SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
If it is a healthy thing for a man to have a hobby, car remodelling enthusiast Gutti Gudmandsson of Kam Lake had much inspiration to share with other men in the last week.

Gutti Gudmandsson, a radio technician with Northern Communications and Navigation Systems on Coronation Drive, pushes a 1966 Cobra replica out of a garage last week. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

Gudmandsson put on display one of the vintage cars that he has refurbished during the fourth annual NWT Riders Association Midnight Sun Classic Car and Motorcycle Show last Friday and the NWT Motorsports Club Autocross on Sunday -- both newer events in the city.

Gudmandsson showed off his customized 1988 red convertible BMW at both the riders association show and at the autocross at the multiplex over the weekend.

He also provided a tour of the Northern Communications and Navigation Systems building on Coronation Drive recently to show numerous old cars and other vehicles he is working on. Among them are a 1970 Stingray 454, a 1967 Mustang fastback that he is making into a Shelby GT 500, a 1935 Ford two-door sedan hot rod, a 1966 Cobra replica, a 1991 Norton Commando 850 motorcycle, and a lifeboat from an old oil rig near Tuktoyaktuk – all of which are in various states of repair.

When asked about what he does, he often compares himself to a familiar late-night talk show host who is an avid vintage car collector who isn't a stickler for keeping cars original.

“I am like Jay Leno in a way where I customize and personalize stuff and you can make a note of that,” he said in his thick Icelandic accent.

“I would say this is a hobby that I have a passion for, designing and creating and building things.

I am very patient and I can work on one thing for a few years. ”

Gudmandsson has been a radio technician in Yellowknife for 15 years. He said his job has taken him all over the North from Greenland to Alaska on a regular basis in order to set up satellite Internet and radio communications lines. The travel has provided him with the opportunity to locate old models and transport them to a garage where he also lives .

“Another thing I do that people say I shouldn't do is they say, 'Gutti, finish one thing before you start another,'” he says laughing. “But the thing is I have no problem multitasking. ”

As a satellite technician, he is a very hands-on worker, which complements his hobby of refurbishing cars. However, he likes to keep his work and hobby as distinct as he can.

“It is always nice to see people have certain hobbies,” he says. “I don't want go to sleep with just my work done and I put importance into that and keep those two things separate. ”

The 1967 Mustang fastback, which is similar to a car featured in the movie Bullitt starring Steve McQueen's, he expects to be driving by the end of the summer after some body work and rewiring is completed. The Cobra replica, which was in the garage nearby, still requires a lot of work on dashboard wiring and needs a paint job.

For many years, a lot of Gudmandsson work has been hidden under tarps in various states of disrepair. However, with the establishment of the motorsports club in 2013, Gudmandsson said he now has a place to share his ideas and his work with other people in the city with the same interests.

“That is nice to see because it is a meeting and gathering place for people with the same hobby,” he said. “Also it would be nice to see more of those cars on the road. When I am finished building mine, I am not going to store them away.”

Robin Weber, president of the NWT Riders Association, said she had never seen Gudmandsson's work before last week's show. Having the convertible present shows how the show offers a unique opportunity for people who want to see this type of work.

“It is nice to be able to bring all of these kinds of cars in one place and have people come to see them all in one place,” Weber said. “Often you might see them go by on the street, but not know what it is. To have them all in once place for people to come and look is kind of nice. Even in a parade, it is not a suitable venue, especially for older cars, because it is too hard on the clutch.”