Mangusta. - I had hoped the lone expected de Tomaso Vallelunga would also make an appearence, since I personally was very excited to see one again, since my very first de Tomaso in my dim and distant youth, had been a very nice example of this fine little beauty purchased in Rome and driven all over Europe for five years, before selling it. - Fool ! - I recently saw an ad. for one in England with an asking price of Sterling 250.000. - But this minor disappointment was offset by me having the opportunity to drive a 'new' Ford GT. (see pics below ) - Just around the block you understand, but a thrill it was indeed. Very nice, dispite what Mr Jeremy Clarkson had to say about his troublesome one. The most immediate impression compared to the original was the greater amount of space afforded in the interior. The car is taller....still called a Ford GT, but perhaps that's why Ford dropped the '40' since it is usually reported that the original car was 40inches high and hence the name; GT40...However we know that in fact the car was not 40 inches high at all, but 41 & a bit, but they couldnt very well call it a Ford GT41 & a half could they. - Easier to get into, with no gearshift at the door to catch onto your trouser leg and trip you up....something that happened to me alot during my six year ownership of a very nice recreation of the orginal. I had the luck to drive mine on the Nurburgring and Hockenheim race tracks and on the streets of Hamburg for two years. ..............It was street legal, sort of. - I had also driven a friend's orignal GT40 around Zwartkops Raceway in Johannesburg years before, but that was race version so not really comparable to this...but I must say, the one disapointing thing of the new GT is the sound....or shall I say the lack of it. - My replica had a copy of the original's 'bunch of snakes' 180 degree exhaust system which gave a glorious sound, - so much so that that I fitted a 180 degree system to my '76 Pantera as soon as I bought it. - Sound is very important to me, so much so that I went the extra mile to hear sounds delux, even at high speed after the exhaust sound is almost inaudible and I fitted 4x Weber IDA 's for the wail these produce at speed........................Enough....