In 2004, he added a ceremony that recognizes rodders who have made major contributions to the hobby. (Yes, I said “hobby”!) Fifty-six inductees have since been inducted into the San Francisco Rod, Custom And Motorcycle Show’s Hall Of Fame. A good number of them hang around to sign autographs for fans. None of them is paid to participate, beyond the free lunch.
 The infamous lover boy of NHRA's Drag Safari crews hasn't lost his touch with the ladies or the cameras. Eric Rickman, 87, was welcomed to San Francisco's annual Hall Of Fame induction ceremony by a devoted fan, Donna Guadagni. Later, he was spotted shooting digital photos of his second-favorite subjects: custom motorcycles. (HotRodNostalgia.com Photo By Dave Wallace, ©2006) |
In the most-expensive real-estate market in the nation — a 10-county region in which the average monthly mortgage payment exceeds $3000 — Perry rents nothing less than the Cow Palace, where professional sports teams and the biggest rock bands once performed. He’s gambling that Bay Area builders, vehicle owners, sponsors and spectators will enthusiastically support such a noble continuation of a tradition dating back to 1949.
Several national and regional companies step up to defray some of the production and promotional costs of the show and/or its hall-of-fame luncheon: Bonspeed, Edelbrock, Firestone, Flowmaster, Hot Hues, Red Line Oil and See’s Candies (which is headquartered in South San Francisco) all participated this year.
Local builders and owners of trick vehicles certainly came through: In 2006, about 550 cars and 150 bikes were entered. More than 330,000 square feet of floor space in nine pavilions were devoted to displays of every conceivable kind. Featured-builder Steve Moal and Roy Brizio personally accompanied their respective creations on the main floor. Chip Foose showed up to unveil the Hot Hues Nextel Cup Monte Carlo. David Grubnic, Vic Edelbrock, Joe Bailon, Art Himsl, Youngblood, and other motorsports celebrities cheerfully signed autographs all weekend.
So did four cast members from American Graffiti, who appeared with the actual ’32 Ford and ’55 Chevy driven by Paul LeMat and Harrison Ford in the 1973 film. Firestone Tire sponsored appearances by the authentic slingshot fuelers of Don and John Ewald, which cackled on 90-plus percent at least seven times (counting a Saturday-morning, made-for TV fireup that put a KRON reporter in the seat for a segment seen by untold thousands of viewers). Sacramento Vintage Ford presented a whole roomful of 150 rat rods and customs, plus live roots rock by the Voltones and AquaPhonics.
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Last but not least, I was pleasantly surprised to stumble into a pavilion filled with handmade motor homes and travel trailers from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s (plus one gigantic land-speed machine whose nose carried a participant decal from the second Bonneville Speed Week, in 1950). A show unto itself, this interesting exhibit had evidently been bumped out of the advertising by all of the other attractions.
The six hours I spent there (before rushing off to another engagement) were not enough. I definitely received 16 dollars’ worth of entertainment. Even after forking over a parking fee of eight bucks (ouch!) for the host city, the oohs and aahs of my fellow showgoers seemed to indicate that this had been a worthwhile investment. (Smarter folks than me had picked up a $2-discount coupon from Bay Area Firestone stores.)
Nevertheless, even during the peak hours of Saturday, the parking lots and aisles were less crowded than I’d expected for such a large population center, in ideal car-show weather (i.e., light rain). Perhaps the free competition posed by televised NFL-playoff games kept some potential customers away?
Those who did venture out into the drizzle also appeared to be older and whiter than the typical local enthusiast. While the promoter did a fine job of filling his rooms with the rat rods and choppers so popular with younger traditional rodders, the streets of San Francisco are buzzing with four-bangers and rice rockets these days. I don’t know whether it’s possible to accommodate these late-model imports without alienating the core enthusiasts who have been coming since 1949, but it might be worth a try.
I do know that more of us graybeards had better climb out of our heated recliners come January, unless we’re willing to watch indoor shows go the way of 32-car Top Fuel meets and Fremont Drag Strip. 
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