The Total Performance leg kicked off the 2007 PPG / STREET RODDER Road Tour season with a fun-filled weekend in the Daytona Beach area on Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13. After gathering at Total Performances' showroom at Destination Daytona, the Road Tourians took a cruise over to A1A and made the 45-minute trip down to the historic Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse, just south of Daytona Beach.
After a brief look at the famous lighthouse and surrounding buildings, we had a great lunch at the North Turn Restaurant in Ponce Inlet. Besides the fantastic view of the ocean, the restaurant is filled with photos and memorabilia from the 1950s. The original location of the restaurant was actually the north turn of the famous NASCAR beach track where the races were held before the Daytona Speedway was built in 1959. We traveled as a group from the North Turn Restaurant to the once-a-month cruise-in at New Smyrna. We were treated to a special parking area and enjoyed the pleasant afternoon. Many thanks to Carroll Hamilton of Total Performance for putting together a great day of fun in the Florida sun.
On Sunday, we gathered again at the Total Performance shop at Destination Daytona for a 90-mile trip to Ocala and a visit to the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing. For those who have not made a stop at this fantastic facility, you have to pay a visit if you are in the area. The two large buildings are filled with an incredible collection of racing cars and memorabilia Don has collected during his many years as "Big Daddy" of all the drag racers. The trip back to Ormond Beach got us a little wet, but everybody survived to enjoy a hot dog picnic dinner at Destination Daytona, which was provided by Total Performance and Classic Automobilia.
We were ready to roll the next morning at 7:30 a.m.; accompanied by some showers, almost 30 vehicles pulled out to start the trip up the East Coast to our ultimate destination of Ocean City, Maryland, and the Cruisin' Ocean City event. Our travels on Monday included a trip north on A1A to St. Augustine, Florida, and a stop at the historic Castillo de San Marcos national monument, which dates back to the 17th century. After another great lunch at the Conch House Restaurant on the water, we made the 200-mile trip north to our stop for the evening on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
The Total Performance leg continued its trek on Tuesday up the beautiful East Coast of the United States. After Monday evening's stay on Hilton Head Island, we were up early as we rolled north on Route 17 toward our lunchtime stop in historic Charleston, North Carolina. Hugh Hoitt, and members of the Street Rods Unlimited car club of Charleston, arranged to meet us at Bessinger's Barbeque for lunch and to give us some ideas of what to see in their beautiful city. After lunch, some of the Road Tourians took a guided walking tour of the city, while others visited the new North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center that had just opened less than three weeks earlier. The museum contains more than a dozen fully restored classic and vintage fire engines and fire-fighting apparatus.
After lunch we embarked on a two-hour drive to Myrtle Beach for our Tuesday evening stay. It was Bike Week in Myrtle Beach, so there was plenty to see and do that evening. Our hotel was directly across the street from the Broadway at the Beach entertainment complex, which is filled with lots of restaurants and clubs.
We were up and rolling north by 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning. Our stop for lunch was in New Bern, North Carolina, at Andy's Cheeseburger. We enjoyed a great burger-and-milkshake lunch, and then headed out on the highway again to Kill Devil Hills on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Some members of the First Flight Cruisers car club stopped by our hotel to invite us to their weekly cruise in nearby Kitty Hawk. They usually have it on Tuesday night, but actually changed it to Wednesday since they heard we were going to be in the area. It was fun to see some of the local cars, and the club members enjoyed hearing the stories of our trip.
On Thursday morning, we visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk, the actual site of the first recoded flight. It was awe-inspiring to stand on the exact spot where such an important event in the history of mankind took place. The museum and facility is first class and is worth a visit. From the Outer Banks area, we headed north under cloudy skies. I had previously met one of our fellow Road Tourians, Hoyt Duff, and his wife, Bobbie Lou, on the Lokar Tour to Kalamazoo last year, and they invited us to their fishing pier in Virginia Beach. Bobbie Lou really rolled out the red carpet for us at their beautiful facility, the Lynnhaven Fishing Pier on Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach. Everyone received a goodie bag that Bobbie Lou had put together, and we were fed one of the best meals of the entire week. Shrimp, pulled pork, and fried chicken were served with Momma Duff's rum cake and ice cream for dessert-all compliments of Bobbie Lou and Hoyt! Thanks, folks; it was a great way to wind up an amazing week.
