In an area well known for having little modesty when it relates to prized car collections comes the Capitola Rod and Custom Show. Owners from all over Northern California and beyond congregate once a year to show off their wares and New Atlas paid a visit, camera in hand.
By 10 am, over 250 cars and trucks were on display. The owners all converge in the nearby city of Santa Cruz at the boardwalk and make the five-and-a-half-mile drive to the esplanade in beautiful downtown Capitola. The weather couldn't possibly have been more perfect. The setting of Capitola itself also provided a perfect throwback to the era in which most of these cars had been initially crafted.
From toddlers to the pensioned alike, all were drooling along the streets in admiration of the gems that only time, money, elbow grease, and vision could have produced.
I've been to parking lot car shows in the past. Rows and rows of cars that all run together, muddled like sardines in a can. The Capitola Rod and Custom Car Show was very different. The entire downtown of Capitola was blocked off from traffic, leaving attendees free to walk the streets, down the blocks, see the cars, talk to the owners, stop at the local shops and eateries, and do it all at your own pace. I was able to see and do it all and not feel rushed or as if I missed that needle in the haystack, as they say.
If you find yourself in Northern California on a fine summer's day mid June, you should find your way to the Capitola Rod and Custom Car Show. Take a stroll through our gallery for a virtual taste of what's on offer.
In an area well known for having little modesty when it relates to prized car collections comes the Capitola Rod and Custom Show. Owners from all over Northern California and beyond congregate once a year to show off their wares and New Atlas paid a visit, camera in hand.
By 10 am, over 250 cars and trucks were on display. The owners all converge in the nearby city of Santa Cruz at the boardwalk and make the five-and-a-half-mile drive to the esplanade in beautiful downtown Capitola. The weather couldn't possibly have been more perfect. The setting of Capitola itself also provided a perfect throwback to the era in which most of these cars had been initially crafted.
From toddlers to the pensioned alike, all were drooling along the streets in admiration of the gems that only time, money, elbow grease, and vision could have produced.
I've been to parking lot car shows in the past. Rows and rows of cars that all run together, muddled like sardines in a can. The Capitola Rod and Custom Car Show was very different. The entire downtown of Capitola was blocked off from traffic, leaving attendees free to walk the streets, down the blocks, see the cars, talk to the owners, stop at the local shops and eateries, and do it all at your own pace. I was able to see and do it all and not feel rushed or as if I missed that needle in the haystack, as they say.
If you find yourself in Northern California on a fine summer's day mid June, you should find your way to the Capitola Rod and Custom Car Show. Take a stroll through our gallery for a virtual taste of what's on offer.
