48th Annual L.A. Roadsters Show & Swap

It wouldn’t be Father’s Day in SoCal without a good dose of roadsters

From the November, 2012 issue of Street Rodder

By Brian Brennan

Photography by Eric Geisert

Traditions take time, and the 48th Annual L.A. Roadsters Show & Swap has moved through time into that of legendary status. The world of hot rodding if full of great events; rod runs and car shows (no, they aren’t the same), swap meets, and the like are at the core of what makes rodding so addictive.

In the early days the “Roadster Show”, as it has become known, was a “show”, the “swap” came later. The show’s beginnings go back to 1959 at the Hollywood Bowl. It wasn’t until 1967 that the swap meet became an integral (and critical) part of the Father’s Day tradition. Just prior to the 1968 show, the club got the boot, literally, from the City of Los Angeles, fearing that the swap meet was a haven for stolen parts. So, down the Golden State Freeway (locals call it “The 5”) it was to the Great Western Exhibit Center. Here the one-day event became iconic in its SoCal stature amidst hot rodding lore and a staple for all rodders come Father’s Day. In 1979 the last show took place at the Great Western as the grounds were sold and new development was to take place. (Editor’s note: I was the club secretary at the time and remember going to the Pomona Fairgrounds with then-club treasurer the late-Chuck Dunmead and club president Dick “Magoo” Megugorac seeking out the seat for the county fair as the club’s new home for its growing event.) It was in 1980, the current home for 33 years, the show and swap would be held at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona each Father’s Day. (One more tidbit: Today the event is known as a two-day gathering but in 1980 it was still a single day, but that was to change after the club realized the fairgrounds charged for the weekend and the club was only using one day.)

The horizon was calling for more changes. In 2011 the layout changed and the use of Building 4 (the main hall for the Grand National Roadster Show) now houses vendors. This year 160 vendors were indoors with another 40 (large rigs) displaying their goods outside in what has now become known as “manufacturers’ row”, or the “midway” for you who use fancy fairgrounds speak. The indoor exhibitors enjoy the comfort of being inside and out of the early summer heat.

Speaking of “doing business” the number of swap spaces reached a mind boggling 1,200 swap spaces measuring 25x15 feet. Though the show is a two-day affair scheduled for Saturday and Sunday the reality is, as the swappers begin arriving on Friday there’s plenty of “serious” swapping going on well before the gates officially open at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday.

This year there were 650-plus roadsters, with as many as 200 arriving on Friday, beginning the weekend roadster fair well in advance. Since this is a roadster show, all of the pre-’75 roll-up glass have the option of parking in Preferred Parking, which is always a show onto itself and well worth hours of visiting during both days. Did we mention there were 1,500 specialty rides parked in this section?!

As for those who wish to hoof the show and take it all in, the L.A. Roadsters report that 14,000 spectators walked through the gates. It should be noted that the show draws rodders from all over California and neighboring states. In fact, rodders drive from the East Coast to enjoy this event. Hot rodders come by way of air and ground and they arrive early in the week, visiting hot rod shops, automotive sights, like the Petersen Automotive Museum, and other way-cool rodding draws. Traditions such as Friday at SO-CAL Speed Shop and later that evening at Walden Speed Shop are must-see destinations. Early in the week there’s the LimeWorks get-together while there’s a new venue on Saturday at Nostalgia Speed & Cycle. If you have the time, these specialty events really do add something to Father’s Day, taking it from a one-day to a weeklong celebration of hot rods.

It appeared the show was bigger and more popular than ever and with the sheer area taken over within the Pomona Fairplex we asked the club if there were any plans to increase from two to three days. The answer we received was a resounding, “No!” But here’s hoping this iconic event will grow to cover three full days. There can be no denying there’s plenty to see. Besides all of us are looking for any excuse to drive our hot rods one more day and enjoy the sights and sounds that make up SoCal rodding. (For more information you can go to the club’s website: www.laroadsters.com.)