Long before Pleasanton became a popular venue for classic car shows, it was–and continues to be–a hospitable home for local car enthusiasts.
Retired Fire Chief George Withers has been a member of car clubs since he was a teenager. He is currently in two local car clubs: the P-Town Push Rods and Northern California F-100 Elites.
“I’ve been in clubs since high school,” Withers said. “It’s a fun hobby. You have your standard family car, but when you go out, you want to have a fun car with more flash.”
Withers owns a “hot rod yellow” 1932 Ford Roadster and a 1953 Ford F-100 truck he purchased 42 years ago. This has been a banner year for his custom street rod. Withers has taken it on two road trips this summer, riding top down to Canada and to Calistoga to attend “Deuce Days” shows celebrating the car’s 75th anniversary.
“The 1932 Ford is the first year they came out with a V8 engine. The ’32 also has a distinctive body style that Ford only made that one year,” Withers said, adding that the car’s nickname is “the deuce.” The 75th anniversary celebration has been going on all year long around the country.
When he drives the ’32 Ford, it’s not uncommon to see people stop and stare, to wave and take pictures of his street rod.
“It’s a kick,” he said.
Withers, who worked for the Pleasanton fire department for 32 years, the last eight of which he was chief, first became interested in cars while growing up in Livermore. His family moved there in 1954. His first car was a 1951 Ford two-door sedan that he customized with a ’57 Oldsmobile engine.
“We cruised in Livermore and Pleasanton,” said Withers, who moved to Pleasanton in 1963. “We used to race on Isabel and on Valley between Hopyard and Santa Rita Road.”
There are about 30 members in the P-Town Push Rods Club. It’s a family-oriented car group that organizes social gatherings, group trips to out-of-town car shows and charitable fundraisers. The Web site for the East Bay chapter of the Northern California Ford F-100 Elites is wwww.eastbayf100.com.
Car clubs are by no means the exclusive domain of custom cars and street rods. There is a vast array of clubs, specializing in a wide variety of car models.
The Mission Trails Mustangs club, whose members live predominantly in Pleasanton, Danville and Fremont, is geared primarily to Mustang owners, but anyone with a Ford vehicle can join, said Frances Hewitt, who is a member of the club.
Frances and Don Hewitt own a black 1967 GT convertible Mustang. They purchased the vehicle in 2000 in Washington and spent three years restoring it to its original specifications, right down to a working 8-track player, she said.
“I always wanted a Mustang,” Hewitt said. “I just think they are a classy car. They’re beautiful.”
The Hewitts have entered the car in several shows and have received numerous awards. Their car hasn’t won as many awards lately, however, since fellow club members Wayne and Pam Yeaw purchased a red 1967 GT convertible Mustang.
“I ran into these guys and they had a ’67, so I had to buy one too,” joked Yeaw, who also owns a “Wimbledon white” ’66 Mustang coupe that he bought 25 years ago from his father-in-law. “The ’67 was rebuilt from the ground up. I bought it three years ago.”
“Now we don’t win any more awards,” Frances Hewitt said with an exaggerated sigh. “There is something about the color red that really attracts people.”
Both couples are active members in the Mustang club. As a group, they caravan to car shows, organize a Christmas fundraiser for charity and participate in social outings throughout the Bay Area.
Two years ago, the club members were invited to display their cars at a Goodguys show and have also participated as a group the last two years in the Pleasanton Veteran’s Parade down Main Street.
One of the best features of being in the club is the wealth of knowledge the members can share with each other about parts, mechanics and other Mustang-related information, Frances Hewitt said.
Don Hewitt has purchased and restored a number of old cars, including a Fiat, a Ferrari and a Triumph. He usually sells them after they are fixed up, but the Mustang is a keeper, he said.
“There is something different about it than any other car I’ve owned,” he explained.
For more information about the Mission Trail Mustangs, visit www.missiontrailmustangs.org.
For Linda Bartolomucci Boyd, her dream car has always been a Porsche. She purchased her first one three years ago and last year upgraded it in for a Lapis blue 2006 Boxster that was featured in a San Francisco show. Two years ago she joined the Porsche Club of America–Diablo Region and is now on the board of directors.
“I really enjoy being around cars and I enjoy the social part of the club,” said Boyd, who teaches dental assisting at Diablo Valley College.
The Porsche club hosts a weekly breakfast on Saturdays at Marie Callender’s in Walnut Creek and meets the third Thursday of the month for dinner at Strizzi’s in San Ramon. The club also sponsors a couple of sessions a year at Thunderhill track in Willows where members can drive their own cars on the winding track.
“If you are a novice, you ride with an instructor and learn to drive your high performance car like it should be driven,” Boyd explained.
Additionally, the club organizes outings such as wine rallies, where the members meet and follow each other driving on country roads–no highways, Boyd said. They attend car shows and organize tech sessions before track days to make sure their cars are safe. For more information about the club, go to http://dia.pca.org/.
Peter Skoglund had never been a car buff, but owning a Mini Cooper has changed that.
“I felt cars were for transportation. You should have a good one for commuting,” he said. But one ride in his brother-in-law’s car and he and his wife Lori purchased one for themselves.
“These cars are just so much fun,” Skoglund said. “I had a car before that was just for transportation. Now I have a car that’s a lot of fun.”
In fact, he and his wife enjoy driving their Mini so much that they have put a deposit down, sight unseen, for a new model scheduled to be delivered in February.
His brother-in-law Larry Paquette started a Northern California Mini Cooper club in 2003 and there are now 250 members. They meet monthly to go on long drives–or runs–on Bay Area backroads. Last month, a large group of club members rode in a caravan to Fort Bragg and stayed for the weekend.
“On one run to the Delta, there were about 25 Mini Coopers–they looked like a bunch of jellybeans on the road,” Skoglund said. “People were standing on the side of the road watching as we drove by. That was a lot of fun. This car is just a real kick to drive.”
The fun begins the moment you purchase one, Skoglund added.
“You build these cars online,” he said. “There are hundreds of combinations. Buyers can completely customize the car, from the paint color to the stripes to the size of the engine and all the extras inside.
“The mini is a great car because it’s different. It’s a legalized go-cart,” he added.
For more information about NorCal Minis, go to norcalminis.com.
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