Hot Rodding in Hawaii… Hao Wela!!

Last week was the 50th anniversary of Hawaii’s statehood. If you’ve never been over to see our hot rod brothers to the far west, you owe a trip over. If you love WW II history, Pearl Harbor is a must. If you dig surfing, snorkeling or general relaxation, Hawaii is THE place anyway. Once you’ve been, you’ll just keep dreaming of going back.

There have been a few posts about guys on vacation with the family in  Hawaii scouring for hot hod related activities. They have some really good car shows scattered about the islands, and I did see a few jalopy projects in driveways on my last visit to Maui. But, did you know that nearly 10 years before Hawaii even became a state, the Hono-Kai Timing Association formed, and there was organized drag racing on Oahu? They even had a full-on indoor hot rod show at Honolulu’s Civic Auditorium! The locals called these crazy cars Hao Wela… Hawaiian for Hot Rod.

I found this small article about it and thought I would share today. A grass roots effort to get the sport going on the islands… Happy 50th Hawaii! Aloha!