On Sunday, as a follow-up, our roving editor attempts to cover three more shows and the prestigious Palos Verde Concours d'Elegance.
 Sunday morning the alarm went off at 6:00 AM, still pretty damn early for an "off" day but when you're attempting to cover four widely separated venues, getting up before sunrise is the only way to do it. The plan was simple, first up to Tustin, about an hour away, to cover the Just Ducky all-marques show at the Enderle Center, then blast cross town to Anaheim's Phoenix Club for the 2nd International Southern California Vintage VW Treffen. The plan was grab some brunch before heading north to Burbank for a Vintage Chevrolet Club of America show at Community Chevrolet before finishing up in the South Bay at the Trump National Golf Course for the Palos Verde Concours d'Elegance. Crazy? Perhaps, but typical of the wealth of car shows going on every weekend in the Southland--and this is passing up a Ferrari concours in Dana Point--but there's the promise of lining up a car or two, not only for Chevy Enthusiast, but for the other magazines, like Cars & Parts, that I still contribute to.
Because the day promised to be hot, I decided to leave Savannah at home and the Corsa in the garage, opting instead to make the trip in the relative comfort of an air conditioned Pontiac Solstice. Driving up I-15 I questioned my choice as it was relatively cool and the Corsa is so much more engaging to drive but I knew that by the end of the day it would be 90 degrees or more and the A/C system in the Solstice would be most welcome. I arrived in Tustin and realized that it was a relatively small show that I could cover quickly as I had seen and photographed most of the cars on previous occasions. While I hadn't seen the 1954 Cadillac and the old school 1955 Chevy sedan delivery previously, the one car that stood out to me in Tustin was a 1956 Corvette that had been originally sold in West Berlin and painted Ford GT Tungsten Silver, a very striking color, especially on this father-daughter restoration project.
 Next was a short, by the day's standards, 15-minute drive over the German-American Phoenix Club where Periscope Enterprises and Wolfsburg West was presenting the 2nd International Southern California Vintage VW Treffen. Presented in the spirit of the great European shows such as Bad Camberg and Hessisch Oldendorf, this event focused on air cooled split-window and oval-window era Beetles, "Press-bumper" Buses, Kubelwagens and Schwimmwagens, as well coachbuilt vehicles, including Rometsch, Hebmuller, Denzel, Enzmann, and Dannenhauer & Strauss. Many of the cars on display I had seen the previous day but as there were many cars that came on a trailer, thus had not participated in the Speedwell-sponsored rally, the show was a treat if you love early Volkswagens. Check out the Automotive Traveler image gallery to get a small sample of the Volkswagens that caught my eye.
 As I walked through the parking lot of the Phoenix Club to my Solstice I noticed something that at first seemed strange; row after row of dust-covered cars, a motley collection of SUVs and luxury cars and realized that I had stumbled on a cache of "Cash for Clunkers" cars. As there were several new car dealers nearby, I surmised that they were being stored there before being scrapped. What made my stomach turn was not only the sight of many otherwise serviceable eighties and nineties BMWs, Lexuses, and Mercedes-Benzes, were the two late model Jeep Wagoneers about to be scrapped. Thinking of all the vintage full-size Jeeps (Wagoneers and Cherokee) that could benefit from their never-changing sheet metal I started to think of the long-term implications of scrapping and crushing these cars. Someday the parts will certainly be needed for someone's restoration. As bad as I felt I was hungry so before heading to Burbank I stopped off at the Jagerhaus on the other side of the 57 Freeway. When I lived in Orange County this was one of my favorite places to grab breakfast. As the name would suggest, the German pancakes, with lemon and powdered sugar, got my mind off the carnage I had just witnessed.
 Like the Tustin show, the VCCA show up in Burbank was more sparsely attended than I expected, certainly compared to last year's show that I had covered. I attribute this to general economic malaise, especially for those enthusiasts who trailer their cars long distances. Having talked with other participants, many noted that they had cut back attending events this summer and this was reflected in the smaller turnouts I had witnessed over the last four months. Yet there were two cars that stood out, certainly for Chevy Enthusiast. The first was a time capsule 1974 Nova two-door sedan in pristine condition that looked as if it was just driven off the showroom floor back in Pennsylvania. The other was a 1957 Chevrolet 150 Handyman station wagon that looked "just right" even when parked right next to three big dollar Nomad restorations.
 As it was already after 1:00 PM I debated if it would be worth it to try to get to the Palos Verde Concours d'Elegance before the scheduled awards ceremony at 3 PM. As GPS said it was a virtual straight shot down the 110 Freeway 40 minutes away, I decided to go. This is a very exclusive, invitation-only event and in just a few years, attracts a world class field of cars, both prewar as well as post war, especially Italian exotics. After arriving, the first cars I encountered were a trio of Chrysler-Ghia concept and limited-production cars from the fifties. While I had seen all three cars previously, the 1954 Plymouth Explorer displayed by the Petersen Automotive Museum looked especially appealing on the manicured fairways of Trump National. And from the sixties came the Manta, an ItalDesign-Bizzarrini collaboration whose striking lines were penned by the master by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Owned by Diana and Ron Spindler, the whole family was trapped inside the sweltering center-drive cockpit as they awaited their class award.
 And finally, as the new editor of Chevy Enthusiast I was treated to the sight of a 1917 Chevrolet 990 Speedster race car on a remote fairway as I left the grounds. Owned by Noel Park, and driven from Bellflower to the Concours, we spoke at length about the car and discussed several different editorial opportunities, both for Chevy Enthusiast as well as Automotive Traveler. Stay tuned for details on this very special car from Chevrolet's first decade. Having shot more than 1,200 images over the last two days it was time to head home but not before stopping for dinner at Chicago for Ribs in San Pedro. While I downloaded the last four memory cards I was able to refuel my tank for the 90 mile drive back home. All in all, it was two very special days but I can tell you this, a 600-mile odyssey that I'm not likely to repeat soon.
 As the map illustrates, I put another 250 miles on the Solstice in my successful attempt to cover all four widely separated venues in a single day. It's not easy but I hope those viewing this blog will agree that looking at the photos in the Automotive Traveler image gallery, it was worth the effort. Please feel free to leave feedback on what you think in the comments section below.
- Point A--Start, Sun City, CA
- Point B--Enderle Center, Tustin, CA
- Point C--Phoenix Club, Anaheim, CA
- Point D--Community Chevrolet, Burbank, CA
- Point E--Trump National Golf Course, Palos Verde, CA
- Point F--Finish, Sun City, CA
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