MR4: Effie

MOONRCKT:

EFFIE

OWNER:

GRANT HARLTON

location:

EDMONTON, Alberta

By ANDY LUCARDIE

This story has been a challenging one. The uniqueness of the build and the storied background we chose for this shoot tells the journey of not one, but two enthusiasts who's obsession and efforts deserve to be shared. So, we’ve added a short piece to this feature that tells the story of the rich and unique history of our Great North American Railroads, and the railcars that steamed across them.

We promise to take you down a historic ride where passion and vision collide.

Our story takes us back to 1972 Alberta, Canada, where a young industrial designer, Grant Harlton, would dedicate the next forty years of his life to birth a car that was inspired by an era when stripped-down model Ts tore up oval dirt tracks throughout North America, that were often used for thoroughbred horse racing.

Back in those heady days when the auto industry was starting to experiment with a new concept called a "sports car," Grant's dad had a friend that may have achieved this distinction prior to Detroit's vision in the form of his stripped-down Model T, which was modified to be raced on weekends at Northlands Park.

One Sunday morning, this young "tracker" brought his mates over for breakfast, all in their own stripped-down rods. "One can imagine seeing these barely legal street machines coming down the road and making one hell of an impact on the young boys that ran to see the spectacle." Grant fondly remembers that it made a lasting impression on him. "They looked like young outlaws."

It was Grant's Hot Rod magazines and "track nosed" rods from CA and various places in the US that gave him the vision of what could be. A light race car, stripped of any hints of domestic America, but also be a drivable beast for the road.

Fast forward to 1972—Grant took to his dream.

It started with the creation of a fibreglass mould that was to become the body of his track roadster. As fast as it began, his project was shelved due to family obligations. Grant's dream stayed on that shelf until the 80s, when time and money allowed him to commit efforts for the next phase of his build.

Wanting it to be as true to life and in keeping to his vision, Grant took it up a notch. He decided the car had to be authentic, and thus a metal body was in order. It would be a one-of-a-kind track roadster that would look so genuine, you’d swear it was a Detroit-assembled creation, stripped down by some leathered hero of the fifties for track racing.

Using the fibreglass body as an idea, sheet metal donor parts from hundreds of barn finds were cut, hammered and grafted together. Think of it as building your first plastic model, then graduating to a more earnest die-cast one.

This ushered in the "Diggin’ the sand looking for rusty tin years."

"You will never do anything with this junk," his disapproving mother, "Effie,” used to say every time he came home with another treasured barn find. She said it so often, in proving her wrong, he aptly named his roadster after her.

We wonder if it was the fuel he needed to complete his growing Frankenstein of a project.

In need of a race number, Effie was branded with the number 45, signifying Grant's birth year. And for good measure, a "B" was added, as in “plan B” in going with a metal body, rather than the original fibreglass exterior.

After of cutting, hammering, and grafting of parts from donor vehicles ranging from 1930s Fords to a 1944 Ford two-ton big truck, and seats from a tractor for good comfort measure, Effie became a uniquely crafted piece of rolling metal.

In guessing the number of cars and "donors" that made up Grant's vision, "many" is the only answer he can give.

Case in point, the front grill consists of 13 different pieces of sheet metal from various grills and hoods. All these pieces were grafted as one to form the grill that was initially conceptualized in fibreglass.

Another feature is the hood, which has the louvres from a 1944 Ford two-ton big truck to match the front grille.

And in keeping with the theme, the replica Buick finned drum brakes are meant to look authentic, but In truth, they are only dust covers that hide disc brakes that are readily available today.

People often ask Grant, "what is it?” His go-to script:

"From front to the back of the doors, it is ‘27 T roadster Phaeton. From the doors back, a ‘25 Ford Model T coupe that has been modified, widened, and so on.'“

The engine is what Grant calls a "fraud V8" (shh… its a small block chevy with Ford painted on the valve covers). The idea of this entire build is to make it look old, like a racer from the 50s, like those that raced in his home town so many years ago, without the shine and polish. “A one-coat wonder," Grant tells me with his signature easy chuckle.

Asking him how many hours have been put into this project, he says, "not sure, but thirty-plus years is about correct.”

How does she drive? "The drive is lovely… for short spurts.” Those short spurts have added up throughout the years to 26,000 km!

Arguably, there is no other ride that comes with such a detailed build story, and taking a community of craftsmen from welders, to designers, to donors in making this one-of-a-kind MOONRCKT possible.

"Sadly, my body won't allow me to drive her anymore. Watching her sit in the garage is difficult for me," Grant shares humbly.

So Effie is looking for a new home and giving someone a great opportunity to own a unique story on wheels. Grant is open to offers, so chime in, all who dig this machine!

THE BACKDROP

The location chosen for this particular shoot is one as unique as Effie. Katie’s Crossing has a story that takes you on a journey to the first cut of the Grant trunk Railway.

A self-prescribed railman, Tom, is obsessed with the history of the railroad. It's in his blood. His dad and granddad were railroaders, and the rail cars he has collected throughout the years are relevant to the local area. His collection ranges from the 1880s to 1958.

The oldest car in Tom's collection is one that housed Chinese workers, many who sacrificed their lives in laying down the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad. Tom shares that It is one of the oldest rail cars in North America. "Anything before this very car came from Scotland. It was also used in the western movie, Eldorado."

There is a church on wheels, used by the Cowboy Church Congregation. "Lots of old railroaders had their last goodbye in it, as well as weddings and baptisms."

We could go on with this eclectic collection of rail cars, locomotives, cranes, and trucks of an era long gone.

Should you be a local Albertan or a visitor, you really must see it for yourself. You will find yourself in the heartland of Alberta, going back in time while dining on burgers, fish and chips, ice cream, and all of it inside a museum on rails.