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Car Show Draws the Crowds
With 102 classic cars and motorcycles on display,
Saturday’s second annual Mountain Classics Car and Motorcycle Show at the
San Moritz Ballfield in Crestline had something for every aficionado of
the internal-combustion engine.
Sponsored by the Men’s and Women’s
Auxiliaries of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9624, the show drew entrants
from as far away as Las Vegas. Organizers said about 70 of the vehicles
were owned by mountain residents, and the roughly 2,500 show visitors who
viewed them oohed and aahed at everything from classic Corvettes to
vintage roadsters.
Vendors hawked T-shirts, food and drinks while
a three-man rock band, the Rippers, played for more than four hours to an
enthusiastic reception.
Show spokesman Karl White said all the
labor involved in organizing and staging the show was provided by
volunteers, and all the money raised will be donated to the Veterans
Administration Hospital, the Crest Forest Family Service food bank in
Crestline and various veterans’ and local charities.
Winners in the
judging divided 22 plaques among them, with prizes awarded in such
competitive categories as best pickup, best antique car, best hot rod,
best street rod, best muscle car, best custom car and best paint
job.
Local winners included Wally and Carol Luther of Crestline,
whose cream-colored 1947 Buick Super convertible won the best antique car
award, and Russ Keller, history columnist for The Mountain News and The
Crestline Courier-News, whose black 1932 Ford coupe got the nod of judges
Doug and Kipp Chandler as best hot rod.
Lake Arrowhead contractor
Fred Crissinger’s 1956 Chevy sedan was honored as having the best engine;
a 1939 Ford owned by Ken Lotz of Lake Arrowhead was judged best under
construction; and a 1965 Corvette owned by Jim and Doe Huff of Crestline
was picked as best open cockpit.
The entry that won the best custom
car was a real crowd pleaser. It was a red 1970 Chevy Monte Carlo owned by
Joe Brunasso of Oak Hills. According to a sign in front of the car, it has
a 632-cubic-inch engine that generates an amazing 1,152 horsepower at
6,500 rpm.
Capturing the Sheriff’s pick plaque was a 1926 Ford
roadster owned by Sam Hill of San Bernardino, while the VFW Post’s pick
was a red 1966 Mustang owned by Vick Meneley and entered in memory of his
father, the late Vick N. Meneley, former commander of Post
9624.
The best antique motorcycle was a 1970 Harley-Davidson XR750
owned by Crestline real estate agent and contractor Cliff Herington
III.
George and Sue Williams of Twin Peaks had their like-new dark
blue 1960 Jaguar XK150 on display, complete with photos of how it looked
when they began restoring it 10 years ago.
“It has an automatic
transmission,” George Williams said. “Only one in 10 of these cars had
automatic transmissions.”
Another eye-catching car was a
yellow-and-white 1956 Chevy Bel-Air, owned by Bob Wilson of Lake
Arrowhead. In a touch of whimsy, a tiny model of the same car, in the same
colors, sat atop the car’s air cleaner.
Adding a touch of romance
to the show was a turquoise 1957 Chevy pickup truck owned by Scott and
Nancy Richardson of Running Springs. Sitting upright in its bed were two
Schwinn motorbikes, Whizzer models from 1947 and 1948.
“We got
married 16 years ago at a drive-through chapel in Las
Vegas,” Scott
said.
“We were riding the Whizzers. I proposed to my wife while we
were riding them.” Richardson said all the parts on the bikes are
original, and they have been featured on NBC’s “Today
Show.”
Perhaps the most telling license plate on a displayed car
was attached to a red 1940 Ford DeLuxe convertible owned b y Jerry Skelton
of Running Springs. It read: “IHD2HAV.”
The show’s opening
ceremonies consisted of a formal American flag installation by a U.S.
Coast Guard Auxiliary unit from Riverside. The national anthem was sung by
Karen Kennedy.
“There were some minor parking issues that we’re
going to work out for next year,” said White. “We pretty much filled the
ball field. I really don’t think it (the show) can get much
bigger.”