They start lining up early to get close to the entrance of SO-CAL Speed Shop’s front doors. An estimated 400 cars filter in and out of the street during the festivities.
Pete Chapouris has been building...
Pete Chapouris has been building hot rods for about 40 years now, and has operated SO-CAL Speed Shop for the past 15 years.
For the past 16 years the team at SO-CAL Speed Shop in Pomona, California, has put together a free pre-party for those folks who are attending the big L.A. Roadsters Show ’cross town the next day. Held on Friday, cars start showing up in the early morning, though SO-CAL doesn’t open their doors for the event ’til the afternoon.
Coveted parking spots around the facility for invited hot rod owners and their cars are planned months in advance, and anybody else who wants to show up with a car can find a place out in the street where the police help park them four-wide in front of the shop. An estimated 400 cars took advantage of the opportunity, though when one left another took its place.
Food is available but instead of the mobile In-N-Out Burger stand used at past events, this year several taco trucks were brought in to feed the masses. One truck was offering exotic fair such as buffalo meat, rattlesnake, or alligator—something for everyone.
Parked right up front was...
Parked right up front was this sano Model A roadster belonging to Nick Kallos out of Las Vegas. Kallos’ vintage Ford was an America’s Most Beautiful Roadster contender in 2011.
With a blown and injected...
With a blown and injected Hemi underhood and fat tires under the rear fenders, we can envision what this late-’40s Plymouth might be able to accomplish given a few seconds on a straight asphalt street.
The Aero line of Willys was...
The Aero line of Willys was a great lineup for the auto manufacturer, but not great enough to save the company—it folded in 1955. But that doesn’t mean folks haven’t figured out how to make great-looking hot rods out of them!