Hits on all cylinders… and then some!      

As Covid winds down, car shows are winding up! And pretty much everyone’s on board as most have forgotten what mouths look like! But across SoCal, shows are gearing up left and right and one that really stood out recently was Ken Vela’s 15th Annual FOUNTAIN VALLEY CAR SHOW.

An amazing turnout of Classics, Rat Rods, Bombs, Kustoms, Vdubs, Sleds, Trucks and Hot Rods made the grass even greener as enthusiasts milled about the Mile Square Park Campus in the center of Fountain Valey, California. But there were many things that made this particular 15th show an event to remember. More than that… were the amazing smiles that permeated every corner.

First off, show runner Pete Haak handed the baton off to MC Ken Vela this year as the new Sheriff in town and since Ken knows cars and run WIKD Kustoms, it was a no-brainer that he would bring it all home. There were motorcycles, a massive Kustom SEMI Truck and even a huge cavalcade of vintage trailers, one in particular being “BIG UGLY” the 1948 Studebaker Motorhome from The Murphy Auto Museum in Oxnard. Crazy stuff. See more of Big Ugly starting on page 64.

Celebrities were milling about with the likes of Jo Coddington, Joji Barris, Johnny D’Agostino, Ed Iskendarian, Pep Williams, and some Kook named Fireball. All again with smiles galore and checking out the unbelievable turnout. Final tab put it at just under 400 cars!

Also on hand were the peeps from Wrench Nation Radio Podcast in Arizona, doin’ the LIVE thang and talkin’ cars all day. And boy, do hosts Frank Butkus Leutz and Susie Wong know cars. Even Tommy Scalera was there from Car Show Safari in Ventura.

After much deliberation, many of the rides were chosen for celebration, but the two that stood out for me were the SHORTY BUS that I picked for the Fireball Design Award and Gary Wales red Behemoth named “La Beastioni” that was recently completed, snagging BEST IN SHOW. But in a show like this, all of these cars were winners.

And although the hand-made awards which were certainly awesome, the real winners were those that braved the fear of the Covid Blues and made their way into the park.

Congratulations to all who came, those that won and to those that just sat and enjoyed the sun. And especially to Ken and Pete for creating a damn great show. Best on your new journey Pete. And Ken… I may have to do this one with you next time. 😉 The Coolness Train is leavin’ the Station.

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