The 29 Ford Roadster Show Pickup known as the Cherry Bomb as been in the Johnson family for over 40 years.  It's made numerous appearance in the Portland Roadster Show, collecting Best in Class and ISCA Achievement Awards along the way.  Many consider it one of the most recognizible and iconic "hot rods' in the Pacific NW.  Congratulations to Joyce Johnson, and we know Bub Sr. is looking down with great pride.      

The "Logan Edition Shelby" has been called the car that Carroll Shelby should have built.  It was considered ahead of its time when unveiled at the 2006 Detroit Autorama, and drew the attention of Muscle Car TV, which later did a show about the car.  The term Retro-Mod was used, and it was heralded as the perfect blend of straight line speed with the cornering capabilities of a high end sports car.  A winner at Grand National, Sacramento, Boise, Puyallup and in Portland, the car is an amazing build.  Congratulations to Jerry Logan on his induction into the PRS Hall of Fame.

David Jothen was inducted this year as an Honorary for his contributions to the Portland Roadster Show and the hot rodding community.  His Father Jack was a charter member of the MHRC when founded in 1956, and David has been involved since 1977, showing one his cars for the first time in 1981.  He took over as the Official Photographer for the show 6 years ago, and became Co-Producer of the show 4 years ago.  Jothen's organizational skills, and marketing knowledge have helped the show continue to grow and improve.  Jothen's involvement in the car club community has helped raised tens of thousands of dollars for Veteran's based charities including the Missing in America Project and the Veteran's Help Line at Lines for Life.  His ability to coordinate and market these shows have created a model for others.  He is also the Owner/Publisher of PDX Car Culture and we could not be more proud.

           

Our nervousness was erased, as little by little, folks came over and began to look at our rides and ask questions.  We then began to walk around and look at the amazing rides from not only the Class Act club, but from clubs as far as Port Angeles and Seattle WA.  Amazing paint jobs, body work, air ride suspension, video and sound systems were everywhere.

And the people were great!  It really reminded me of when I first got into the hobby with my own cars, as a charter member of the NW Lowriders and Inimini Truckers.  Like myself, and many of our clubs members, these were young families participating.  Many of the rigs are daily drivers, and they have the passion and dedication of their rides equal to that of any $200 to $300k street rod.  

They had tons of activities for both the entrants, and more importantly, their kids.  They had club competitions, along with great food and raffle prizes.  But the kicker was their awards!  All handmade, and as imaginative as you could get.  The best interior award was a large pillow, that had the event information and Best Interior embroidered on it.  The Best Paint award, was an actual spray gun, mounted on a metal plate, complete with airbrushing identifying the event and award.  That was the single coolest award that I have seen in my 40+ years iin the hobby.

During the award ceremony, this club showed why they are worthy of their name Class Act.  Here we were the outsiders (only at first), and they awarded most of the top prizes to our rigs.  Something that they surely did not need to do, but they showed their respect to the craftsmanship and dedication we had in our rides, like they do in theirs. 

Something we all need to remember, unless you enter this hobby late in life, with a fair amount of cash and the desire to recapture your youth, and own a car you could never had during it.  You start with what you like and can afford.  You more than likely start with a daily driver, and you modify it and make it cool.  These enthusiasts are the future of our hobby!  We need to welcome them, respect and accept these amazing vehicles that they are building.  Afterall, a lot of the ideas they come up with, make their ways into our street rods and restomods.

We need to make sure these people, and their rigs are invited and welcome at our events, like they made us feel at theirs.  What a group of great folks with great rides.  Thanks again to the Class Act Car Club. 

Here is their story as told by founder Dan New and his wife Beth:

Class Act came to be in 1991, founded by Dan New & Marcus Stine. Our mission is to keep our hobby alive and provide a show atmosphere that is family friendly with plenty of activities for the kids to stay busy! Our charity is Clackamas County Dog Services. We donate both materials from their online wish list and cash for shelter needs. We hope to add food or supply donations as part of our registration for next years show. Class Act welcomes all age groups. Our current members range in age from 18-42. Most of us are more than friends, we are a family..

Learn more about this project and the Break the Chain program at http://breakthechainapparel.com/be-a-sponsor/sponsorships/chevelle

*You can find pictures from their event, in our Photo Gallery under Kickin' It Old School 2012.