September, 2004, Cruise News

STORY LINE:  WEST COAST CRUISIN’ in the GOLDEN STATE

AIN’T NUTHIN’ like cruising the ‘West Coast’ in a T-Bird convertible. Left Michigan on a sunny morning early and landed at LAX before 11AM. It is a beautiful sight to fly over this land we call the United States and home of the brave and the free. The lakes, farmlands, mountains  and desert from 32,000 feet above, presents a broad spectrum of what life in this country is all about. It’s a beautiful sight.

Flying in to California and Los Angeles proper, palm trees waving in the breeze is what always excites me about the west coast … I love palm trees! California is a huge state encompassing some 158,693 square miles, and the greater Los Angeles area(Pacific Ocean to Palm Springs, Malibu to San Diego)is the area I like to play in while in the west. After the car is picked up, it’s just a short ride to Hermosa Beach and a 1 or 2 day stay at the Sea Sprite Motel right on the beach … and next to Scottie’s Restaurant where I typically dine while observing the beach activities. Morning coffee though-and French pastries-are devoured at Bonaparte’s … my kind of coffee shop and right around the corner from Scottie’s. It’s legally called therapy, a two day stay here and all is cranially well.

Following the initial palm tree hugs-I really do that-and two days in Hermosa Beach/Manhattan Beach, it was off to visit Chuck Lombardo at the California Street Rods shop and then lunch with Chip Foose and crew. Lombardo is building a pretty cool long nose rod for Bonneville and Foose is building another car for Wes Rydell, who won the prestigious Ridler Award  with his Grand Master ’34 Chevy a short two years ago. As big as the LA area is and as hard as it is to get around, small family restaurants are everywhere and in the industrial areas where ‘stuph’ is built. Chip Foose dines two doors over from the shop, and so did we. The we-as in myself, the VIXSTER, John Vermeersch and Mrs. Vermeersch of TOTAL PERFORMANCE in Mt. Clemens, Michigan.

Having the opportunity to visit with these influential specialty car moguls is a treat in itself-journalizing over a fine epicurion lunch is even better. These are highly motivated and dedicated specialty car folks.  

Friday evening ‘did’ the Garden Grove cruise night where they close off the streets in the downtown shopping area and spin music and just talk old cool cars … sort of like Mt. Clemens on Wednesday cruise nights. We dined at the Aztec right in the middle of all the happenings-where if you didn’t know better, you would think it was Elvis Memphis home of Graceland.

On the weekend of  July 24/25 the California Autofest was held at the new California Speedway in Ontario, which is about 40 miles due east of the greater LA area. Put together by John Dianna of Buckaroo Communications(Chevy Rumble, American Rodder, Rodders Digest, Super Rod, and more…)the infield of the track was full of vendors, hundreds of California show cars were on display, got to drive the T-bird on the speedway track and was honored to emcee the intro events of the show.  One really wild car that was usually ‘heard’ touring the facility was a top fuel sounding Camaro belching flames from Zoomie pipes … I think it was a hit with pretty much everyone at the show.

California is to me the land of the gods as the weather is almost always perfect-as is the scenery, with alot of old American iron on the streets wearing ‘Black Plates’ which translates into an original California car from new. Of interest was a black ’65 Mustang fastback showing K-code emblems parked at a Manhattan Beach coffee shop where it’s no doubt long retired owner was reading the morning paper and sipping  … coffee, the Pacific Ocean on one side and mountains in the distance on the other side. In a new Thunderbird convertible supplied by Ford Motor we cruised from Hermosa Beach to Huntington Beach to Laguna Beach, did cruise nights, did a big weekend car show, enjoyed fabulous ocean sunsets, visited with auto moguls … life in America and these United States is very good. 

One of the afternoons was a real treat as arrangements were made with Jay Leno to be audience guests on the TONIGHT SHOW,  and following the taping of the show Mr. Leno took us over to his collection. But that’ll be next month’s story.