Big weekend for Southland car shows and events
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If you’re a car guy or gal, or just an enthusiastic wanna-be, your choices for automotive entertainment in the greater L.A. area this weekend are vast. There are major shows, including a huge custom and classic car gathering, an over-the-top alternative fuel show and a truly snobby collector’s concours. There’s even a special show for those who happen to be obsessed with the Wankel engine. So support your local car geeks and have a great weekend!
2008 AltCar Expo
Friday - Saturday
10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica
Free admission.
AltCar Expo will feature a prototype Chevrolet Volt, which recently made its debut in Detroit. Many other alternative-fuel cars from Honda and Ford will be featured along with hybrids; plug-in hybrid electric vehicles; hydrogen fuel cell cars; natural gas autos; scooters; electric motorcycles; bicycles and other vehicles powered by propane, biodiesel and ethanol. Several low-speed, freeway-capable vehicles will be available for public ‘ride-and-drives’ and immediate purchase. (Full disclosure: The L.A. Times is a sponsor of the event.)
26th Annual Newport Beach Concours d’Elegance
St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort, Dana Point
Saturday - Sunday
10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
General admission: $60, $50
On Saturday, auto enthusiasts can start the day with a private collection tour -- some collections previously on display include those of Jay Leno, Gen. William Lyon and four-time Le Mans winner Jim Busby. On Saturday night, a 1920s-themed event will take place at Signature Flight Services on the tarmac at John Wayne Airport. There will be dining, music, dancing and a live auction along with ‘20s-era automobiles and aircraft for viewing. On Sunday, at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, the Concours d’Elegance cars will be displayed. Proceeds benefit Hoag Hospital and Assessment and Treatment Services Center.
Costa Mesa 9th Annual Cruisin’ for a Cure
OC Fair & Expo Center,
Saturday
7 a.m. -5 p.m.
Adults - $12 (kids free)
Cruisin for a Cure is the world’s largest one-day charity custom/classic auto show with more than 3,400 vehicles on display, more than 200 vendors and exhibitors, and a 1.5-mile cruise route.
SevenStock -Southern California RX-Club
Mazda North America Corporate HQ Center
7755 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine
Saturday
9 a.m. -5 p.m.
This claims to be the World’s Largest Rotary Show, featuring more than 5,000 rotary enthusiasts from all over the world celebrating ‘the little motor that can.’
-- Joni Gray
Photo credits: AltCar Expo by Carlos Chavez, Los Angeles Times; Newport Beach Concours provided by Newport Beach Concours d’Elegance