[BCMA] Sweet wheels in the Royal BC Museum lobby

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv.]

February 14, 2017

Royal BC Museum goes back to the future for Canada 150

Victoria, BC- The lobby of the Royal BC Museum is again a glorious glass garage for a piece of automotive memorabilia-this time the Esso 67-X, one of the rarest cars in Canada.

Fifty years ago, Esso, the oil and gas corporation, commissioned the creation of this futuristic car to celebrate Canada's 1967 centennial. This is the only original licensed model to have survived, and the Royal BC Museum is proud to provide the public with a free viewing in its glass lobby from today until Sunday, March 12.

The 67-X was designed by George Barris, a California car customizer who created the first Batmobile. Barris stretched an Oldsmobile Toronado with its massive 385 horsepower aluminum motor and used innovative concepts such as front-wheel drive, fibreglass panels and disc brakes. Inside he added swivel seats, a writing table, a picnic cooler, two tape decks, two radios and children's headphone jacks.

Only four of these cars were built as grand prizes for a contest designed to encourage families to explore Canada. This may be the car won in BC, although its history is unclear.

This 67-X is now owned by Royal BC Museum supporter Trevor Weflen and has been generously loaned to the Royal BC Museum for this temporary display.

This won't be the only iconic Canadian motor vehicle to grace the glass lobby in 2017. From April 12 to October 1, as part of the feature exhibition Terry Fox: Running to the Heart of Canada, the Royal BC Museum will display the original Ford E250 Econoline van that provided shelter for Terry Fox during his Marathon of Hope.

About the Royal BC Museum
The Royal BC Museum explores the province's human history and natural history, advances new knowledge and understanding of BC, and provides a dynamic forum for discussion and a place for reflection. The museum and archives celebrate culture and history, telling the stories of BC in ways that enlighten, stimulate and inspire. Looking to the future, the Royal BC Museum will be a refreshed, modern museum, extending its reach far beyond Victoria as a world-class cultural venue and repository of digital treasures.

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Media contact:
Royal BC Museum Media Inquiries
250-387-5051
news at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca<mailto:news at royalbcmuseum.bc.ca>
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