Happy Festivus
All Toyota Fest Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA
There are only two times a year that we can count on Yamz being in a good mood, and both have to do with old school cars. One is the Japanese Classic Car Show and the other is the All Toyota Fest, coordinated by the Toyota Owners and Restorers' Club (TORC). Ironically, they both take place at the Queen Mary in Long Beach. To be honest, we don't know which one we like better. On one hand there's the JCCS, which has old school cars of all different makes and models, but like its name they're all classic. On the other, the TORC show rocks everything from old Celicas to brand-new LS430s, except that it's limited to only Toyota cars. We try not to play favorites, but this time around was a little more special. We hit the TORC show armed with two folding chairs (we were too lazy to set up a table for giveaways) to celebrate Toyota's 50th year in America and the fact that they've become the number one automotive manufacturer in the world. Raise a glass or tip a 40 in salute.
While we were chilling under our EZ Up handing out magazines and other goodies, we overheard someone saying that there were over 300 cars registered for the show. Damn, that's a lot of Toyotas, Scions, and Lexuses. Or is that Lexi? Whatever. Strolling around, it felt like a time warp, with old school and new school cars all within arms reach. If you missed it, don't worry. JCCS is coming up at the end of September. www.toyotaclub.org