It was a random weekend when one of my friends asked me if I’d like to go to a classic car and motorcycle show that was being held in nearby Seal Beach, was FREE, and we would be taking her boyfriend’s classic Ford F-100, aptly nicknamed ‘Tiffany’. A short 3-wide, bench seat, no-seatbelt ride later we arrived at Seal Beach’s Main Street which had been completely shut down for the show and was completely flooded with everyone that had free time on a Sunday afternoon. This made for a bit of a challenge to get clear photos of anything that didn’t have people walking in front of me or whatever I was trying to take a picture of, but a free show of hundreds of beautiful classic cars in their natural environment tends to draw quite a crowd!
The aforementioned ‘Tiffany’, named for obvious reasons. Still powered by the original straight-6 she’s not much of a muscle-truck, but she turned heads and raised enthusiastic questions wherever she went. She has since moved on to a new owner, but my friend assures me there’s something even more interesting in the works.
There were a few familiar faces at this event, like this ‘Fordrolet’ I spotted at the Mooneyes Christmas event last year, but most everything I saw was completely new to me which made it really fun to stalk around the streets, trying to pick my favorites and decide whether to not to stand and wait for the crowd around each car to clear long enough for a shot.
The level of fit, finish, and attention to detail the owners bring to their cars is truly mind-boggling and a welcome break from a lot of the ratty ‘street cars’ I see so much of at the regular meets I visit. I’ll admit I’m not nearly as familiar with classic American cars as I am with Japanese steel, but I can’t resist the style oozing out from each ride!
There was not much in the way of cars from the land of the rising sun, but this pair of citrus civics were getting their fair share of attention, it’s not often you see these any more, let alone in this good of condition.
Rat-rods and their ilk were underrepresented at the show, but considering most houses in Seal Beach cannot be purchased for under $1 million, it makes sense that car owners want their cars to be as smooth and sparkly as possible. It was a welcome sight for me to see this grungy, rough pickup stuck in among all the gloss, metal-flake, and chrome.
This Ford-powered Lotus Super 7 looked like it was ready for some track-thrashing! Just a small part of the wide variety of machinery on display.
This ’69 Chevelle wagon looked like it came straight out of a Hotwheels box!
More ‘patina’ amid the chrome, though this was of the intentional-and-cleared-over variety which is a polarizing style to say the least. Personally, I just want to hear it!
There was a small area that had been set up for the bike show/competition right in front of the pier that hosted a menagerie of custom foreign and domestic bikes from every year and style conceivable.
This wild purple Harley Flathead gave me many feelings… I love the rake of the front end and the shape of the tank, totally out-there!
There were also some classic dragsters on display down near the sand, with an asphalt-shaking revving competition sending hands over ears across the entire block.
I’ll close this one out with the totally insane ‘Beaver Hunter’. Originally painted by Big Daddy Ed Roth himself, and if the sign in front of it is to be believed, used its blown 392 Hemi to run an 8.7 at 187!
Hobbaswaggle!© 