We've seen an awful lot of anniversaries recently, and the L.A. Roadsters is no exception, as 2007 celebrates the club's 50-year anniversary. The event that the club is known for, the Roadster Show, held every Father's Day weekend at the L.A. Fairplex in Pomona, is no spring chicken either, this year seeing its 43rd annual happening. And it's still strictly roadsters in the main show area, though the outside car display is as big, while the swap meet, manufacturer, and vendor areas can very easily keep you from seeing any cars at all if you're not careful, since they cover so much ground!
This swap meet seems to draw out the rare stuff, and while a small percentage is purely on display for bragging rights, with owners having no real intention of selling, you'll find parts here you won't find elsewhere, and there are definitely bargains to be had if you keep your eyes open. How about a 4-71 blower, still with the diesel drive and in immaculate shape, for $200? We're still kicking ourselves for not spotting it on the first day, as it didn't sell until Saturday afternoon.
We could have happily spent all weekend in the swap meet, but duty was calling, so we made our way around the hundreds of roadsters in attendance as well as checking out all the new products and goodies, some of which you'll be seeing in the "Rod Shop" pages soon.
As ever, the roadsters ranged from strictly traditional to high tech, though we'd be hard-pushed to pick any emerging trend. The closest being pseudo-race cars running the gamut from gassers and faux dirt-track cars to beautifully engineered rods using traditional components but with a European vintage race car bent, such as with the use of 18-inch-or-larger wire wheels and Dunlop or Excelsior tires.
From the now-traditional-and extremely well-attended-open house at SO-CAL Speed Shop on the Friday evening prior to the event, to the very end of Sunday's action, many attendees probably still get around it all, which in our eyes makes it a roaring success.