Blackie's Fresno Autorama

You could hear it on the lips of anyone who attended the 48th annual Fresno Autorama: This was the greatest collection of hot rods they'd ever seen. And that bit of truth doesn't happen by accident-it has been the way Blackie Gejeian has operated for almost five decades.

You might not expect to see 81-year-old Blackie at several hot rod shows each year, but that's exactly where he is-typically traveling from Michigan to California to personally invite the owners of exceptional cars to his show in Fresno. And, if you talk to anyone who has been invited, they will tell you what an honor is to get an invite from Blackie. Only 160 or so cars fit in the 70,000-square-foot convention center in downtown Fresno, California, so you can bet that each year's collection is second to none in the country. Others may be larger, but the ratio of high-quality cars in this show outshines every other event.

Another particular aspect of this show is there are only two awards presented at the end of the three-day event. No class wins, Best Paint, or Most Money Spent trophies at the Fresno Autorama-just the Custom Rod Sweepstakes and the Street Rod Sweepstakes trophies. (And they're biggies, each more than 6 feet in height!) Everyone else who brought a car gets a 4-foot trophy just for attending. And, contrary to what some believe, Blackie does not pick the two winners. A points system for judging occurs at the Fresno Autorama, just like most other shows, and some of the same qualified judges you see at other big California shows work this event too.

So what would happen if you put a Ridler winner from Detroit against a former winner of the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award? That's the kind of thing that can happen (and has) at Blackie's show because there are no rules to qualify-you just have to be invited. And it's the people who file in through the doors each day from surrounding towns who win in this scenario, as they don't have to go to several shows across the country to see all the cars displayed here.

Though there are vendors that ring the outside edge of the hall (everyone from Meguiar's to House of Kolor sets up), the rest of the event is low-key. No circus performers on stage taking away your attention, no has-been television "stars" hanging out in the hallway selling their autographs-just great cars. Blackie gets a bit emotional when it comes to talking about the people who have supported him all these years, and it's a testament to the decades he has given to the world of hot rodding. At the awards presentation, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he climbed up on stage to announce the winners of this year's show.

In the rod category, Kevin and Karen Alstott continued their winning ways with their '35 Ford roadster, which won the Don Ridler Memorial Award at the Detroit Autorama in 2006 and the America's Most Beautiful Roadster award earlier this year. In the custom division, William George-fresh from winning the Al Slonaker Memorial Award at this year's Grand National Roadster Show-won for his bright orange pearl wagon, which was crafted out of a '37 sedan, built by Jim "Bones" Noteboom.

A tremendous amount of work went into both cars, and you can hardly argue the results after seeing them in person. Of course, you already know where the only place in the country is where you can do that, and the 49th annual Fresno Autorama in 2008 will give you another opportunity to do just that!