Quinton MacAdam
1910 - 1994

submitted by Lorne Findlay, February, 2004

When the Antique Chapter of the Vintage Car Club of Canada was formed in 1983 the group asked Quinton MacAdam to be our first leader.  "Quint" accepted the post  and got our chapter off to a good start.  That Quint was a charter member of the VCCC, had one of the older cars in our pre-16 category, and had been an active supporter of the club since its formation in 1958 seemed important reasons to have him lead our chapter in its first year.  It was a good choice!

Quint and Hazel in the 1949 PNE Parade

Quint became actively interested in antique cars when, in about 1945, he decided to dig up his father’s 1907 Cadillac from the weeds on their farm near Chilliwack. His father had taken it off the road in the early ‘20s, when Quint was not yet a teen-ager. Much of the car had disappeared but the motor, still in the chassis, had been used to run a power saw. By that time Quint had married Hazel and they lived in Vancouver. They spent the next few years putting the car back into running order and in 1949 entered it into Vancouver’s PNE parade. It ran well and won them a cash prize. The story of the rescue and rebuild of this Cadillac cannot be better told than it was in a 1961 article entitled 'The Old Cadillac' that Quint wrote for the VCCC magazine.

So proud was Quinton of his success with the little 1 cylinder Cadillac that he sent off a note and picture to the editor of the magazine Mechanix Illustrated. His picture and note were printed in that magazine in a series titled ‘More Old-Timers'. I stumbled onto the item many years later while thumbing through a very old copy. During the 1950s there existed in Vancouver a few old cars and their collectors who found themselves together on occasion. In 1958 that small group decided to form a registered club and the VCCC was born. Quinton was one of the founders and a charter member. That same year being a centennial for British Columbia, a Cross-Province Tour of old cars was planned and carried out. While it seemed that the whole distance of the tour would be a bit much for the Cadillac, Quinton did register it and drove the final leg of the tour, from Chilliwack.

... from Mechanix Illustrated, 1950

I joined the VCCC in 1960 and thought my 1926 Auburn was pretty old until I saw Quint running his ‘07 Cadillac. It was the oldest car that I had seen outside of a museum and certainly the oldest one being driven. I was SO impressed with the expertise Quint had with that car. While old Model Ts and other oldies were being cranked and twirled incessantly Quint would prime his engine, set the timing and throttle then slowly pull the crank up toward the top dead center on the firing stroke. When he would ease it over the top the engine would fire and run. Quint understood his car! Throughout the years of the ‘60s Quint and Hazel, with the Cadillac, led many of the club’s parades and tours, such as the Easter Parade, May Tour, Boxing Day Run (weather permitting) and other runs that came along and in the early days they found enough room to squeeze between them their young daughter, Linda. As time went on they got more and more into collecting and wearing period costumes of the car’s era and were seen to be among the best-dressed in an Edwardian sense. I got to know and admire Quinton more and more as time went on. In the mid-sixties he realized that what he needed now was a trailer to carry the Cadillac to longer distance tours. Two more centennial tours were in the planning stages and to take part the Cadillac would have to be trailered some of the time. Quint joined me at my auto repair shop on 4th Ave. and after digging up enough bits and pieces from my pile of scrap cars, we put together a trailer, custom built to just fit his Cadillac. He had bought a new ‘51 Dodge sedan that was a great tow-car and for many years that combination was seen around the old car circuits. In the ‘80s the Dodge, still in remarkable condition found a new home in the B.C Transportation Museum as Quint had upgraded to a new ‘74 Dodge Dart. Quint, Hazel and the Cadillac were on at least one of the Centennial tours of 1966 and 67. Quint trailered his car but at most of the stops he would unload and run the car around the area, often giving rides to local folk. At 100 Mile House he chauffeured the Rodeo Queen in a parade. At Barkerville we were given a parking area at the entrance to the village but they had Quint’s car go into the village to be photographed in front of the old church. 1983 was a banner year for the MacAdams as they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Their daughter, Linda, put on a party at their church to celebrate the occasion and some of us from the car club were happy to join in their celebrations. Earlier in the year they had taken the old Cadillac back home to Chilliwack and displayed it in the Minter Gardens Fathers’ Day Concours.

Quint and Hazel participated in the first Antique Chapter June Tour.

In ‘83, after the establishment of our chapter, our first June tour was held in Mission, B.C.  The MacAdams and their car were very much in evidence and when one of our stops took us to a local museum they were delighted to find an old photo of the Cadillac there in the archives. A good picture was taken of MacAdams and Cadillac in front of that museum. No doubt it has found a place alongside the earlier one.

In 1984 our Chapter was asked to arrange a parade of early autos to mark the closing of the old Cambie Street Bridge in Vancouver. Quinton, Hazel and the Cadillac led the parade from the City Hall to the closing ceremonies at the north end of the bridge. Again in 1985, for the opening of the new Cambie Bridge, the MacAdams and their Cadillac led the line of cars that ranged through the decades.

In 1984 the Cadillac led in the closing  of the old Cambie Street Bridge.

1986 - Celebrating B.C.'s transportation history at Expo '86.

1986, a big year in Vancouver because of Expo ‘’86, saw a great Vintage Car Show put on as part of the Expo event. Our Antique Chapter was given the job of setting up a display of pre-’16 cars and once again The MacAdam Cadillac held a prominent spot in that display, sitting in a scene that depicted a picnic at the Hollow Tree in Stanley Park. Quint, with the rest of us worked hard to set up that show.

Through the years Quint and Hazel had been very active in the square dance circles. They followed the annual Square Dance Jamborees once again well costumed for the occasions.  In the late ‘80s Quint took a bad fall while dancing and received serious back injuries that resulted in a much slower pace for him. His old car activities slowed but he still appeared with the Cadillac when able. By that time Quint was driving less and less at night-time and he and Hazel went frequently with Irene and me to club functions.   The MacAdams celebrated their 50th Wedding anniversary in 1993 with a smaller group of friends and relatives being invited by Linda to join them in their home. Some of us from the car club were there. Quint’s last holiday trip came later that year when he and Hazel joined an eight-day bus tour of the Canadian Rockies that I had organized. We were happy to have them along and I’m sure they enjoyed the tour that took away the trouble of having to make the arrangements and doing the driving. Soon after that event Quint became ill with cancer and in April of 1994 died from his illness. I had good visits with him and saw him in the hospital a few hours before his death. It grieved me to see this stalwart friend so incapacitated and I could only be relieved when he was at rest. Many of the Car Club members joined with Quint’s family and friends to celebrate the memory of his life at the memorial service.

Quint, Hazel, and the Cadillac - On the road for a June Tour

Hazel still survives him though at this time of writing her health and quality of life have diminished greatly. Linda keeps up the family tradition by retaining ownership of the Cadillac and being active in our Antique Chapter. Quinton MacAdam will long be remembered not only for being one of our club’s founding and loyal members, but for being a good friend. Editor's note: On March 26, 2004, shortly after this article was written, Hazel MacAdam passed away  at the age of 98.  She will long be remembered by the members and friends of the Vintage Car Club of Canada.