Reviving a one-year wonder

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This article was published 15/04/2022 (1428 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brent Titchkosky’s first full restoration is bound to be something memorable, since his 1960 Frontenac simultaneously represents an interesting piece of automotive trivia and family history.

The compact car was only manufactured for a single year, originally being designed as an alternate version of the Ford Falcon that could be sold at Canada’s Mercury dealerships.

“And then in 1961, it was replaced by the Comet,” Titchkosky told the Sun on Tuesday.

“It was basically the same platform but it was a little bit redundant, so they basically got rid of the whole brand of Frontenac and it became a memory.”

However, Titchkosky’s great-grandfather managed to get his hands on a Frontenac within that short period of time, eventually retiring the car at the family farm near Morden.

“I never saw it really my whole life,” the Brandon resident said. “It’s been parked in the field since ’83, so before I was even born this thing was already retired.”

Flash forward to last fall and Titchkosky got a surprise text message from his mother, who knew he was looking for a meaty automotive restoration to sink his teeth into.

“Then she sends me this picture and my jaw just about hit the floor, and I said ‘yeah, I’ll rebuild that,’” he recalled.

Despite having the same body and engine as a 1960 Ford Falcon, the Frontenac set itself apart with some unique aesthetic characteristics, including its own distinctive grille, tail lights and external trim.

One of Titchkosky’s favourite features on the car is its maple leaf badging, which covers the fenders, hub caps, steering wheel and trunk.

Throughout the next couple months, the 35-year-old’s main goal with this restoration is to keep all these features intact, including the car’s original black paint job and Monte Carlo red interior.

“I’m going to bring it back to life and because of the rarity, it’s definitely going to be a nice family project,” he said. “I’m going to turn it into a parade car.”

Titchkosky’s claims about the rarity of this classic car aren’t an exaggeration, according to a 2010 article from the Globe and Mail.

Despite manufacturing around 10,000 models back in 1960, Frontenac expert Rich Vandermey estimated there were only around 30 left in circulation at that time, with around a dozen or so being in working condition.

“They weren’t a high-end car, they weren’t a luxury car, or anything too fast,” Titchkosky said. “It was marketed as an economical car, so people drove them and they drove the snot out of them. And because of that, there’s just not too many of them left.”

However, he was pleased to find out his family’s Frontenac is still structurally sound, despite being parked at the farm for close to four decades.

“I was a little worried at first … but I crawled under it and it is actually in remarkable condition,” he said.

“It needs floor patch panelling, but the frame, the chassis and everything is in fantastic shape.”

Against all odds, Titchkosky even managed to track down a second 1960 Frontenac from a nearby private car dealer, which means the Brandon resident has a bevy of spare parts at his disposal to get the classic vehicle back on the road.

“I do have two motors now, so I think I’ll have all the parts that I’ll need to get this one running again,” he said. “So I’m going to keep everything original and then all I’m really going to be doing is cleaning up the body, and the interior needs to be completely replaced.”

Even though the project marks Titchkosky’s first official attempt at tackling a full restoration, he is no stranger to this kind of automotive repair, having already worked as a collision repair technician for 15 years.

And now that he is branching out and starting his own repair business, Crusty Customs, he believes he is going to have a very productive couple months in the shop, with the aim of getting the Frontenac ready for Super Run in July.

But even if he doesn’t meet this deadline, Titchkosky will still be laser-focused on giving this rare model the comeback it deserves, especially given how much it means to some of his relatives.

“This is the car my mom rode to school in when she was a little kid, so I’d really like to sit her down in the passenger seat and take her for a rip,” he said.

“I’m exceedingly motivated to get this project done.”

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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