Goodguys: More Than 2,500 Classic Muscle Cars Will Descend on Fairgrounds

More than 2,500 classic American muscle cars and souped-up hot rods are heading to the .

The cars and their enthusiastic, motor-oil-in-their-veins owners along with car buffs throughout the west will gather for the 19th consecutive year this weekend to celebrate cars and car culture at the Goodguys Summer Get-Together presented by J Rockcliff Realtors in Pleasanton.

The event has become an annual early-summer tradition as auto buffs gather to gawk at the cars, shop the midway and kick tires.

The colorful cars, painted in a variety of candy hues with layers of chrome, showcase a magical glimpse into yesteryear when American automobiles were made of steel, had carburetors and could get an oil change in the driveway.

The magical and unique quality of a Goodguys “Get-Together” is that any American-made or American-powered car can exhibit — no matter how old or, in some cases, new they are.

Goodguys events are the perfect platform to showcase modern era muscle machines like the new era Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro just to name a few. It’s no secret that Detroit’s “big three” have made a strong push to reconnect consumers to the muscle cars of the 60s and 70s.

By welcoming new generations of cars and car enthusiasts to their events, the Pleasanton-based Goodguys Rod & Custom Association has seen a surge in both attendance and buzz.

“We’re seeing generations of car guys and gals able to come out and show their cars together as a family,” said Harry Daviess, Event Director.

“All Goodguys are car guys at heart. The “Get-Together” format broadens the scope of our events allowing as many as six or seven generations of car people to participate in a an event.”

Another buzzworthy topic these days in the vintage car scene is the re-birth of the vintage American muscle car.

The latest trend is blending race track technology into muscle cars from the 1960s and 70s. Adding race engines, race suspensions and flashy bright paint jobs to big bodied, V8 powered relics is all the rage. Besides showing and displaying them at events like the Summer Get-Together, event participants are more than willing to flog them around an AutoCross course to “see what they’ll do.” In most cases the results are astounding.

“The American muscle car is a whole new breed,” said Ed Capen, an industry authority on AutoCross.

“AutoCross was a very popular activity for sports cars like MG’s, Datsuns, Lotus and Mazdas in the 1970s. It was a sports car activity sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America. Now muscle cars and street machines are right in the mix. We’ve seen interest in AutoCrossing explode in recent years at our events. At the Summer Get-Together demand will be so high we expect at least 400 to make runs in the AutoCross.”

An entire segment of the automotive aftermarket industry has blossomed with the new found excitement to make a bulky, heavy American Muscle Car; essentially designed for drag strip performance, corner like a Porsche.

“We’ve seen dozens of companies formed to cater to performance muscle cars,” Capen said.

“Detroit Speed and Engineering, Ridetech, Hotchkis Performance, Speed by Spectre, The Roadster Shop, Gateway Classic Mustang – they’re all doing big business manufacturing and refining muscle car performance and suspension products.”

In addition to the cars, the Summer Get-Together offers other automotive-themed activities for the family.

A used parts automotive swap meet will join a special “cars for sale corral” where automotive treasure hunters can seek out hard to find parts and buy and/or sell the car of their dreams. Inside the spacious exhibit buildings will be a Concours-style show featuring stock, original cars like Packards, Bentleys and Duesenbergs from the 1930s and 40s.  A special “Brush Bash” featuring local pin stripe artists will offer hand painted items and the Tri-Valley Quarter Midgets – a youth racing program will perform exhibitions on an oval track.

Another show highlight will be a custom bicycle exhibit. Bay Area-based bicycle fabricators and enthusiasts “Boogie” Breiz and Dominick Guida will be there. They are proprietors of Behind Bars Inc – a full-service custom bicycle fabrication shop in San Jose, CA, and they have pulled together the unique exhibit that will feature more than 50 one-of-a-kind custom bikes.

The exhibit will be held inside the Hall of Commerce Building. This marks the first time Goodguys has featured a bicycle exhibit at an event

The Goodguys 19th Summer Get-Together is open 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $17, kids 7-12 $6. Kids 6 and under are FREE.

Fairgrounds parking fee is $8. For additional event information, contact the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association at 925-838-9876 or visit www.good-guys.com