Nick Coates motor show a tribute to a 'great guy'

There was plenty of motorized muscle in a parking lot at Confederation Building in St. John's Sunday for the third Nick Coates Memorial Motor Show.

The show is intended to highlight the dangers of impaired driving, and continue the legacy of a young man who died needlessly following a tragic accident in 2013.

More than250 cars and motorcycles were on display, with all the proceeds going to Mothers Against Drunk Drivingmore commonly known as MADD.

• Ronald Thistle convicted in drunk driving death of Nick Coates

The event is organized by a group call Edition 709, and members of the Coates' family say it's the perfect way to remember Nick.

Nick's sister, Terri-Lee Coates, saidher brother would have been amazed to see the continuing response to his death.She said the motor show is exactly the kind of event Nick would have loved, since vehicles were his passion.

She said the goal is to reinforce the message that drunk driving can ruins lives.

"Please don't drink and drive. Don'ttake somebody else's life because of a silly, senseless decision," she said.

Nick Coates died after his motorcycle collided with a pickup truck on Kenmount Road two years ago.

The driver of the truck, Ronald Thistle,was impaired. He was convicted in April and handed a two-year prison sentence.

The motor show has already raised tens of thousands of dollars for MADD Canada.