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San Diego Region CLC
Hosts Successful Meet at
Spanish Landing
By Craig Chally |
On Sunday, September 16, 2007, the San Diego Region
of the Cadillac & La Salle Club hosted its annual Regional National Meet
at Spanish Landing Park.
Situated right on San Diego Bay, the azure water
(complete with flying fish!), stately sailboats, lush green lawns, and
crystal-clear sky provided the perfect backdrop for some sixty truly
gorgeous Cadillac and La Salle automobiles.
Participants came from as far as Scottsdale and
Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as from the
Los Angeles-based Southern California Region and, of course, the San
Diego Region itself.
The cars ranged from the classic elegance of Gene
Calman’s 1927 Imperial Limousine and Robert McGinnis’s 1931 Series 452
V-16 Roadster, to the edgy style of a new 2008 XLR, graciously lent for
display by San Diego’s own Marvin Brown Cadillac. |
Cadillac and La Salle models from every decade in
between were well represented, including no less than three Allantes.
Whether your tastes ran to perfectly restored cars,
lovingly preserved original cars, or, in the case of a most unusual
custom station wagon based on a 1956 Series 86 commercial chassis, a
true survivor, there was a car there for you.
A fine barbeque lunch was provided for show
registrants, as well as a very well-stocked door prize raffle.
Perhaps the best feature of the show’s location was
the public exposure it gave the San Diego Region and the national
Cadillac and La Salle Club.
Not content with simply putting together a great
car show, the San Diego Region further impressed attendees with not
one but two social events after the show. Robert and Virginia
Longfellow, long-time San Diego Region members, graciously opened
their home for a lavish reception.
With the theme of “Cadillac, Cocktails, and
Conversation”, the reception provided plenty of each, and made for
pleasant and engaging refreshment after the show.
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For those who had not yet gotten their fill of
Cadillacs (and who among us ever does?), the San Diego Region worked
with the San Diego Automotive Museum to provide a private reception and
tour of the museum’s current feature exhibit, “Cadillac—Standard of the
World”.
The museum is part of Balboa Park, in the heart of
San Diego.
If you’ve ever been, you know how beautiful a
setting it is.
If you haven’t, it’s well worth a visit if ever
you’re in the San Diego area.
It’s a tribute to the San Diego Region’s members
that the museum’s exhibit includes some of the very cars that had been
displayed at the show earlier that day.
One of the most interesting cars on display was
“Louie Mattar’s Fabulous $75,000 Car”.
A very heavily modified 1947 Series 62 sedan built
for non-stop running on long distance endurance and good will tours.
The car is so complete for the purpose, it even has
its own built in shower on the passenger-side front fender.
The day took a great deal of effort to arrange and
execute. The members and leadership of the San Diego Region are to be
commended for their hard work and dedication in putting on so grand and
successful an event.
If you’re in the San Diego area next September, I
highly encourage you to participate in this excellent regional national
show. I know I will! |
