Canadian fan and online reader Adamo Tundo, of Ottawa, Ontario, is a huge lover of classic American cars. He also, however, is a fan of the Canadian versions of those American brands. Tundo is the proud owner of what he calls, "one rare bird."

This stunner is a 1957 Pontiac Pathfinder wagon. Made in Canada from 1953-1958, the Pathfinder came in sedan, sedan delivery or station wagon styles. The Canadian line was built with Pontiac front and rear ends and styling but with a Chevy chassis, giving the line its nickname, "Cheviacs." Tundo said of their differences, "The front end is 4 inches or so shorter than its American cousin."

The Canadian car market was selling about one tenth the number of vehicles sold in America, so, naturally, the number of productions were proportionately smaller, and, therefore, the model is a rarer and harder to find car.

Tundo said, "As far as I know, there was less than 500 two-door Pontiac wagons made in 1957 in Canada."

The Auto Pact, or the Canada/United States Automotive Products Agreement, was the trade agreement signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. That agreement shifted the need for Canadian specific models and allowed American manufacturers to sell in our neighboring country without the imposing fees that had been in place before. Prior to that, the import charges on a U.S. made vehicle would run up to 22 percent for Canadian auto dealers, making the cost of the vehicle that much more expensive and that much harder to sell across our northern border.

Tundo bought this car from a friend who had owned it for 10 years. The friend had purchased it from the original owner's son, who had restored the Canadian beauty sometime in the 1980s.

The friend then had his way with it soon after, slamming the ride with 2-inch dropped spindles, 2-inch lowering springs, 2-inch dropped leaf springs and 2-inch lowering blocks.

Tundo said, "The car then got a set of 15-inch black steelies with spider caps and trim rings with a narrow whitewall to give it that early '60s mild custom look."

He swapped it over to disc brakes and added a stereo system to complete the update.

The head-turner has its original 261 straight-six engine, the three-on-the-tree Synchromesh transmission, and the odometer tacks it at 38,000 miles.

Tundo said the first thing his wife said was, "That color looks like pizza sauce." Naturally, the moniker stuck and has become the quirky classic's nickname, "Pizza Sauce."

Tundo also has an Offenhauser tripower manifold waiting for the car, and is hoping to add it soon.

He said he drives the car "all over" to shows, just last week taking it to the Syracuse Nationals and taking home "Designer's Dozen" pick. He said of showing his unique ride, "It is pretty cool getting to park the old bomb beside gazillion-dollar Foose-style street rods."