By TR Robertson Photos by Brian Robertson and NCDS
Car enthusiasts from all over the county filled Downtown Historic Vista’s streets on Sunday to admire the incredible work over 300 classic car owners had put into their cars. The day was hot and humid with occasional clouds helping to cool down the streets as people visited with the car owners, read about the cars from the placards some had in place and to stop by the various tents set-up with vendors selling a variety of items from material for cars to food booths. Classic 50’s and 60’s rock and roll music blared adding to the festive atmosphere.
The morning began early as cars lined up to check in and to find out where they would be placed in the Downtown area. Event Planner Debbie Medrano and her crew checked participants in and gathered information the car owners they filled out about the category their car fell into for judging. Wandering the streets car owners were enthusiastic about talking about the restoration process they had gone through to get their cars into the immaculate shaped they were now in. Randy Ade, owner of the 1959 pink Thunderbird on display, said he had worked on restoring his car for over 2 years. TJ Crossman, owner of TJ Crossman’s Auto Repair in Vista, had his 1929 Model A Kit Car on display and offered visitors a chance to sit in the car for selfie pictures. Fritz Eibel, Josh Spann and Mike Saldaria were on hand from the Vista Firefighters Association to speak with the public and the classic Vista Firetruck was also on display.
If you were in the market for purchasing a classic car, there were a number of vehicles on sale to choose from. The most expensive one I saw was a Shelby Cobra on sale for $58,000. If you wanted something a little older you could get a 1931 Ford Roadster for $25,000 or one of my favorites a 1940 Ford Deluxe 4 Door for $22,500. These were but a few of the cars on sale at Vista’s Rod Run.
