Autorama 2020: All Thawed Out
It was that time again when we emerged from our #NorCal winter slumber to check out what is typically our first major car event of the season, the Sacramento Autorama. Of course, in Sacramento emerging from a winter slumber means transitioning from low 60’s degrees Fahrenheit to mid 70’s degrees. Yeah, it’s tough out here.
This was our umpteenth Autorama weekend. We’ve lost count of how many of them we’ve attended over the years…..and speaking of umpteen years, this year’s event was the 70th annual. We have to give props to the stewards of this time-honored Sacramento tradition for keeping this event going for so long. It’s a pretty amazing testament to the love we all share for paint and chrome. Here’s to 70 more!!!
The Autorama is the answer to that question that gets asked about our neighbors or that the non-descript workshop on the corner. What’s that noise emanating the neighbor’s garage? Is that a grinder? Did you hear a wrench clang off the floor? What’s all the clanking all about? In residential garages, specialty shops across California and other parts of the west coast each weekend, and sometimes each day, are occupied by dedicated gearheads who turn vision and passion into tangible displays of chrome, sheet metal, and homegrown ingenuity.
If we’re honest, (and with all due respect,) this year’s highest-end headliner cars weren’t the event’s real strength. In our humble opinion, the draw of the fanciest and best-prepped machinery ebbs and wanes every year. We don’t mean this to slight any of the entrants, but when we go to the Autorama, we always want the impossibly beautiful and well-pedigreed headliners cars to knock us over with a feather. They were all fine and good, but the real appeal this year was, well, everything else. As we always note, some of the cars on display are regulars. It’s always good to see them like it’s great to see old friends. They’re always contenders for our favorite of show, just as much as anything else.
And speaking of old friends, we were extra pumped to see so much Sacramento talent on display in all of the buildings on the CalExpo campus. One of the best cars of the Autorama this year is a local favorite that we’ve often seen on the mean streets Folsom, CA and at our favorite weekly meet up, the World Famous Cars and Coffee Folsom: Scott Roger’s 1934 Ford Coupe. This car is so badass it scares most other cars. It’s got bigger flames than the 3rd circle of hell, louvers for days and a normally aspirated Boss 429 that’s so big it probably has its own gravitational pull. Maybe we’re biased, but hey, it’s our blog and we’ll do what we want. Regardless of local favoritism, this thing’s a beast and something everyone should see.
Scott’s 34
It was no real surprise when we learned that a stunning 1949 Mercury won the King of Kustoms Award. From its spot on the second-floor display of the main building (one of the premiere placements for the event), it captured our attention as soon as we reached the top of the stairs. Owned by Glenn Black of Taft, CA, the massive swooping Mercury was built by Ironworks Speed & Kustom. It was a 14-month project and every inch revealed absolute attention to detail and creativity. Even when it all comes together, a discerning observer can often find something with a custom car to quibble with a turned-up nose and air of superiority. Not here! The Merc was sitting on Diamondback wide whites with center caps displaying the red mercury logo. It was on point and flewless.
The last car we’ll feature for this post had us back and back again a few times. Every pass by the car revealed some new, and frankly mind-boggling detail missed on the previous pass. This 1968 Camaro, called “Rhodium,” was built by Eastbay Musclecars and featured every trick in the proverbial book and a few that we’d never seen before. Every body panel was touched and reworked, the car was apparently widened over 4”, and the wheels! We’re huge P-car fanboys, and those 19” and 20” Forgelines with centerlocks looked like they were just swiped from a new Porsche 911. And just when we’d seen all the custom features, something else popped up. When admiring the interior paint-matched rollcage, we noticed the exposed inboard suspension shock and spring assemblies. They were visible from the cabin, and then on another pass by the back of the car, we noticed that the open trunk lid revealed a and alternate view from the rear. What a fantastic thing, this car. Our hats are off to the builders who executed a very respectful modern take on a classic.
Aside from all the “official” entrants in the various buildings, this year’s event featured several hundred more cars outside, driven in for an informal “drive-in,” show and shine for those who just wanted to show their cars off to the world. After a couple of years of soupy weather and lackluster turnout, this year really delivered the goods. As inside, we saw several cars and trucks from our local meet-ups and cars and coffee events, and were able to mix and mingle with the owners and/or builders. As featured in our big gallery below, this “parking lot” show featured everything from low (and in some cases “no”) budget cars, all the way to 2016’s America’s Most Beautiful Street Rod Winner.
In this age of complex computer programming necessary to even start up a modern automobile it is always refreshing to see the classics reimagined, or in many cases left exactly as they were. Don’t misconstrue our approach as we’re just as amazed at the modern stuff as anyone, but something about classic simplicity is the fuel necessary to keep the passion and dedication going. If you are a regular reader and you haven’t made time for Autorama, or other classic car shows, you owe to yourself and your kids (DO IT FOR THE KIDS!) to check it out as the owners and builders of these machines are more than gracious to share their stories and the stories of their magnificent beast.
As always our photos are usually better than our words so enjoy our robust gallery:
