John has been involved in the collector car hobby for more than 50 years. He is a past National President to the Vintage Car Club of Canada (VCCC) and is serving as the current President of the National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Corporation.
His motor sport experiences are as varied as his passion for high performance vintage track racing and concourse quality restorations. He is a hands-on restorer who does most of his own work. These areas have contributed to his extensive background and form the basis of his belief that research, hard work and attention to detail will allow anyone who has a dream to become part of the winner’s circle.
John is a three-time International High Point Record Holder and National Class Champion to the International Show Car Association of North America (ISCA) He is a five-time recipient of the Specialty Equipment Market Associations (SEMA) “Most Outstanding Detailed Vehicle Award”. He was a “Best of Class” winner at the Model A Ford Club of America (MAFCA) National Meet in Reno, Nevada and the first foreign participant to achieve this recognition. He has also been a Classic Car Club of America (CCCA) and Early Ford V/8 National 1st place winner many times.
John organized and served as the chairman for the Vintage International Antique Auto Show. This event opened the automotive theme period for the 1986 World’s Fair- EXPO 86. The show was a combination of concours quality restorations, nostalgic hot rods and muscle cars. This was the largest undercover collector vehicle show of its kind ever staged in North America.
He has an extensive career in Vintage Automobile Judging. He is a ‘Master’ Judge for the Classic Car Club of America (CCCA). He is a Certified Senior Judge for a number of organizations including the Model A Ford Club of America. He is the past Chief Judge for Vintage Car Club of Canada (VCCC) serving 28 years. He is a panel judge for the Early Ford V/8 Club of America. He is a permanent Panel/Chief Class Judge at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, USA. He is the Chief Judge for the Arizona Concours, a Chief Judge for the Hilton Head Concours d’Elegance in South Carolina, Chief Judge for the Cobble Beach Concours, Ontario Canada and the Crescent Beach Concours and Vancouver Island Concours in BC Canada.
John is an Advisory Board Member to the Classic Collectible, and Special Interest Car Appraisal Guide of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). He served as a Board Member on the British Columbia Government’s AirCare Collector Car Club Council for 15 years.
He has written numerous articles about automotive restoration and judging. He is a co-author for the initial Canadian Judging Standards for MAFCA and is the author of the Canadian Judging Standards for the NAACC. He has been the Chief Judge for the NAACC since 1989 and has been the Chief Judge for the Vintage Car Club of Canada since 1995. He retired from his 28-year VCCC position in 2023.
He is a founding and Board member of (ICJAG) International Chief Judge Advisory Group.
John’s judging philosophy is “there are no losers only different winners”. He believes that the vehicle speaks for itself and should be set aside from personalities, money and influence. He also believes that the NAACC has one of the finest and fairest Judging Standards ‘world-wide’.
John’s personal philosophy is “you will get as much out of this hobby as you are willing to put into it. The people in the hobby are what is ‘really’ important. We are only caretakers for the vehicles that we restore and hopefully they will be here long after we are gone.”
He is married and has two ‘car guy’ sons, “JJ” and David. His wife, Koko, and he have been married for 50 years. They reside in the seaside community of Belcarra, BC. John is a journeyman master mechanic and a graduate of the University of British Columbia. He is now long retired after a 30-year career as a Technology Education teacher. He has been honored for his work in the collector car hobby by being inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Vintage Car Club of Canada, the National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Corporation and the Greater Vancouver Motorsports Pioneer Society. In 2015 he was presented with the prestigious Lee Iacocca Award.
Credentials & Collector Vehicle Biography
- Current National President & CEO, National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Corporation. North America’s largest collector vehicle group, www.naacc.ca
- Current Advisory Board Member to N.A.D.A.- National Automobile Dealers Association, Classic, Collectible, and Special Interest Car, Appraisal Guide.
- National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Corporation. Appraisal committee Chairman. (Current)
- National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Insurance Chairman. (Current)
- Harold LeMay ‘America’ Museum, Tacoma Washington, Steering Committee Board member (20 plus years–Current)
- Heritage Village Museum Board Member, Burnaby BC (5 years)
- Kwantlen University College, Motor Sports Technology Board Member (2004-05)
- Past National President, Vintage Car Club of Canada
- Chief Advisory Judge to the National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Corporation (1989–Current)
- ICJAG –A Founding member & Current Board Member
- Chief Judge for the Vintage Car Club of Canada (1995–2023)
- Panel Judge to the Early Ford V8 Club of America (Current)
- Certified Senior Judge to the Model A Ford Club of America
- Master Judge, Classic Car Club of America (CCCA 1982– Current)
- Chief Judge Arizona Concours (Current)
- Chief Judge, Steamworks Concours, Vancouver, BC 2004-2011
- Chief Class Judge & Permanent Panel Judge, Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance, Pebble Beach, California, USA (Current-over 30 years)
- Chief Judge 2005, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2020 & Permanent Honorary Judge, Hilton Head Concours, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, USA (Current)
- Chief Judge 2009-2012 Louisville Concours d’Elegance, Churchill Downs, Home of the Kentucky Derby, Chief Judge, Concours d’ Elegance at French Lick, Indiana
- International Show Car Association of North America (ISCA), Three-time National Class Champion and MAFCA, National Champion
- NHRA, Started the Jr. Dragster High School racing program in Canada, 1989
- Charter and a founding member of the BC Collector Car Club Council
- Graduate, University of British Columbia, Double Major, Technology & Industrial Education, Fine Arts.
- Department of Education, BC, Technology Education teacher (30 years)
Awards
- Honorary ‘Life Member’ & Hall of Fame member of the Vintage Car Club of Canada (Inducted 1986)
- Honorary ‘Life Member’ & Hall of Fame member of the National Association of Automobile Clubs of Canada Corporation (inducted 2001)
- Greater Vancouver Motorsports Pioneer Society Hall of Fame (2011)
- Lee Iacocca Award, presented 2015