There was a time when rod runs were events put on by local car clubs, meant to bring local hot rodders together. As hot rodding enjoyed a big period of growth in the late '60s and early '70s national associations were formed to bring larger groups of hot rodders together with a series of regional and national events. Suddenly there were a lot of big events and many of the local club rod runs began to drop from the scene. There are still many club events that draw a good crowd and have a proud heritage, but what is really refreshing is to see a resurgence in club events in recent years. The Lonestar Roundup in Austin, Texas, is produced by the Kontinentals Car Club and in nine short years they have gone from a local event held at a high school to an event that filled the Austin Fairgrounds with over 1,200 cars and trucks this year. It is a success story based on attracting young, energetic hot rodders and mixing cool hot rods with great music and a laid-back, fun atmosphere. Like many fun events, there is a certain intangible ingredient that makes this event blossom while others fade. In this case the location is a great one, with Austin, Texas, being a good destination for hot rodders who enjoy basic hot rods. The Lonestar Roundup now has national and international buzz going on making this one of the premier club-produced events today.
The event began on Friday with a garage crawl that took about 100 hot rods on a tour of three shops and culminated with a short car show at the Dell Children's Medical Center; bringing some joy to these great kids is one of the best parts of the entire event. Mark Gustafson and his '59 GMC pickup lead the crawl this year that began at Austin Speed Shop, then on to Mercury Charlie's, and finally to Pipeworx. Each shop had interesting cars under construction and cruising to shops in the early morning sunshine is simply a great way to start any car weekend.
Mark Gustafson led the garage...
Mark Gustafson led the garage crawl on Friday morning and kept us on schedule and having fun. He'll head up the crawl again next year in his '59 GMC hauler.
After the car show at the Dell Children's Medical Center, we motored out to the fairgrounds for the first day of the event. What we found was a great bunch of trucks and hot rods ranging from perfect patina to highly finished trucks, and the diversity of makes, models, and styles represented every commercial vehicle you could imagine.
Perfect weather and lots of good live music provided a festive atmosphere this year, and of course the cursory trip through the swap meet and car corral ended with time spent watching mini-bike races inside one of the stock buildings. As Friday wound down folks headed into Austin to hang out down on South Congress, do some cruising, and listen to some live music.
No doubt the anticipated Friday night partying was a key part of the decision to open the gates at 10 a.m. on Saturday; a laid-back and leisurely start to any event. By 11 a.m. the fairgrounds were full and by midday it was difficult to even find a parking spot. Spectators filled the place and once again picture perfect weather made for another great day. The fun continued in downtown Austin Saturday night, bringing the official part of the Lonestar Roundup 2010 to an end. If you like good music, good people, and over 1,000 traditional-style hot rods and trucks, mark April 15-17, 2011 on your calendar for the big 10th Anniversary of this great event.
Olive drab is not so drab...
Olive drab is not so drab when you lay it down over a low-slung roadster pickup. A Buick Nailhead powers the early truck.
Now here's a study in contrast...
Now here's a study in contrast from the stock and primer stance to the slammed patina pickup. Randy Ruiz owns the '55 in the foreground, while the slammed truck runs zoomie exhaust and a unique cooling system.
Candy green over a silver...
Candy green over a silver base is a great way to do a traditional panel and scallop paint scheme. Steve Szymanski's '63 Ford was loaded with traditional touches.
This pretty well sums up the...
This pretty well sums up the Lonestar Roundup: painted, primer, or rust. It's all good at the Austin Fairgrounds.
We're not sure what came first,...
We're not sure what came first, the name or the truck, but Red Gonzalez sure has a super-straight '41 Chevrolet panel painted an appropriate hue.
This F-1 was looking good...
This F-1 was looking good at the Austin Speed Shop. Dark blue suede covers some very nice Ford tin. See a full feature elsewhere in this issue.
Very cool door art is supported...
Very cool door art is supported by a vintage Mercury outboard motor in the bed. Marc Britt brought his "Hydro Race Truck" in from Granbury, Texas.
Early truck cabs channeled...
Early truck cabs channeled over a box tube frame with an abbreviated bed are a big part of the truck scene at the Lonestar Roundup. This cab appears to have a Model A visor adapted to its chopped top.