Fortuna's revamped AutoXpo makes us all motorheads
Ron Thunman For the Times-Standard
When the Fortuna Redwood Autorama made the change to the Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo there were some fears that the number of autos entered and their quality would drop. Nothing could be further from the truth. There was indeed a change, a change for the better in both the quality and the quantity of vintage cars and trucks that arrived to the fun in the sun AutoXpo held in Fortuna on July 21 through 23. Sunny Fortuna lived up to its name as 500 or more customized and colorful vehicles decorated downtown with class and chrome.
This unique and exciting event spanned three days and if you had a love for anything automotive or run by an engine, you were in luck. The cars were the feature, but this event is so much bigger than that, as it featured lots of antique tractors -- a real treat for the farmers and ranchers of the Eel River area. There were even a tractor pulls on Saturday and Sunday. The Hit & Miss engines were present in big numbers and they were a real, well, hit with many in attendance. Some of these engines are antique, one-cylinder types that at one time pumped water from a deep well or did other duty on farms and ranches around the country.
One of the participants made the observation, "There was chrome in the air!"
Friday was the kick off and if you were anywhere near the highway, you saw the beginning of the gathering. It was very easy to spot these colorful and eclectic vehicles as they made their way to Fortuna for the festivities. There were candy-apple reds and oranges; two-tones and metal-flake trimmed with flames; jet black and deep blues. Sunny yellow, mint green, even pink, were also included in these car lovers' masterpieces. After sign up and registration, the participants prepped for the big thrill of the night, The Cruise. The perfect weather, the Friendly City and the sheer number of cruisers made it one of the most memorable portions of the event. One of the participants made the observation, "There was chrome in the air!"
The cruise portion of these events is extremely important to the participants. It is one thing to have your shiny and expensive classic car sitting in a long row, as thousands of people ogle your machine; it's entirely another matter when you fire your dream car up and slowly lumber through town, occasionally revving your high octane engine, not only to the delight of the crowd, but to your fellow cruisers as well. The color and chrome are important, but the sound of unbridled horsepower captures the imagination of all within ear shot. A sock hop wound down the evening after the cruise.