HOT ROD WEEK: Heading To GAMBINO's....Goodguys WEST COAST Nationals

If you have never tagged along for Hot Rod Week the week before the West Coast Nationals, you have missed out. It's a killer opportunity to see some of NorCal's best shops, biggest collections and cruise the highways with 200 other rods and customs!

Me, I get to do all four days. Ain't work a bitch?

Anyway, we are stopping at Alex's shop on that Wednesday and then immediately to Dennis Varni's insane collection (right around the corner) of hot rods, land speed cars and cool shit!

Here's the blurb from the Goodguys website...

Hot Rod Week 2011, August 22-25

The excitement is starting to build for the 25th West Coast Nationals August 26-28 at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds! It all gets started Monday, August 22nd with the start of Hot Rod Week! Hot Rod Week is a special 4-day guided driving tour to shops and places of interest in the San Francisco Bay Area and other close by regions in Northern California. Hot Rod Week serves as a fun activity for locals as well as out of town visitors attending the annual West Coast Nationals in Pleasanton.

Four jam-packed days of hot rodding fun are on tap this year! No registration is required and there is no fee! Just show up at the Pleasanton Hilton at 8am each morning, get a tour map and head off with the pack to join the Hot Rod Week Fun! All tours leave the back parking lot of the Hilton at 8:30am sharp!

Monday 8/22 – San Francisco Peninsula
Hot Rod Week 2011 opens with a short drive over to the peninsula to the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos. This astounding collection of flying machines will appeal to all hot rodders and gear heads! Hiller Aviation is where the first ever helicopter was manufactured! From there we’ll head to Roy Brizio Street Rods and their amazing Hot Rod factory to see what they’re up to. Next door to Brizio’s is the Sanderson Headers factory which is always a cool tour.

Tuesday 8/23 – Sacramento Area
Day two we’ll head to California’s Capitol City, long a hot bed for hot rodding, with stops at American Past Times Hot Rod Shop, Rods R Us, Blue Collar Customs, the Gearhead Garage and finally to Roseville Rod & Custom – builder’s of several Goodguys Terrific 12 award winning vehicles. This will be a full day of great cruisin’, great shops and lots of highway miles!

Wednesday 8/24 – South Bay Area
The Hot Rod Week tour moves to the Silicon Valley for day three and kicks off with a stop at Gambino Kustoms. Known for traditional hot rods and elaborate flake and pearl paint schemes, host Alex Gambino will make y’all feel right at home. From Gambino’s we’ll head north to San Jose to take a look at Dennis Varni’s “Speed Nymph” Garage featuring his record setting Bonneville race cars and other exciting toys like his AMBR winning ’29 Ford roadster. Dick Deluna’s “Toy Box” collection is up next which features an extensive array of cars and motorized machines. We’ll finish up the day at the spectacular “Sparky’s Hot Rod Garage and Event Center” in San Carlos for a look at collector Joe Bullock’s private collection.

Thursday 8/25 – East Bay
Hot Rod Week 2011 wraps up with a tour of the East Bay Muscle Cars facility in the delta community of Brentwood. See their multi-award winning ’70 Mustang logo car plus other cutting edge projects including hot rods. From Brentwood we’ll head west to Concord to visit Andy’s Tee Shirts! Andy’s has been printing Goodguys event tee shirts and thousands of other colorful hot rod shirts for over 30 years! We’ll end the tour at the Hot Rod Garage of Randy Driskell. See his shop and an amazing collection of old hot rod parts and neon signs!

Friday, August 26 through Sunday August 28th it’s time for the Goodguys 25th West Coast Nationals. An entire weekend of good times is on hand for the silver anniversary of the West Coast Nationals!

 

I am thinking of driving the 51 down Kirk. . you think it will make it. I am heading to spokane first with it (then back home to drop the wife off), if it makes it there and back I might temp the drive down..... if not, hoping in the daily PU and heading south to attend regardless.

 

It seemed to run pretty good on the Puyallup poker run. Go for it!

 

How/where does one sign up to participate?

 

To drive along? Just be ready to leave the Pleasanton Hilton parking lot each day at 8:30.

 

Hilton host hotel 7050 Johnson dr. Pleasanton ca 94588
rich

Four jam-packed days of hot rodding fun are on tap this year! No registration is required and there is no fee! Just show up at the Pleasanton Hilton at 8am each morning, get a tour map and head off with the pack to join the Hot Rod Week Fun! All tours leave the back parking lot of the Hilton at 8:30am sharp!

 

ahh... got it.

Will give you a buzz as I'd like to join up for the SacTown portion without driving to Pleasanton first

 

That day I will be leaving from my house.

 

DAMMIT. The first year in AWHILE that I haven't gone to Pleasanton.

 

You'll be missing out.

 

They are going to be at my shop at 10:30 if you don't want to drive all the way to Plesanton first. Come on by and check out whats up at the shop.

 

It was great having everyone at our shop today! Hope to see some cool pictures soon, thanks for coming out.

-Rods R Us crew

 

Thanks to everbody who came out to day .The Blue Collar crew