It all got started in 2006 when Keith Tardel at Rex Rods & Chassis in Santa Rosa, California, decided to create a totally traditional hot rod event. The first gathering saw about 120 all-pre-'48 traditional cars, and the location was a little park in Penngrove close to Santa Rosa. Both Keith and his father, Vern, are well-known for building neat traditional Flathead-powered hot rods. Both have plenty of friends and customers in the area, many of whom are diehard hot rodders who will get in their hot rods even if the weather is not so great. This turned out to be a good thing, as that Saturday morning in late September was colder than normal and raining.
It wasn't a good day for a hot rod event, but the rain was gone by 11 a.m. when they opened the gates. Cars rolled in, and as expected, more than half were Flathead-powered. Keith stood at the gate welcoming everyone and sharing a few words with the hot rodders as they rolled in. A live band called Little Sister entertained all afternoon, and food was also available, but the main purpose was to meet people and check out all the traditional cars.
Vern Tardel has been driving...
Vern Tardel has been driving his red roadster to many hot rod events the last few years, including Bonneville and some West Coast events. This time it was a short ride from Santa Rosa to the park in Penngrove. The Flathead sounded just puurfect.
Talk about chopped and channeled....
Talk about chopped and channeled. This Chevy pickup was built with a new chassis and slammed on the ground.
A few channeled Model As turned...
A few channeled Model As turned up, like this goodlooking roadster with an Offenhauser-headed Flathead.
One of the wildest rods at...
One of the wildest rods at the event was Aaron Von Minden's Model A coupe. The bare-metal body, blown small-block topped with six Strombergs, E&J headlights, and 12-spoke Americans without brakes scream hot rod.
George Solimine's rusto-rod...
George Solimine's rusto-rod '32 Tudor still has the original interior and unrestored body, but it did get an update in the chassis from a small-block with six 97s.
1928-29 Ford highboy phaetons...
1928-29 Ford highboy phaetons are a rare sight at any show. Joe Fazio brought out his bright red one sitting on a Deuce frame with a tuned Flathead, Halibrand quick-change, and Ford juice brakes all around.
Geary and Dan Schwantz's '32...
Geary and Dan Schwantz's '32 five-window looks like it just had the fenders and hood pulled to go racing. The Offfenhauser-equipped bored-andstroked Flathead might just back up that story.
Here we can see Keith working...
Here we can see Keith working the gate as father and son Dennis and Mark Mariani bring in their pair of five-windows.
A small-block under the hood...
A small-block under the hood provided plenty of power for John Barnes to cruise his maximumchopped '32 three-window up from Orange in SoCal.
This '34 roadster with a Flathead...
This '34 roadster with a Flathead under the hood was one of the best-looking rods of the day. The owner kept it spotless and took some kids for a spin around the park during the afternoon.
This red primered '40 coupe...
This red primered '40 coupe belongs to Dick Haynes and features all the perfect period touches.
Verna Camara owns this '18...
Verna Camara owns this '18 Ford roadster, which sports a little V8-60 Flathead plus a Halibrand quick-change under the turtledeck. The skinny motorcycle tires in the front make the Ford brakes look real big.
A chopped and fenderless '33-34...
A chopped and fenderless '33-34 five-window coupe with a Flathead can never be wrong. R. Cannarossi owns this '33. You can see that some of the patina is man-made when you get close to it, but it is still a fun, traditional car.