If You Grew Up In Downsview, Ontario Check This Out...

[Minaccia]

I grew up in Downsview, Keele & Wilson to be exact, lots of fast cars in the hood those days.

https://vimeo.com/21933340

[SlipperyVic]

I used to love watching Structures on channel 10 back in the day when it was hosted by Angus Skene. Excellent show for anyone who enjoys the history of Toronto.

The episode with the Old City Hall and E.J Lennox feud is a good one.

[Zutz2v]

I grew up in Downsview, Keele & Wilson to be exact, lots of fast cars in the hood those days.

https://vimeo.com/21933340

Which high school did you go to ?


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[saleen27c]

Wow..Lou! I used to live at Keele and Wilson area as well, when I was a young kid. I remember Downsview Park, Sheridan Mall etc. Thanks for sharing the video!

Carlos

[Minaccia]

I remember them building the Sheridan Mall, that was the year King Kong came out (1976), our family lived right behind the post office on Keele St.


Wow..Lou! I used to live at Keele and Wilson area as well, when I was a young kid. I remember Downsview Park, Sheridan Mall etc. Thanks for sharing the video!

Carlos

[Minaccia]

Downsview High School, starting from the mid 80's.

Double Auto class FTW.


Which high school did you go to ?


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[ZR]

^ good golly, they had schools back then?

[Minaccia]

The horse and buggy picked me up at 8:00 AM sharp every morning for our long bumpy ride to school.



^ good golly, they had schools back then?

[ZR]

Now I understand.
Yes that was me in the black buggy with stripes that passed ya.

[Quicksilver]

Jane St south of Wilson: The Harvey's there was a legend known as "the Home of The Hot Ones". You can still get T-shirts with that logo.
When I was 19-20 a few of us would go there at 11 pm on a Friday and the parking lot would be absolutely full of hot cars. Some of them were literal race cars whose rumble hurt the ears. Unfortunately somehwere in the late 80's it closed down. Now it's a Timmies.

[Minaccia]

My dad's photography studio was 2 minutes away and on Saturday nights after returning from taking wedding pictures all day we would drive into the Harvey's to check the cars out. Then Finch & Weston started.


Jane St south of Wilson: The Harvey's there was a legend known as "the Home of The Hot Ones". You can still get T-shirts with that logo.
When I was 19-20 a few of us would go there at 11 pm on a Friday and the parking lot would be absolutely full of hot cars. Some of them were literal race cars whose rumble hurt the ears. Unfortunately somehwere in the late 80's it closed down. Now it's a Timmies.

[Screw]

Weston & Finch was crazy , guys show up with cars on trailers lol

[ZR]

Finch and Weston, we likely crossed paths more than once up there Lou. At the time, had blue Nova SS, tilt front end with a tunnel ram, roller LS7, 75 black Camaro with a roller tunnel ram small block, easy to spot as never had a hood on it, red 72 Chev short box pick up with a tunnel ram small block plus Kaths red 76 Camaro with a dual quad small block. Rare that I missed a Fri or Sat night there driving one of em. Nova was called "After Midnight", featured in Toronto Star articles twice that I know of.

[Screw]

East end , Gremlins , Novas , chevelles , Olds were common in my area with the OG’s , the next generation of youth were Foxbody lol

[True Blue]

Jane St south of Wilson: The Harvey's there was a legend known as "the Home of The Hot Ones". You can still get T-shirts with that logo.

This was before my time, I heard a lot of stories from my car buddies about these hot spots, especially Finch & Weston.
An old friend of mine named Rick (owns a green 69 charger) was selling those Harvey's T-shirts at some of the local car shows. I have a couple of those T's.

https://i.postimg.cc/wxLZyLyM/t-shirt.jpg


East end , Gremlins , Novas , chevelles , Olds were common in my area with the OG’s , the next generation of youth were Foxbody lol

I certainly remember the Texas Pit days. :)

[ZR]

Nice, still have a couple of unused Harveys Jane & 401 decals.

[Screw]

Birchmount & Danforth is where all the cool cars were Lou , never mind the West End lol

[ZR]

All corners of the city had hot spots.
Our fav spot to "exercise" our cars back in the day, street that runs north off hwy 7 beside the Parkway hotel. Back then, it was pretty much the only building around.

[hammerhead]

Went there often up into the early 90's (Jane & Finch) had my Duster thru the mid 80's an into the 90's - use to see guys staging on the 400 in the wee hours of the morning - I remember a Hemi Dart vaguely in the early days street car - was a car to beat for a while - later race cars on trailers would show up - Cops hanging around and then the mayhem and well organized mayhem I might add, when a race was planned....lol was a great way to spend the night - Was good times - use to also frequent this place just west of Port Credit cant remember the name of it tho...

[fast Ed]

We used to go to Finch & Weston a ton back in the early to mid 80s when my brother had a tubbed V8 Pinto wagon.

[Screw]

Can’t forget those Pintos too & yes Hammer to Mopar stuff lol

[Quicksilver]

One Friday night in spring 71 I went with two friends, Howie and Jimmy to the Jane St Harveys. We pulled in driving my nearly new 1971 Datsun 510 and found a spot. A few minutes later a new Mustang pulled in. He backed into the spot next to us. I remember the car was bright green, and had such a rough whomp-whomp-idle with such huge(for the time) tires, that I wondered how he could even drive it. Anyway, lo and behold, a Coamro showed up, with a similar idle that almost shook the ground and a giant scoop coming out of the hood, and after he parked the owner of the Mustang got out of his beast. He was short. Red hair, huge shoulders and belligerent to a fault. He sauntered over the the Camaro guy who must have been a foot or more taller. Much loud shouting occurred. About a half hour later(it was already midnight), all of a sudden the parking lot exploded with the noise of dozens of hot cars firing up, and the Mustang then lead a convoy of cars out of the lot, the Camaro amongst them.
Excited by all this, we jumped in my Datsun(which at the time was totally stock)and joined the cha cha line. We followed them up to Steeles avenue near Keele, which was then a simple 2 lane road. They set up a race course with such precision and efficiency that they must have done this many times before. My friends and I parked a bit away, then climbed a small hill and settled in to watch a highly organized street race, as serious and well done as what you see on TV. We stayed till 3 in the morning; then left when we heard sirens in the distance. I never went to any more such races but I understand they were kept up for most of the 70's.
By the way. The Camaro blew up, and the Mustang lost to a completely stock looking Oldsmobile.

[stanger5.0]

jerry's budget and coca cola road!!! texas pit and mcdonalds in woodbridge!!!!

[Rino]

I live off of Rustic,so I know the farmhouse well. Rustic Bakery is down the street. lol

[Rino]

I grew up in Downsview, Keele & Wilson to be exact, lots of fast cars in the hood those days.

https://vimeo.com/21933340
Still lots of fast cars. The Harvies is a Tim's now,but in the hood there are lots of muscle cars and sports cars. Youll see them at Rustic Bakery in the summer.Every one in the surounding area know's each other .It's like a small town.

[Darkhorse]

Kool. When my grandfather came to Canada in the early 50's he was on the Miller Paving Crew that built Wilson Ave along there at Keele.

At a time when our history is changing again and will be remembered forever, it's interesting to hear that back then, when the war came along etc, our grandparents were also wondering what the future held.