Argos scoop up Ticat-themed car, plan to paint over it

It was with a heavy heart that Hamilton autoworker Terry Cabral recently put his trusted white Toyota Corolla up for sale on Kijiji.

“I keep likening it to putting your dog down,” Cabral, 47, said in an interview.

The 1990 car is a rolling tribute to Cabral’s longtime affection for the Hamilton Tiger Cats football club.

The front end showcases the Ticats’ yellow and black decal, “Eat ’Em Raw” slogan and numerous player signatures.

The trunk is even showier, with a mini CFL field, complete with copper tubing for little goal posts.

That said, Cabral knows in his heart that it’s time to part with his trusted ride.

It has been driven 300,000 km and the wonky front end needs a serious overhaul.

To soften his separation anxiety, Cabral planned to give proceeds from the sale of the car to the Bob Kemp Hospice in Hamilton, where his sister is a volunteer.

He was thrilled when he was offered $500 for the car, since that’s $200 better than a Hamilton scrapyard was willing to pay.

Then he was stunned to learn that the offer came from the Toronto Argonauts, the Ticats’ arch rivals.

An Argo official explained to Cabral that the team planned to roll out the Corolla at the Sept. 11 Argos pre-game tailgate party outside Gate 11 of the Rogers Centre before the team’s game with the Ticats.

For $5, Argos fans can repaint it with the Argo’s double blue colours.

Proceeds will go to the Argo’s anti-bullying work at the The Canadian Safe School Network.

“When I knew why they wanted it, it wasn’t so bad,” Cabral said.

– Toronto Star