California Autofest

As an automotive enthusiast, you know that a huge part of our scene is showing the world your pride and joy, and car shows have traditionally been the best places to do so. They give you the opportunity to talk shop with people who share the same passion. Individuals with different makes of vehicles are drawn together by the same love affair, whether they are into Hondas, VWs or Nissans, so these are great networking places to learn and make things happen.

I got this call from JD, our publisher, who told me that I should head over to the California Speedway where the California AutoFest was about to go down. I had never heard of this event and had absolutely no idea what to expect in terms of attendance or caliber of vehicles. Hell, I didn’t even know how big the California Speedway was. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

The California Speedway is humongous and it took quite a while for me to drive around the perimeter before reaching the entrance. I also noticed something else out of the ordinary domestic vehicles. And I’m not talking about Neons, J-body cars or Ford Foci. I mean old-school hot rods. For a moment I thought there was a mistake or that I got lost, but then I noticed that there were imports mixed in the lineup.

Don’t get me wrong; I love old-school domestics with high-displacement engines, blowers and custom paint, but now I was even more curious about the show. How would the import dudes mix with the domestic cats? Apparently, they mixed rather well, but more on that later.

When I first joined the Buckaroo family, there was talk about a rig that had recently been purchased. It was being painted and gussied up to use as a mobile headquarters at various events across the country. I was anxious to see this thing and when I did, I was blown away by its commanding presence. It’s hard to miss the big red Buckaroo rig.

After meeting up with Neil Tjin, we took our initial tour of the show. For all intents and purposes, Tjin is The Man when it comes to the show aspect of things and I’m more the technical dude.

What’s your preference when it comes to cars? Tjin asked.

I told him that I love the old classic machines because the owners really know how to build true show vehicles. They pay attention to every detail and it shows in their finished products just take a look at the engine compartment of a well-executed classic show vehicle. The firewall is so clean that you could eat off it and there isn’t a speck of grease anywhere. Sure, there are trailer queens that never see the road; but if you compare apples to apples, you have to agree the domestic enthusiasts got it down. I pointed a few examples out to Tjin and he agreed.