West Coast Kustoms Cruisin’ Nationals
Every year, people make the trek from all over California down to Santa Maria to attend the Cruisin’ Nationals sponsored and put together by West Coast Kustoms. From what everyone said about the event, I knew it would be a blast but, now that I attended Cruisin’ Nationals, I found out it was beyond my expectations.
Cruisin’ Nationals a West Coast Kustoms event in Santa Maria CA
Spectators lined Broadway to watch 100s of classic cars cruise up and down the street. Parking lots and side roads were full of these incredible rides. There were ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s old school low riders, hotrods, lead sleds, trucks, and lots of custom cars, but you didn’t see any Muscle cars as they were not allowed on the cruise, only old school classic cars and trucks. There was a nice variety of rides and a great unity and vibe to the cruise.
The host hotel, The Historic Santa Maria Inn, was rockin’ with a parking lot of cool rides out front and live bands. Everyone inside and outside was having a great time; there were parties and together’s throughout the area.
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Friday night cruise was a blast, but that’s not all, “it was the kickoff party” on Saturday, and Sunday was the Cruisin’ Nationals car show at the Santa Maria Fair Grounds. The cars at the show were fantastic. There was also an indoor area with lots of crafts and other cool stuff for sale. Pinstripers were making custom pieces for sale.
The rides in Southern CA are exceptional, and they were well represented at the Crusin’ Nationals. Not only from SoCal, but people from all over California came out to show their rides at the event. One that was at the show was an incredible 1964 International Metro Mite built by 805 Kustoms.
805 Kustoms 1964 International Metro Mite at Crusin’ Nationals
Some rides at the event I had never seen in person before were very cool, like VooDoo Larrys 1954 Kaiser Manhattan that he calls VooDoo Sahara. Larry built the car as a tribute to Gorge Barris’s 1953 Lincoln Capri, named Golden Sahara. The Lincoln was originally Barris’s daily driver.
VooDoo Larry’s 1954 Kaiser Manhattan at Crusin’ Nationals
Another fantastic ride I’ve never seen in person was a 1961 Kellison J4. It had a Corvette chassis, 409 engine; the paint job was spectacular. Kellison was an exciting company that Jim Kellison started in the late 50s early 60s that got its start in Folsom, CA, and then moved to Lincoln, CA. Kellison built fiberglass bodies for race cars and the popular J1, J2…J6. Kellison built the first J car in 1957.
1961 Kellison J4 at Crusin’ Nationals
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Along with all the cool classics at the event, in the back area was a good size swap meet, and there were also a few places to grab a bite to eat. Along with the indoor booths, throughout the event selling T-shirts and crafts, Sin City Jokers were selling their wares, and Tres Nor was selling their cool sunglasses.
They also had a couple of live bands and a charity auction where they were auctioning off pieces of artwork from the pinstripers. Gene Winfield came up on stage and auctioned off a signed pinstripe piece of artwork for the charity auction. West Coast Kustoms Cruisin’ Nationals should be on everyone’s bucket list. It’s such a fun event, really can’t wait for the next one.
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