From there, we all headed out to our final destination of Cruisin' Ocean City. By Thursday evening, the Road Tourians participating in the Total Performance leg of the tour had arrived in Ocean City. Nothing bonds a group together like a few days on the road in street rods. We had very few car problems and this year's Brookville-bodied three-window Deuce coupe, powered by a blown Shadow Rods Flathead powerplant, covered the 1,400 miles beautifully.
It was a wild weekend in Ocean City (see pg. 80 for full coverage of the event). Sunday came quickly and it was time for everyone to head home. There was just one week before the Advanced Plating leg of the Road Tour headed from the NSRA Mid-America Nationals in Springfield, Missouri, to the huge Nationals East in York, Pennsylvania.
Stay tuned. The summer Road Tour has just started!
 Mickey Lauria, Total Performance's...  Mickey Lauria, Total Performance's owner and founder, was our tour leader Monday morning as we headed out on our four-day trip up the East Coast to Ocean City, MD. In typical Florida style, it poured rain as we pulled out. Then the skies cleared and the rest of the way was beautiful. |
 Participants in the Total...  Participants in the Total Performance leg of the Road Tour got together for the weekend at Destination Daytona in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach. Besides being the site of Bruce Rossmeyer's Destination Daytona Harley-Davidson dealership, it is also the home of Total Performance's new retail showroom. There were 34 vehicles participating in the first leg of the 2007 PPG / STREET RODDER Road Tour series. |
 Swamp Rat 1 is the first car...  Swamp Rat 1 is the first car you see as you walk in the door at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing. A tribute to "The Camfather" Ed Iskenderian is on the wall behind the dragster. |
 Our first night on the road...  Our first night on the road was spent on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. The Road Tour creates a car show wherever we go. After our morning drivers' meeting, we headed out with our sights set on Myrtle Beach. |
 Route 17 is picturesque, running...  Route 17 is picturesque, running along the East Coast of the United States. The vehicles on the Total Performance leg ranged in years from a classic T-bucket to an early Camaro. |
 We had a great time in Myrtle...  We had a great time in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday evening. We happened to be there during Bike Week, so there was more than enough to keep us entertained. The next day we traveled on to Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk and Nags Head, where we joined in on the First Flight Cruisers' weekly cruise night. |
 Chuck Vranas was on hand all...  Chuck Vranas was on hand all weekend to cover the event for STREET RODDER (see pg. 80 for full coverage). The Ocean City event is limited to 3,000 vehicles and sells out every year. Many more special-interest vehicles are in the area for the weekend and the streets are turned into a rolling car show. |
 On Saturday afternoon, many...  On Saturday afternoon, many of the Total Performance Tour participants gathered across the bay from Ocean City for a final group photo. Many friendships were forged during the fun-filled week on the road. |
 We had a great time in Myrtle...  We had a great time in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday evening. We happened to be there during Bike Week, so there was more than enough to keep us entertained. The next day we traveled on to Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk and Nags Head, where we joined in on the First Flight Cruisers' weekly cruise night. |
 Bobbie Lou and Hoyt Duff invited...  Bobbie Lou and Hoyt Duff invited the group to stop at their large fishing pier in Virginia Beach, right on Chesapeake Bay. The lunch stop turned out to be one of the best meals of our trip-and Bobbie Lou even made up goodie bags for all of us. |
 It was a very interesting...  It was a very interesting morning at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk. On display was a replica of the original plane that was flown that fateful day on the sand dunes. |
 The Road Tour Deuce coupe...  The Road Tour Deuce coupe was on display all weekend in the STREET RODDER booth. Cruisin' Ocean City was chosen as one of the events where 10 of the Turtle Wax presents STREET RODDER Top 100 were chosen. |