Dream car plus 25% tariff? Ontario retiree's classic Mustang caught in trade war

Samantha Beattie · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

The agleam orangish 1969 Ford Shelby Mustang is Cameron Gillespie's imagination car and something helium plans to support for the remainder of his life, making the $105,000 Cdn terms tag worth it. 

But erstwhile the 65-year-old retired fiscal analyst began the process to import it from an Iowa car dealership to his Brantford, Ont., location successful May, he learned he'd person to wage importantly much than expected owed to the commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the U.S. 

Classic cars are among the U.S. goods Canada has imposed a 25 per cent tariff on, truthful including income tax, Gillespie estimates helium will be paying $30,000 successful other duties to the Canadian government. 

"This tariff is not impacting the Americans. It's impacting america individual Canadians," helium said.  "I'm caught successful the authorities of 2 countries warring with each different and it's the Canadian authorities who has implemented this tariff, not Donald Trump." 

In effect to the U.S. president imposing a 25 per cent tariff connected vehicles successful April, Ottawa launched reciprocal tariffs, which it said would beryllium successful spot until the Americans assistance their levies. 

Meanwhile, Gillespie said, his Mustang remains parked astatine the Iowa dealership arsenic helium pushes for a tariff exemption — akin to what auto producers successful Canada have. 

Exemption for car producers

In May, the federal government announced these ample companies would beryllium provided with "relief from Canada's counter-tariffs" arsenic agelong arsenic they support home production. That means they are able to import "a definite quantity" of caller vehicles from the U.S. without paying the other 25 per cent. 

"It is intended to enactment continued automotive accumulation and concern successful Canada," said Department of Finance spokesperson Benoit Sabourin. 

No specified alleviation was afforded to idiosyncratic Canadians wishing to import classical oregon utilized cars from the U.S., the Department of Finance confirmed. The 25 per cent tariffs use adjacent to vehicles (like Gillespie's Mustang) that were antecedently work escaped done the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement connected trade.

"These measures were not imposed lightly — they were indispensable to respond to unjustified U.S. actions and to support Canada's economical interests," said Sabourin. 

"The authorities continues to show the commercialized concern intimately and volition not hesitate to set its response, arsenic required, to conscionable its argumentation objectives."

Gillespie said helium contacted the Department of Finance, and his section Conservative subordinate of Parliament has written a missive connected his behalf, but he's heard thing back. 

"I'm disappointed successful our government, doing this to individuals," Gillespie said. "I don't privation to suffer [the car] but I don't privation to wage an other [$30,000] for thing that doesn't marque consciousness and shouldn't use to statesman with." 

Gillespie's Shelby Mustang is simply a high-performance, two-door convertible. The iconic cars were primitively built by Shelby-American, a institution founded by celebrated racing car operator and automotive decorator Carroll Shelby, and past by Ford.

Conflicting information

Before Gillespie bought the Mustang connected May 30, helium said, helium called Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to cheque if it would beryllium taxable to a tariff.

"I didn't privation immoderate surprises," helium said. "They informed maine determination are nary tariffs connected classical cars implicit 25 years old." 

He went up with the purchase, but erstwhile helium called Toronto-based transportation institution TFX International to bring it crossed the border, it informed him determination would successful information beryllium a tariff, positive tax, bringing the full from $118,650 to $148,300. 

The CBSA, which manages the travel of radical and goods crossed Canada's borders, including onshore crossings from the U.S., did not supply a remark earlier publication. 

Adam Horodnyk, vice-president of TFX International, said the tariffs person greatly impacted the business, arsenic fewer Canadians are capable oregon consenting to wage the other disbursal for classical cars.

"The fig of radical calling me, asking astir importing a classical car, the 2nd I archer them astir a tariff, they say, 'We're not buying the car,'" oregon they're keeping them successful the U.S., he said. 

Right now, TFX is holding astir 50 cars successful a warehouse crossed the border for Canadians hoping the commercialized warfare volition extremity soon, said Horodnyk. 

The institution is down $50,000 to $100,000 successful proscription income a week and the national authorities is missing retired connected collecting taxes, helium said. 

The tariff impacts are besides being felt "massively" crossed Canadian sectors, from the motortruck drivers who import vehicles to the mechanics who tune them up, to the classical car shows raising wealth for charities, said Horodnyk. 

"It makes nary interaction connected the commercialized dispute. There's nary mode you could perchance person maine this [tariff connected classical cars] is successful immoderate mode going to alteration what the president of the United States does erstwhile it comes to Canada." 

He said the Canadian government's tariff exemption for car producers importing caller cars is "unfair" as individual Canadians wanting to import a 50-year-old vehicle aren't provided with the aforesaid relief.

And slowing down idiosyncratic income of vintage Cadillacs or Lincolns won't hurt concern for General Motors oregon Ford, Horodnyk argues. 

"I would similar to judge this [policy] is an oversight and tin beryllium corrected," helium said. "All it's doing is hurting Canadians."