One of the oldest traditional car clubs in America, the Los Angeles Roadsters Car Club, held their 52nd exhibition show and swap meet on June 18-19 at the Fairplex in Pomona. Club member and media representative, Rich Boyd said in the buildup to the event, “There will be more than 200 manufacturers and vendors scheduled to take part.” Despite the blistering heat, which measured as high as 106 degrees by our iPhone app, the show was as well attended as it was expected to be.

Most larger car clubs hold traditional car meets, but few achieve the status that he L.A. Roadster Car Club’s annual show.  Expecting 5,000 to 8,000 people each day of the event, the organizer’s admit that the show is “a major deal.”

As for the car club show itself, there were expected to be 500 roadsters, ranging from 1936 and earlier, as well as another 1,000 other specialized cars, on display. Pomona has become the mecca for car guys looking for that one specific part for their car, and this continued through the weekend with the LA Roadster Car Club’s swap meet, where hot rod and OE parts from the past could be found.

American Graffiti and More American Graffiti stars Candy Clark and Bo Hopkins were on hand again this year, signing autographs and honoring the early 1960’s teenaged love affair with hot rods and music. Both stars have attended the event several times in the past, and it appeared that they would probably be back again in the future.

One of the major highlights of this year’s show involved another southern California icon, the Edelbrock corporation. Edelbrock’s charity raffle for one of their Edelbrock signature crate engines kept a lot of people near the Edelbrock booth.

About The Los Angeles Roadster Car Club’s Roadster Show

Originally formed in 1957, the club really came into their own by starting the now famous Los Angeles Roadsters Show and Swap Meet in 1960. Membership of the club consists of 28 active members, 11 lifetime members, 19 associate members and 5 honorary members, all with pre-36 Roadsters.

The show has become a Father’s Day tradition for many in the L. A. basin, and is often referred to as “the greatest roadster show on earth.” The show typically features more than 800 pre-36 roadsters, 1,500 pre-72 specialty cars,  a giant swap meet, and commercial vendor midway.

The show is planned and operated by the members and their spouses and has always presented as a family affair event that has become an annual tradition in the street rodding industry.

Our Favorite Car From The Show: The 1936 BeerSter

Hand-built by Mike Larkin and Milt “Pee Wee” Thomas, this 1936 Buick Powered Boat Tail Special stuck out like a sore thumb at the L.A. Roadsters car show. The car had participated in the “Great Race” in 2007, 2012, and 2015. As fate would have it, this year’s L.A. Roadster Show took place on the exact weekend that the Great Race got underway in San Rafael, California.

1936 Buick powered “BeerSter” Great Race boat tail roadster.

“I thought I’d take a break this year,” said Pee Wee Thomas. “I just needed a break. After running the race three years, it was time to give the car and me a break for a while.”

While there is no doubt that running a 1936 race car over 4,000 miles in 14-days can be torturous, the satisfaction of completing it three times has to be phenomenal. The design specification mandated by the rules of the Great Race were such that the components used on the BeerSter were to be made up of a variety of stock and rare mechanical parts typical in the running of the 1937 Indianapolis 500. Most all of these components had to be created from scratch.

None of the original BeerSter type body panels or a bonafide frame could be found. These were all hand made by the team. Some rusting equipment was found and the entire front axle assembly, the straight eight Buick engine, and all four of the 20-inch, 1929 Oldsmobile wheels were soon being restored to their original greatness.

The grille is an aftermarket JC Whitney aluminum part for a 1936 Buick that has been highly modified. Sitting on top of this one-off grille, is a 1952 Buick hood ornament with 1926 Jordan Playboy roadster headlamps. The tail lights came from a 1937 Ford and the spare wheel taken from a 1929 Chrysler.

As the sun moved to evening, the temperatures remained boiling, but the spectators enjoyed walking through the air conditioned exhibition halls, getting autographs, finding the right component for their own build, or checking out the array of cars that turned out for the event. The Los Angeles Roadsters car show is an annual “must attend” event every year for our staff, and every year the show has a new set of surprises. We can hardly wait to see what next year’s show brings.

Enjoy this gallery of photos from the show: