Gone Racin’…to the
Goodguys at Del Mar

Roger Rohrdanz and I went to the Goodguys Car Show at Del Mar, California, on April 1-3, 2005. The Goodguys know how to put on a super car show. Bring your most comfortable shoes because there is a lot to see and we noticed a large turnout of families as well as the graybeards. The Del Mar Fairgrounds, in Northern San Diego County, is host to Thoroughbred racing at its finest, but today the hot rod and custom cars ruled. In the O’Brien and Crosby buildings were cars and vendors galore. You can find just about anything to buy from eager vendors. There were purses, Hawaiian shirts with car designs, signs, collectibles, pins, jewelry, sun glasses, wind chimes, art work, pinstriping, model cars, tires, Go-Karts, waxes and polishes, steel/fiberglass car bodies, car parts, transmissions, car lifts, motorcycles, vintage car insurance, tools, wheels/rims, car frames, springs, driveshafts, T-shirts, hats, souvenirs, how-to books, hot rod music, headers, engine blocks, car covers, auto designing companies, heavy machinery, posters, toys, garage coatings, ladies hot rod apparel and much, much more.
  
Bob McCoy was there and many of you will know him for his artwork and models at the Gilmore Reunion. Jack Schmitt has some of the finest Gasoline Alley Classics. He researches old photos of gasoline stations and then draws them to exacting detail. If you want a personalized license plate there is Ray-Ray who will make it for you on the spot. Jim “Bones” Noteboom, boat and car drag racer, brought his KOOL ’35 Ford Fiberglass bodies. This well known car builder and customizer calls his business “Bones Concept Cars and Trucks.” Joe McGowan from Auto Body Depot showed me around his 4 year old business and first time exhibitor at the Del Mar Show. He is already looking to double his vendor’s space for next year’s event. Ron Miller, from British Columbia, came all the way to the show to exhibit his unique place mats. He will sketch your car from a photo, then paint it and place it on a special automotive backdrop to be laminated for that special place mat or hung on the wall. Vic’s 66 is run by a young man from Guthrie, Oklahoma, who brings a huge trailer full of restored and reproduced gas pumps, globes, signs and collectibles. We discussed Kyle Moore’s collection of over 2500 original globe faces and Jack Mendenhall’s unique collection. Moore is based out of Oklahoma and is a must see for the serious gas pumps and globe faces collector. Mendenhall is located in Buellton, California, and is the site of the annual Gold Coast Roadster & Racing Club’s Gas-Up Party, and Dry Lakes Hall of Fame.

Separating the main buildings was a huge tent where fans could rest and eat their meals from the many food vendors placed selectively around the show site. The third enclosed building housed many interesting racecars. Randy Wall’s ’70 Super Nova Funny Car, Ed Schwarz’s “Estrus” AAFC, the Neal & White AAFD, Bushey & McDowell NE/1 Fuel rail coupe, Skip Hedrich’s “The American Eagle” landspeed streamliner that went 332mph at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. Other vintage race cars were “The Big Wheel” Junior Fueler, the Shubert & Herbert AAFD, Mike Sullivan’s AAFA, and Clyde Diedrich’s “Chubasco.” The “Chubasco” is almost completely original and Clyde, who restores vintage race boats as well as cars, purchased the “Chubasco” from Mike Leach in Orange, California, another boat and car guy. Don Prudhomme, home between races on the NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car circuit, walked by and waved hello. Reuben Lovato, one of the original members of the famous Bean Bandits Car Club from San Diego, was there with his partner, Robert Maddocks. They are building a ’29 Ford Roadster with a ’40 Ford Flathead as the powerplant. Reuben is a veteran of the early days of drag racing at Paradise Mesa, and at the dry lakes and Bonneville. Joaquin Arnett is the founder of this very special club. Reuben told us not to forget the Bean Bandits Reunion in San Diego, during the summer. The club cooks its own special brand of Mexican food.
 
The parking lot behind the buildings is full of vintage cars with a huge display of some of the best hot rods anywhere. There were Woody Wagons, roadsters, coupes, trucks, muscle cars, Corvettes, Camaros, Boydsters, Mercs, Cabriolets, F100’s, Sedan deliveries, antique firetrucks and school buses, a Porsche Spyder 550, a ’53 Muntz Convertible, and many more styles and varieties. Owners will periodically leave their spot and motor down the Promenade so that people can see a cruise by without having to go out into the huge parking lot. Along the Promenade is the Fountain, entrance to the horse track, where over 40 vintage Woody’s were on display, some with classic surfboards sticking out the back window. Along the Promenade there were some outstanding Mercs and Fords, from 1949 through 1951. Richard Diamond’s Tangerine Gold ’51 Merc drew raves from the spectators. Diamond said that he really enjoys this show and it is a bargain at $45 per car entrance fee. He then raised the airbags and went cruisin’ down the Promenade. This car was recently exhibited at the Grand National Roadster Show, in Pomona, California. John Buck walked by and recognized the ’51 Merc and told us that he had recently purchased the Grand National Roadster Show from Ted Cyr, and is hoping to expand it and keep it in Southern California.
         
Gone Racin’ is at www.oilstick.com