Howdy Webriders! Dr. VW here. Today’s Auto Adventure is something of a preview. If you’re anything like me, then you know that Car Show Season is now in full swing. Spring is that time of year when the classic cars get rolled out of their winter hibernation across the country and get buffed for the show circuit. So in the spirit of spring, I’m gonna talk about my two favorite classic car shows of the season. Hit the jump to find out about these sweet events!

Goodguys Auto Shows

One of the biggest promoters and sponsors of the classic car scene is the Goodguys Rod and Custom Association. This group is the world’s largest classic and custom rod association, with over 70,000 members! With a monthly magazine and a nationwide show circuit under their sponsorship, chances are if you’re a hot rodder or a domestic car owner you’ve been to one of their shows or at least heard of them. One of the great things about this group is that they sponsor shows all over the US, and not just in Southern California. Although Southern California is arguably one of the best environments for classic rides, Goodguys lets the entire country get in on the fun without forcing them to drive hundreds or even thousands of miles to show off their pride and joy. Not only that, but different areas of the country bring different kinds of rides to the table, and the variety seen at the Goodguys shows is refreshing in a way that most Southern California shows are not.

In Socal, a lot of the rides we see are the same cookie cutter resto-customs of classic 50’s and 60’s rides. The Midwest and East Coast shows on the other hand, see a good sprinkling of the sometimes undervalued and under-represented 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s rides that get sidelined at the Socal events; there’s nothing like seeing a Smokey and the Bandit Burt Reynolds ed. Trans Am next to a classic stingray Vette, a sight seldom seen in Socal shows. Here at Webridestv, we love the Goodguys shows, and frequently cover them and their exotic rides, like the Corvette and Camaro videos that came out a few days ago.

And of course:

The Volkswagen Classic

The Volkswagen Classic in Irvine California is one of the largest and longest running shows for Volkswagens in California. For the last 23 years, VW owners from across the globe have come to gather for the Classic. While the Classic is only one show, its sponsors, Socal Imports and Bugorama, have put together shows across the country for both aircooled and watercooled VW’s. Events in Irvine, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Texas, and Arizona have had the largest draw, as the southwest has the largest surviving population of these vehicles. However events in Florida, Illinois, and Long Island have also had large turnouts. However the de facto “big event” is definitely the Classic in Irvine, where local VW shops throw open their doors and do some wild events of their own in the days leading up to and the days trailing from the big event. Shops across LA and San Diego host “dyno day” challenges, rally races, drag strip runs, and swap meets at various locations, giving people things to do before and after the actual show.

This is one of the aspects of this show that really makes it stand out from other events, as the entire Southern California area seems to come alive for about 5 days, crawling with little VW’s from all over the country; some even bring their cars from Europe! The showing is pretty diverse too, featuring VW’s from as early as 1949 to as late as 2008. Classic Bugs, Busses, Ghias, Things, and Type 3’s are the bread and butter of the classic, while later Jetta’s, GTI’s, and Eurovans make the event as well. Hopefully this year yours truly will be covering the event from inside his ‘71 squareback!

Hopefully all you Webriders will make it out to one of these events; Goodguys has shows all summer long all over the country, and if you live in Socal, you should definitely check out the Classic in Irvine. Of course if you can’t, you can bet Webridestv will be bringing you the scoop on some of the great cars at these events and others, as the summer season really starts in earnest. Remember, if you know about a show that should get some street cred, tell us about it down in the forums! As always, leave a comment- you know you want to. This is Dr. VW- signing off.