Bloor Street in Toronto’s affluent Yorkville neighbourhood was transformed into a red-carpet runway on June 16 for the 14th annual Yorkville Exotic Car Show.
The free event saw a variety of classic and exotic cars displayed for auto enthusiasts and families alike to celebrate Father’s Day.
This show’s main focus however was to focus on charity, specifically collecting proceeds towards supporting Melanoma Canada, an organization that set a goal for raising $200,000 to advocate for and support Canadians living with melanoma and skin cancer.
Falyn Katz, the CEO of Melanoma Canada, said the association with the event and its expansion this year has benefited them.
“The show was founded 14 years ago by Phil Downe and he had a vision to create an exotic car show in Yorkville to support charities,” Katz said. “He’s been supporting Melanoma Canada for the last four years and entrusted us to organize the event two years ago.
“We decided this year to expand the show all the way to Yonge Street to give us more room and as it’s Canada’s largest single-day event, we typically see over 200,000 people in a span of five hours,” she said.
This year’s show showcased two new additions, a Neutrogena Block Party with Toronto Maple Leaf’s alumni Wendel Clark and an interactive art show with artist Diogo Snow.
Car enthusiasts were treated to a diverse display of cars, featuring iconic brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, and Aston Martin.
The show also spotlighted some of the latest electric and hybrid offerings from manufacturers like Polestar and Lucid Motors, reflecting the evolving automotive landscape.
Alex Glickman, who attended the event for the first time and brought his father along, said he’s been a fan of cars since he was a kid.
“I think the coolest car is the Land Rover Defender 90 but my favourite car here is definitely the Porsche 911 GT3 RS with the Martini racing livery and the HRE wheels,” Glickman said.
Beyond the car displays, the event offered a festive atmosphere with street performers providing live entertainment and local businesses also getting into the spirit, by offering special promotions and displays to complement the luxurious car show experience.
Nau Ho, chief vision officer of the Kodawari Collective automotive detailing company, had brought along his 1992 Honda NSX sportscar to showcase it to the crowd, even allowing them to sit in it.
“Cars mean a lot to me and owning one like this has made me understand what that feels like. Sharing this experience with others starts a human connection and I love seeing the smiles and conversing about cars with everyone,” Ho said.