Old Town Temecula has been the backdrop for the annual Temecula Rod Run for a number of years, and continues to attract hundreds of cars every year.
The Rod Run consists of two separate events, held on Friday night and the majority of the day Saturday. The first event, known as the Friday Night Cruise runs from about 5:00 – 8:00 in the evening and makes for a beautiful, rumbling Main Street. While not all of the cars make it to this event, there is certainly no shortage of great rides cruising down the road to the sounds of the ’50s and ’60s.
Unfortunately, the Friday Night Cruise fell a couple of days before Daylight Savings Time, making this part of the show a little tough for moving, nighttime, photography. That being said, it just gives you that much more incentive to come on out and experience all of what Temecula has to offer in addition to a great hot rod show.
The streets were alive and buzzing with people from all walks of life who were interested in getting a glimpse of what the hot rod and classic car lifestyle is all about. Old Town filled up rather quickly and seemed to stay consistent throughout the day. Unless you don’t mind walking a mile or so upfront, we recommend you arrive as early as possible; it’s quite the attraction!
The cars certainly ranged from mild to wild, and the show even attracted a few of the classics who don’t care to stop where the asphalt ends. Clearly not Corvettes, but as fellow car guys we all have a mutual appreciation, regardless of shape or form. Although an LS-powered Bronco would… Well, moving along!
Overall, we found Old Town Temecula to make a great backdrop for the entire show. The “old west” style of the town made for a unique combination when paired with brilliantly painted hot rods, classics, and customs sitting proudly amongst the crowds.
Considering several of us had not been to this show for a few years, we decided to take a brief stroll down the main strip to just soak in everything the show had to offer; after all we’re all here for our love of cars.
Once we made it to the Northern end, we decided to head back down and shoot some Corvettes. The first car we stopped at was a C1 that captured some decent attention despite its location within the show. If you happened to miss the wheelie bar and the roll cage, the NHRA sticker on the driver rear window should clue you into the fact that this thing was built for business.
We certainly have hit on this point in the past, but a big part of what we think makes the Corvette car culture unique when compared to many others, are the people you meet and get to spend your time with. One such gentleman who personified this idea was the proud owner of this gorgeous convertible. The story behind the car is a little sad, a doctor owned the car for quite a long time, and upon restoring it, was only able to put a few miles on it before he passed away. Fortunately, the car went to a good home and its new owner doesn’t let its story go untold.
While the show is generally geared towards pre-1975 vehicles, there were a few exceptions made. In the case of the these two fourth-gen Corvettes, we are certainly glad they did as they are two stunningly clean examples. Both of these cars look like they have a year or two on them at most, and love ‘em or hate ‘em, the C4 has a signature look about it.
Regarding the exceptions to the show’s theme, we also stumbled across the beautiful collection which was spread out behind the Stage Stop, both of which are owned by Temecula resident Ed Dool. The cars, as you can see here, drew quite a crowd from time to time. There were two beautiful blue C2s, one of which is a 1963 split window, two C5 convertibles shown in both black and white, a 2015 Stingray convertible, and even a Trans Am.
Converse owns quite the C2, which has housed several different motor and transmission combinations. He even showed us a picture of his Vette leaving the line at a local dragstrip, wheels freely hovering over the asphalt.
The next C2s that we found were quite different from one another. You’ll first notice that the grey car is a split window, while that beautiful metallic green example is not. Apart from that however, the owners decided to take two very different approaches to style.
The green car fits the traditional or classic mold, which almost everyone can appreciate, especially when talking about a second-generation Corvette. The grey car, however, is wearing some unique wheels and has had a solid dosage of carbon fiber added to the car both inside and outside. This gives the Vette a rather unique look, effectively mixing the old with the new. The options seem to be endless!
Placed along the main strip towards the front was an extremely clean, and quite rare, 1957 Fuelie, painted in a brilliant orange with white coves. This was the first year of the fuel-injected Vettes, and the last year of the single headlight C1s; quite a combination.
The next car we found was a C3 Vette painted in a calming shade of yellow– a color that a lot of folks wouldn’t think is all that exciting, at least compared to the yellow available in later generations of Corvettes. That being said, you are met with quite the surprise when you circle around to the front end of the car and something caught your eye.
As you adjust your angle and focus in, you realize there are metallic ghost flames hidden amongst the nose of the car, which is a nice surprise if you ask us, what a great car for cruising the warm Southern California nights in.
Our final two cars we had the opportunity to scope out were yet again third-generation Corvettes and also happened to be posted For Sale. While they may generally share the same design, and be looking for new homes, that is where the similarities end.
The first C3 was drawing a reasonable crowd as people couldn’t resist the flared hood and red/orange paint scheme, combined with the stunning chrome work. We are unaware if this beauty found a new home the day of the show, but if it did we’re confident they’d be happy with the purchase.
The other C3 we found was not exactly an entrant in the Hot Rod show, but rather happened to be sitting alongside the show, and more than likely not by accident. This 1973 Corvette is housing a 350 cubic inch V8 and four-speed gearbox. The car certainly needs some TLC along with a fresh paint job as the listing suggests, but it did look very straight and could make a great foundation for somebody’s next project car.
Overall, we were very happy to see so many Corvettes show up to this year’s Temecula Rod Run. You just never know what cars will change hands and what new cars will turn up, so we are already looking forward to seeing what next year will bring us.
If you are within driving distance of Temecula, California, we highly recommend that you make a trip down to join in on the festivities of the next Temecula Rod Run in addition to all that the town has to offer.
Should you bring a car next year, drop a line to us here at Corvette Online as we would love to meet up and talk a little bit about America’s sports car.
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