I was surprised that I liked the Car Show as much as I did. I didn't think I was a "car enthusiast", but I got caught up in it, and it brought back a lot of memories.
The show went on the entire length of 2nd Street in Belmont Shore, from Livingston to Bay Shore! The fins, the finishes, the dashboards...the sun sparkling off the chrome, some exterior, some under the open hood...it was all, well, terrific, even to those who thought they were not into cars.
Oh, and the finishes..."beautiful job" was a common expression. The dashboards were great...some as intricate as the space shuttle, and some a model of simplicity. My buddy Merrill's Ford "Turnpike Cruiser" had a push button gear shift..so cool! Many had the special "classic" California car license plates, while others had the old timey black background with gold letters.
It was really crowded. I had to park 4 block away, due to the car enthusiasts of all ages, from future Long Beach Grand Prix drivers to original owners. My favorites were the Thunderbird (the original '55-'57 2-seaters) and, of course, the 'Vettes. It was, as one license plate proclaimed, like "VIIAGRA"
A couple of oldsters hung old drive-in trays, loaded with burgers, fries & shakes...I could just see Ronnie Howard awkwardly trying to impress his date in American Graffiti. And the dice...what can I say?!?
"Oh wow, that's a '57, just like I had, but mine was beige". The parade of colors was amazing! Lots of reds: fire engine, cherry, rust (!), but also everything from jet black, to teal, lime green, royal blue, champagne beige, bubblegum pink, plum purple and more. The custom fire stripes were strangely awesome. I tell you, there were more colors than Nature intended, that's for sure. Several cars were even for sale. Some I could see why, but I had a hard time understanding why owners would want to part with.
I met a classic character named Merrill. I first saw him coming out of his 1957 Ford "Turnpike Cruiser" (look it up!), dressed in a gold cowboy hat, gold bandana, red shirt that exactly matched the paint job, gold pants, red socks and gold shoes. 100 octane gasoline; 4200 pounds of steel; "turnpike cruiser": identified by raised air vents above the double curved windshield! Especially interesting were the roll down rear window and oversized trunk space. Merrill was especially proud of his "wolf whistle" loudspeaker and his "harem seating" in the back. Gets about 6 miles per gallon around town, and about 12 mpg on the highway. "It passes everything but the filling station". The good news is that with a classic car license, he can only drive 1500 miles a year. He had seatbelts (lap only), even though they're not required. Quite a character!
See you at the car show!
Thanks for watching.
Peter Werrenrath
"We should talk!"
562-208-9818
@TheREALPeteLB
Peter@TheREALPete.com
www.TheREALPete.com
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Belmont Shore Car Show 2010by BelmontBigE235 views
@doctordonuthin Glad you liked it, Doc! Merrill was a real character, and loved his vehicle. C u at the next show on 9/11/11!
LBHomesAndLiving 9 months ago
Thanks for the video. Really liked the Turnpike Cruiser. Sculpture on wheels!
doctordonuthin 9 months ago