Classic Thunderbirds, suped-up muscle cars and 80-year-old
trucks with way too much horsepower will compete for bragging
rights this weekend in San Martin.
That’s right. Happy Days are here again.
Morgan Hill – Classic Thunderbirds, suped-up muscle cars and 80-year-old trucks with way too much horsepower will compete for bragging rights this weekend in San Martin.
That’s right. Happy Days are here again.
The San Martin car show that unites automobile enthusiasts and helps raise money for the town’s incorporation returns Saturday for its fifth year. Officially called the “Happy Days” Custom and Classic Car Show, the event will transform San Martin Country Park at 13865 Monterey Road into an outdoor mall of automotive eye-candy.
“Obviously we like cars, but they’re also a good investment,” said Dick Smith, who helps organize the event.
Those investments can help earn eight people a bit of local fame. This year’s show includes a competition with awards for best classic and custom cars, best paint, best “topless,” and people’s choice, among others. Car show entrants vote on winners, with people’s choice traditionally the most coveted award.Â
Smith said there’s a simple criterion for choosing the best car: “Basically, you ask yourself which one of these cars would you want to drive off with at the end of the day?”
The winner gets a picture of his or her car emblazoned on a T-shirt for next year’s car show. This year, the $15 shirt sports a picture of the 2006 winner from Watsonville, a purple 1941 Willys Coupe with silver “ghost” flames on the sides.
This year, Smith expects between 75 and 100 cars in San Martin, a slight drop-off from last year that he blames on rising gas prices and the increasing number of such events, which are spreading the fan base thin.
As cool as they are, classic and custom cars aren’t the only draw for the event, according to Sylvia Hamilton, a lead organizer and president of the San Martin Neighborhood Alliance.
“There’s something for every age and every person,” she said.
Everything from food to raffle items will support San Martin’s efforts to become a full-fledged city, and this year’s event will prove critical in sustaining the momentum of the incorporation process. San Martin officials need to raise an additional $22,000 by Sept. 1 for the latest round of fees for fiscal and environmental studies, which evaluate whether the proposed town can pay for basic municipal services and whether an independent town of San Martin would affect its physical surroundings.
So far, the group has paid $50,000 in required fees to the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission, the land-use agency overseeing the incorporation process estimated to cost $200,000 in its entirety. The last step in the process is a community-wide vote that proponents hope to hold in November 2008.
Officials hope to beat the 2006 car show’s fundraising figure of $20,000 by adding a car-parts swap meet to this year’s event.
The event has come a long way in just five years, said Connie Ludewig, one of its founders.
“I think it’s great to have the community involved with the car show,” she said. “We kind of flew by the seat of our pants and it turned into a success.”
This year’s event costs $5 for admission, $35 to enter a vehicle in the show, and all car models must be from 1977 or older. To pre-register a car, call Smith at 776-7783; to enter a car on the day of the show, owners are encouraged to arrive at 9am.
