DEL MAR, CALIFORNIA!
– San Diego’s premier event for full a variety of display cars
– Fun in the Southern California sunshine
– No shortage of high-quality Mopar® vehicles of all eras
Southern California’s Del Mar Fairgrounds puts on a fantastic three-day “Goodguys Del Mar Nationals” event and the pictured 23rd annual gathering was the best ever, as some 2,000+ entries were on display. Located right near the Pacific Ocean in the scenic town of Del Mar, this is a fabulous location for a car show, especially for folks visiting from outside of the area who want to be around some spectacular views. Everything from V10 Vipers to vintage Chrysler “Woodie” vehicles, with Mopar muscle sprinkled in-between! This venue is where the horse races take place and with that said, the San Diego-based car event is the place to be each April – sunshine and palm trees with no lack of horsepower!
(PLUM) CRAZY ’CUDA!
This owner-built 1970 Plymouth Barracuda started out in life as a 318 car and in recent times it has been completely “resto-modded” front to rear, including the fitting of a GEN III 600-hp HEMI® engine displacing 426 cubes! 18/19-inch rollers and of course a coat of custom-blended purple, just like the good ol’ days of the original “High Impact” colors. Super detailed! Owner Ned Jackson with the personalized California plate…
WOOD IS GOOD
This flawless ’48 Chrysler Town & Country convertible joined in the Del Mar fun, the woodwork on this classic is truly impeccable!
SHAG WAGON DODGE VAN
Shag carpeting is but one of the custom features with this 1972 Dodge short-wheelbase van, it’s got the whole “Custom Tiki” theme going on inside and out! Norm Schmidt from nearby El Cajon built it and it’s a fun reminder of just how wild the custom van scene was back in the 1970s. Power from an EFI 318 backed up with the trusty 727 TorqueFlite® transmission.
A slightly less “bling” van and more of a functional camper style, this long-wheelbase version one from Joel Hendrickson and pristine factory condition in all its two-tone glory!
MODEL-BUILDING: START ‘EM YOUNG!
Thanks to the San Diego Model Car Club, and working in concert with Autoworld, a number of 1969 Dodge Charger R/T 1/25th scale plastic kits were given out to kids for building, a great way to encourage interest in cars! The club had members on hand building cars and overall it was a great way to see the talents involved in building highly detailed model cars.
EARLY MOPAR IRON FROM THE 1950s
Major league variety of ’50s Mopar vehicles spotted in Del Mar: 1953 Plymouth 2-door wagon with DeSoto Firedome HEMI engine power, ’55 Plymouth Savoy Club Sedan, 1956 Dodge Custom Royal 4-door, ’56 DeSoto Adventurer with 341 HEMI engine power, and a radical 1959 300E Letter Car with 1,000-hp SRT® Hellcat HEMI engine power!
CLASSIC DART WAGON MADE THE SCENE!
The Sanchez family from Bakersfield drove down with their 1964 Dodge Dart wagon, 273 small block LA V8 power and stock 13-inch diameter wheels…fun cruiser!
A-B-C BODY CARS FROM THE SIXTIES
No matter what your tastes were for Mopar vehicles from the sixties, there was something that would appeal to Chrysler product enthusiasts at Goodguys Del Mar! Barracudas, Coronets, GTXs, Chargers, Town & Country wagons, plus Road Runners and Chargers … and this was just a portion of what showed up.
’70s MUSCLE!
There was ample supply of examples of 1970s Mopar Muscle with these two “440+6” Plymouth models standing out of the crowd: “FY1” Lemon Twist Yellow Road Runner, “FJ5” Limelight ’Cuda, it was almost like being at a Chrysler/Plymouth dealership in 1970!
NITRO FIRE-UPS THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND
A long-standing tradition at the event is the “Nitro Fire-Ups” of early front-engined dragsters where the large loads of nitromethane and the back-in-the-day tune-ups (with camshaft overlap) provide the sounds of the drag strips of yesterday! Both 354-cid (shown here) and 392-cid GEN I HEMI dragster engines entertained the crowds.
Walking the show, I saw some late-model GEN III HEMI engine-powered production car involvement as well as the normal assortment of Mopar merchandise available for event souvenirs. This well-attended Meguiar’s Del Mar Nationals is always well-stocked with high-quality vehicles, including this 2024 running where there was plenty of Dodge, Plymouth, DeSoto and Chrysler brand rides scattered throughout the huge facility. It’s a “must-see” event for California car enthusiasts!
Author: James Maxwell
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