The hum of refurbished motors and the smell of engine oil enveloped a colourful convoy of steel and chrome along Dallas Road Saturday morning as hot rod enthusiasts idled in preparation for the Northwest Deuce Days Poker Run.
Deuce Days, back for the first time since 2019, brought about 1,250 pre-1952 collector vehicles to the region, along with an onslaught of car enthusiasts and hobbyists. Cars started arriving Thursday, including hundreds of the event’s namesake, the Deuce, which refers to a hot rod produced in 1932, the most notable of which is the 1932 Ford.
This year is the 90th anniversary, and the first year the event was owned and operated by Destination Greater Victoria, who purchased it from previous owner Al Clark.
“It essentially just started out as a pre-1950s car show,” said first-time organizer Jay Donovan. “And it essentially morphed into a celebration of car culture, a whole weekend event.
“The whole thing is a celebration of custom transportation, so every [vehicle] is totally unique and built with its own sort of character and passion.”
This year’s Deuce Days started July 14 when hundreds of drivers unloaded from the MV Coho ferry. The following day participants gathered at the Hotel Grand Pacific for a public social.
The Poker Run saw drivers cruising to checkpoints, drawing a playing card at each one, and at the end seeing who had the best poker hands.
The final and biggest event of Deuce Days is Sunday, when the cars will be on display around Victoria’s Inner Harbour and nearby streets from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“I love cars and this is what I do in the summertime,” said Dan Dertien, who has been photographing vintage cars since the 1960s. “It’s just passion. It’s something you just have inside you.”
Dertien and his wife Laura Kegler were taking pictures as the cars rolled past on their way to Langford.
“It’s a way for some people to hang onto the past and share with future generations,” Kegler said. “If they don’t, it’s lost forever. And it’s a part of history.”
Video from CHEK News: Northwest Deuce Days in downtown Victoria
