Some call them muscle cars. Some call them vintage rides. I call them 'ice-cream cars'.

Old cars and trucks do not have all the bells and whistles of what's being manufactured today, but they do have a charm of their own!

From the classic cruisers to the vintage beauties, from the pony cars to the coupes, the Second Chance Car Museum will transport you back in time and help you appreciate the nostalgia of days gone by when everyone met at the town's drive-in for burgers and shakes driving their favorite rides with paint and chrome well-polished!

Happy Days and the Fonz come to mind!

The Second Chance Car Museum is located at the corner of Vanzile and Railway in Norfolk Treherne, hosting over a hundred classic vehicles, as well as antique household items and artifacts. 

Unfortunately, this winter the museum board was forced to turn away numerous potential additions to their auto showroom as they have run out of space.

"It was hard to say no to vehicles coming in but we max'd out at 111. We turned quite a few vehicles away this winter that were looking for a place to call home and also be showcased," explains museum manager, Craig Soldier. "It's difficult to turn vehicles away because the vehicles mean something to someone, and they want them to be kept in a nice place."  

That nice place is their beautiful showroom!

"It is heartbreaking when we have to say no, something we try not to do as much as possible, but at some point, we've had to put a limit on it," he notes.

Needless to say, expanding the museum is in the talks!

"Because of the popularity we've had, inquiries of other modes of transportation also looking for a home, from the sounds of it, it's 'build it and they will come', not 'build it and hope'," says Soldier.  "So, we're really looking into that." 

"Maybe there'll be an opportunity to do some fundraising to get to the point where we can expand, and I'm thinking that might be sooner than later," he adds.

The Second Chance Car Museum is CRA certified as a non-profit organization and so is able to provide tax deductible receipts for donations. Something to keep in mind when thinking about fundraising for an expansion project.

Soldier says the oldest vehicle in their collection is a 1914 Model A truck, but there are some classic cars that have a unique history, such as their limousine. 

"It's a Cadillac and it was owned by a boxer down in California. But every car has a different story and means something to someone, and when people come in, we ask them what their favorite car was.  It's not very often that you have the same car picked every time because everyone has their own likes and favorite colors."

For many visitors to the museum, seeing and touching the classic cars and trucks brings back memories of their own favorite rides. 

"You get a lot of reminiscing, a lot of 'wishing I kept this', 'wishing I kept that'.  Every day we're open, that's what makes it memorable," shares Soldier. "I like meeting and talking with people, having a nice personable visit with them.  You get to walk around with people and talk to them, answer questions about vehicles. It's a lot of fun!"

Imagine sitting in a convertible at a Drive-in Theatre in the middle of February with your sweetheart. And you're in Manitoba! It could be coming to a theatre near you, in Treherne!

Please listen to Craig Soldier below as he shares more of what's happening at the Second Chance Museum!