Toronto's most unusual car is all about the glitter
You're driving south on Coxwell, past the Michael Garron Hospital, and suddenly you see it—a glimpse of something shiny on the side of the road.
Like a magpie, you swerve to the patch of houses on the east side of the street. Is it a disco ball, a giant Christmas ornament?
Nay, it's a red Chrysler Sport 300, bedazzled with an assortment of jewels and acrylic gems, and a couple of misleading Mustang emblems fixed to the hood and trunk.
For years, this shiny car has been a staple feature of the stretch just south of Sammon Avenue.
Sitting in the street parking outside of 813 Coxwell, a home equally adorned with its share of glittering ornaments, its presence has added charm and much intrigue to an otherwise small and hectic residential strip.
Frank Giorgio never intended for the car to become the centre of attraction, but these days the 81-year-old uses the frequent interactions with strangers, who'll often stop by to admire and compliment the glittering vehicle, to preach the word of God.
Almost every day, Giorgio, now retired, sticks a new piece of jewelery on top of his car, or in the interior, with a piece of double-sided tape.
Sometimes he'll stop by the Dollar Store to pick up some shiny new thing, other days he'll go to more expensive specialty shops to peruse his choice of pearly orbs and strappy studs. More often than not he'll just remove a piece he's bored with and replace it with a new acquirement.
Giorgio tells me he moved to Toronto from Naples when he was 21. After he met his wife, he says he converted from Roman Catholicism to non-denominational Christianity, and has been preaching the word ever since.
He says with all the bad things happening in the world—most recently and more close to home, the mass shooting on the Danforth—people need God now more than ever.
As we chat, a young man and woman stop by to admire the car.
"Every time I walk by this car, I smile," says the man to Giorgio, who smiles back, turning to look at his glittering prized chariot with pride.
Tanya Mok
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