The popular Northwest Deuce Days event brought a wave of spending to Victoria, according to tourism group Destination Greater Victoria.

The internationally renowned car show took place from July 17 to July 20, bringing with it 1,300 pre-1952 classic cars, and drivers hailing from as far as Sweden, Australia, Finland and New Zealand.

In total, the three-day event generated approximately $2.9 million in “economic impact,” according to Destination Greater Victoria.

That spending helped support 650 local jobs, with the number of participants increasing by eight per cent since the last Northwest Deuce Days in 2022.

Watch CHEK’s full report on the event from July 19 below:

Northwest Deuce Days happens just once every three years.

The car show gets its namesake from the Ford 1932 hot rods, nicknamed “Deuces,” referring to the year they were made.

But it’s not just the classic cars that draw people to the event.

Bruce Nelson, a Deuce owner, says everyone who has a passion for cars comes together during Northwest Deuce Days.

“Even with finished cars, yeah, there’s always something to be done,” he said as he examined his engine on Saturday, which was making concerning noises.

“There’s the camaraderie. There was two or three guys around here this morning that were helping me diagnose the problem,” he said. “The camaraderie of all of this is huge.”

This year, there were 1,060 Ford vehicles participating in Northwest Deuce Days, and some 520 vehicles belonged to U.S. owners.

Paul Nursey, CEO of Destination Greater Victoria, says the high number of American participants is a “reflection of the event’s ability to bring people together and create lasting connections across borders.”

“Once again, Northwest Deuce Days brought incredible energy into our region, drawing thousands of visitors and delivering major economic benefits for Greater Victoria, while putting our destination on display around the world,” he said.

Destination Greater Victoria says a more detailed report on the economic impact of this year’s event is in the works.

With files from CHEK’s Grace Miller

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