1968 Buick.

What? 

The car that just passed was a `68.  You could tell by the different shape of the taillight.  There weren’t a lot of those made.  They changed the shape for ’68, and again the next year.

Vehicles were a deep thread of Brian’s life and, though the above is made up, it’s exactly the sort of detail Brian knew about cars.  Almost everything about cars appealed to Brian.  A display of engineering, design, and speed – speed that could potentially be under his control.  That checked a lot of boxes.  However, the car brand was a lesser thing.  A Ferrari might be exciting, but not because it was a Ferrari, it had to be a great car in and of itself.  Even Volvo’s would be criticized if they didn’t work well – ie, the way Brian wanted.

Rollercoasters or other “speed thrills” were never Brian’s thing – he loved speed, but he wanted to be the one controlling it – finding the limits and understanding how skill and engineering could combine to get a bit more speed out of the situation.  Over the years, Brian owned and raced many cars.  He and Arne Volkmar raced a Volvo – particularly at the Gimli, Manitoba racetrack and in Edmonton.  Brian was an active member of the Regina Sports Car Club, and absolutely loved the “Ice-Dice” races held at Oyama Lake.  When Ice Racing, the edge of control was always close – and you found it at much lower (safer) speeds, which meant you could push that limit more often.  For Brian, that also meant driver skill was far more important than the car’s power (or cost) – which made it that much more fun.

The Race Car

as described by Arne Volkmar

A 1968 Volvo 142 (two door) with 4 speed manual transmission that we stripped down completely. We fibreglassed the hood and trunk lid and swapped out all the glass for acrylic (Driver and passenger windows scrapped completely) The engine was a fully modified (heads, cam, pistons, bearings, valve train, manifolds) 2.0 litre four. We lowered the suspension and replaced the springs & shocks with racing grade items. We replaced the old transmission with a five speed with short-throw shifter and installed a racing clutch. You might say that it was a fully modified race car and weighed just under 2000 ponds in full race trim.