Rod Authority

Father’s Day is traditionally a day for families to honor the man they call “Dad” by dragging him to a crowded restaurant or making him dust of his grill so he can cook himself a steak. But take our word for it, if your pop is a car guy he’ll say “see ya” cause he’d probably rather make his way to Pomona, California for the LA Roadster Show and Swap Meet or as it is more commonly known The Fathers’ Day Roadster show.

If the latter was the case then your dad joined the crowd of thousands of spectators to see first hand over 800 pre-1936 roadsters, 1,500 pre-1972 specialty cars, a giant swap meet, and an awesome assortment of vendors to satisfy all gear-heads.

This year, back by popular demand, the cackle fest, emitted the sounds of high horsepower dragsters radiated throughout the grounds and was a great way to get the heart pumping.

Upon entering the grounds of the Pomona Fairplex you’re greeted by the kind members of the LA Roadsters and as you enter the gate you’re put into hot rod sensory overload because the club sets up all of their roadsters in the main entrance area for your viewing pleasure.

This year, their 48th to be exact, spectators were treated to a new look and layout as the show was moved to the beautiful inner fairgrounds and also included Exhibitor Building #4. The inner fairgrounds are covered with trees which made for some cool shade on a hot June weekend.

More Than Just a Car Show

The great thing about a car show that has been around for close to 50 years is that you’ll get multi generations of family members enjoying the show together. You can see grandparents driving in to the show in their roadsters with the grandkids sitting proudly next to them while sporting a huge smile.

Many of the show participants have been attending the show for so many years that they started by bring their kids and now they are bringing their kids’ kids (grandkids)!

Speaking of multi generations, the Los Angeles Roadster Show is one of the few shows that brings out the great legends of hot rodding and mixes in the young “up and coming” of the hot rod world.

The Los Angeles Roadster Show is a prime example of an event that promotes family unity and camaraderie through the car community.

Roadsters Everywhere You look

So you want to see roadsters? Well you definitely get roadsters, and lots of them! But hot rod styles have evolved so much in recent years and into many styles and the Los Angeles Roadster Show is one of the few that brings representation of them all.

There was something for everyone; traditional styled roadsters, lakersters, T-buckets, kustoms, street rod, and original. They came painted with flames, pin-stripping, solid colors, or patina’d.

There were so many styles on hand that if you ever considered building one, then this would be the place to come see all of the styles and gather your ideas. The LA Roadsters do a great job of setting the car displays far apart from each other that it makes for great picture taking especially considering that most folks will stop and look at the these great cars for long periods of time.

Three Shows in One

There are more than roadsters at the show which is actually separated into three areas, the roadster area, the swap meet area, and the “Specialty” area for pre-75 cars and trucks.

Here is where one can spend most of the day hanging out as many car clubs show up together and have their grills out so they can have a cookout and enjoy the weekend while listening to the tunes blasting from their cars.

The swap meet at the Roadster Show is really like no other, here you can find some rare gems and some of the most hard to find and rare parts for your project as well as aftermarket parts. Some die hard parts seekers will venture out Friday evening to get there bright and early to hunt down those treasures.

We had trouble keeping a steady pace on Saturday because I would stay too long looking at one car or chatting with the friendly owners that were eager to talk about their pride and joy that we had to return Sunday to continue viewing and socializing.

Everyone is a Winner

The Los Angeles Roadster Show is not a show where participants come to compete for awards and prizes. Participants come to enjoy a fun and relaxing weekend with their loved ones, their lifelong friends and to make lasting memories.

Many of the show participants have been attending the show for more than twenty years and some of them consecutively and they have the proof in the form of the registration stickers that are placed on the headlights of the roadsters.

As we snapped off pictures we would notice the stickers overlapping each other. Spectators also come from all over the globe to view the nations top hot rods and customs as well as to take home great memories, which include a lot more than just the show at the Fairplex, there is also many other events that take place the days leading up to the weekend of the show.

In Whittier, California, Lime Works opens its doors every Thursday for owners of cool hot rods to come park and for walk-in guests to enjoy some tacos on Lime Works. Friday, So Cal Speed Shop also hosts an open house and cruise-in that always gets the parking lot full of some of the finest hot rods and it always over flowing into the street with some cool local cruisers.

Start Making Plans Now

The Los Angeles Roadster Show is an event that if planned right, can be a great vacation for the entire family because there are so many awesome events that take place throughout the days leading up to the show, and then – there is the amazing show on Saturday and Sunday of which both days are generally needed to fully take in all that there is to see and do.

We look forward to next year, and most of all we’ll be planning something special for the 50th anniversary in 2014.