Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive in Calgary

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Participating last year in the first ever Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive, Louis Stack of Calgary certainly distinguished himself. Stack managed to raise over $10,000 for men’s health initiatives, an achievement that made him the top fundraiser. Not just in Calgary, but in the entire world.

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“One hundred and forty-five cities in 55 countries hosted a Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive last year, raising over $200,000 in U.S. funds,” says Calgary DGD organizer Liam Rathgeber. “Thanks to Louis’s efforts, Calgary was the third highest fundraising city in the world.”

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The DGD is an offshoot of the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, a worldwide event started in 2012 that sees classic and vintage-style motorcycles parade through a city, all ridden by enthusiasts wearing their best togs. The Calgary DGD, however, takes on a slightly different format.  Instead of a parade on Calgary’s streets, the 100 kilometre route meanders west through Alberta’s foothills. 

Just what is the DGD? According to their website, “The Distinguished Gentleman’s Drive is a celebration of classic style. Founded in 2021, this year’s drive will be taking place on Sunday, September 25th. It is an on-road motoring event, uniting pre-80’s classic cars, designed to encourage enthusiasts and vintage car owners around the world to dress dapper and drive for men’s health.” Movember Canada is the charity the Calgary drive supports.

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“There aren’t many charities geared towards men,” Rathgeber notes, adding, “Most of us are generally told to ‘man up’ and we won’t go see a doctor or talk about our mental health or suicide prevention. This is really important, and when I saw online that the DGD event was coming up, I kept waiting to see an announcement about someone organizing a drive in Calgary.”

He waited a long time before realizing no one had taken it on, so “I thought the drive was an event that really needed to happen in Calgary, and I stepped up to put it together.”

Ironically, Rathgeber doesn’t own a vintage car himself. He didn’t have to go too far, though, to find one to drive. His dad, Bill Rathgeber, is an avid classic car enthusiast and has more than one vintage vehicle in his collection.

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“I borrowed his 1975 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow,” Rathgeber says, which Rathgeber Sr. bought several years ago and restored the car to its former glory.

“My dad drove his 1955 Pontiac, and I’ll probably drive that this year while he’ll participate in his 1954 Mercury pickup,” Rathgeber continues. “We love our toys, but we’re not precious about them and enjoy driving them. The DGD is not a show-and-shine where people sit in their lawn chairs beside their cars – this is all about driving the older vehicles.”

In order to participate in the DGD, interested drivers can register on the website at www.gentlemansdrive.com. There, a list of participating cities can be found. Currently in Canada, only Calgary and Montreal are hosting a drive. Once registered, drivers are encouraged to create a profile. Supporters can then click to view each individual profile, and should they so choose, opt to donate funds. Drivers receive details about start and end points for the drive, plus a route map.

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With rare exceptions, vehicles must be pre-1980 models. Last year in Calgary, there were 17 participants including the Rathgebers. Along with their Rolls-Royce and ’55 Pontiac, other vehicles included a 1930s Pontiac rat truck and an Auburn Boattail Speedster. Top fundraiser Louis Stack drove his 1965 Plymouth Valiant Custom 100 convertible. He’s owned it since 1984 and bought the robin’s egg blue car for $2,200 right after he graduated from university. The Valiant is equipped with a 273 cubic-inch V8 engine and 3-speed automatic transmission – most Valiants of the era came with a slant-six powerplant. 

“I learned about the DGD last year by chance, and it just made sense to me,” Stack says of his involvement. “Old cars, prostate cancer research, and getting together for a great cause. When I sent the word out to friends and suppliers in my industry, I was shocked to find myself running for the top fund raiser in the world.

“I plan to participate in ’22, but I think it would be hard for me to raise that much money again.”

Rathgeber is hoping to see more than 50 registered drivers for 2022. Enthusiasts can drive solo, or the car can be full of passengers. As for the dressing dapper component of the event, Rathgeber says some take it more seriously than others.

“As long as you’re wearing your Sunday best, that’ll be just fine.”

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or [email protected]