Casual fans may not realize how rare Woodies are. For instance, Ford produced less than 1700 total. And the last production Woodie was the ’53 Buick. By the late 50s surfers found these poorly maintained used cars were a cheap way to haul their boards to the beach. Plus wood boards on Woodies was a natural fit and made for a good look. The Woodie surf wagons gave the old vehicle a new life. And enthusiasts have kept it going ever since.

Given its history you can well understand why there’s something special about Woodies at the beach. And in Southern California near Dana Point lies California’s first State beach, Doheny Beach, which is the perfect place to celebrate these rare rides. This event gathered more than 150 of these rare vehicles in one place for spectators to enjoy. The weather for the SoCal Woodie Club event was a little cool, but otherwise a very comfortable beach day. However, during the awards ceremony we did get a rain shower. With the drought in California, no one could rightly complain about a little precipitation. The weather couldn’t put a damper on the show. The Woodies still captured everyone’s imagination, and reminded us all of a bygone, more blissful era.

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