As spring comes to a close, a number of classic car shows begin to bloom in Southern California. Early May has two that I have become rather fond of, the Temecula Rod Run and Coronado Cars on Main Street. This will be focusing on the latter of the two.
Taking place on Sunday the 4th on Coronado Island outside of San Diego, the meet typically has plenty of classic cars from the 70’s and earlier at its shows. The location is also ripe for the affluent individuals of the area in addition to wonderful weather. This year however posed a problem as temperamental weather meant many didn’t want to bring out their classics. That’s okay though, I still saw enough the make it worth my while.
I hope to show off a few of the cars that caught my attention and that I found interesting, but many more images have been uploaded and labeled. Hopefully these can help those who write in addition to those who love to browse our spots! I’ve broken this writeup down into sections by age and plan to do the same with the Temecula Rod Run when I upload that. Until then, enjoy.
Pre-1950s
The first vehicle I want to start out with is this 1915 Ford Model T. While far from unique, this one is in great condition and wears a contemporary anti-theft device. Fitted to the wheel, it appears to be designed to make noise if rolled over as a manual alarm system. Marring of the ground would also allow for the track to be followed.
Seen here are two gorgeous Packards. The example featured is a 1939 Super-eight touring sedan. The background model in white is a 1941 110 Business Coupe.
Wrapping up this segment is a 1937 Hudson Terraplane Utility Coupe. This one has a slide-out trunk bed that makes easy work of storing items in the deep trunk. Funnily enough, similar items have returned to the market as people now have a hard time reaching over the side of pickup truck beds.
1950s
Trying to avoid repeats of typical cars, here are a couple of the oddballs. First up is a Sunbeam Alpine. I can’t recall if this is a Mk1 or III. Oddly enough they didn’t make a Mk II. They would later reuse the Alpine name with another sports car that would receive more fame. I found this handsome little car more interesting than the dozen Corvettes and Thunderbirds littering the area.
I am however, always intrigued by the floating Corvette badges. I think this would be a nice touch on the current model with the glass engine cover. The example shown is on a 1956 Corvette.
I’ll have a ’59 Jaguar XK150 wrap up the decade. A timeless classic that followed in the footsteps of the XK120 released a decade prior. They set the design stage for the swoopy jaguar sedans with large grills that would come later.
1960s
This 1964 Studebaker Dayton caught my eye for being in fantastic shape. I think it’s a looker too, even in the brown color shown. The small details like the fender guard are nice bonuses.
Next up are two Alfas. The first is a Giulia SS, and the second is a GTV. Shortly after this event, I spotted another Giulia Sprint Speciale up in Hollywood. For production numbers south of 3000 units, it’s always odd to see multiple in a short timespan.
Honorable mentions to my favorite ’60s cars were the wagons. The two featured here have some personality in the form of stickers.
1970s
Our final decade represented was the 1970s. This had a couple of unique cars in it as well. For example, feast your eyes on a Volvo 1800 turned pickup. The work on this one was done very well. Its body lines lend themselves well to the truck bed in a form that reminds me of the early Subaru Brat.
How about a one-owner ’72 Continental MKIV? I know this website loves the shadow these cast on the road. This one is a shorty compared to its later peers with the government-mandated 5 mph bumpers.
A lowly base ’73 Mustang? Cars like this always get a second glance from me. Despite being the volume sellers, they never do get the same care as the special editions.
I’ll wrap this one up with a custom ’72 De Tomaso Pantera. With the restomod updates, this looks like a modern-retro concept car.
I found this handsome little car more interesting than the dozen Corvettes and Thunderbirds littering the area.
Add Camaros, Chevelles, 1st gen Mustangs, etc.
In fact, it’d be great to see car shows that specifically excluded certain models. While I get that cars that were enormously popular in their day are now the easiest and cheapest to own and maintain, it also means they proliferate at car shows to the point of being nothing interesting and just clutter.
Looks like a fun show .
I think that Corvette is a ’58…..
-Nate
Great post Allan, thank you! I love the variety, and biographical info, you have provided. Appears like an attractive neighbourhood as well. Excellent pics! So much unique character on display here.
Studebaker is perhaps the automaker departure, I lament the most. Such a long and proud history.
Great show, thanks for sharing it with us. Stude Daytona convertibles are not common, so excellent find! Someone got behind a run of replicas of the Hallibrand wheels, and I think they look great on these.
The choice of a 1968 bumper sticker is an interesting choice for a 1963 car. But I’m sure there were a lot of Nixon voters in California that year.
And the Mark IV – the shade of yellow is a touch different, but this was the color combo of my father’s 70 Mark III. This paint and trim makes for a good period piece, but it’s not a favorite of mine (then or now).
Enjoyed the post, especially the photo of the Model T’s early auto anti-theft device. Pretty cool idea for the time and I’m sure it was effective. Quick internet search says it may have been from the same time period as the car.
I agree – that was really neat. Looks like that particular device was sold starting in 1916, so it’s definitely period-correct.
The Sunbeam Alpine is the model that Grace Kelly drove in To Catch a Thief
The Alpines had a rally career one of the team drivers was Stirling Moss, Rootes built 6 cars for that including 3 spares that didnt get any use, a guy I know has one of them in his collection of several Talbots, I should have counted them, but I didnt actually see his entire fleet, only the 50-60 cars near his house.
Cool show, they should have built Volvo utes it looks good.