CADILLAC KINGS of the ROAD

There is always a lot to see at the Pomona Swap Meet, but in my opinion, never enough vintage Cadillacs. There is a group who shares that sentiment and will change that for us at the upcoming March 4^th meet.  They are the Cadillac Kings – Inland Empire Car Club and they will be attending as our Featured Car Club.  They are a group of individuals who share a common enthusiasm for Cadillacs from the 1940’s through the 1970’s and they will be showing off some beautiful examples ranging from daily drivers and Sunday cruisers to award winning show cars.  As with most car enthusiasts, there are always a few projects in the works as well.

The Cadillac Kings Car Club’s members have more than 60 vehicles in several chapters in California, which include their main chapter, Los Angeles, as well as San Diego, Inland Empire, San Jose, Orange County, Long Beach and Antelope Valley.

Cadillac Kings enjoying a day together

There is also a chapter in Albuquerque, NM, which may be making a road trip soon to attend the club’s next big event; Cadillac Kings Spring All Chapter BBQ/Meeting, which is hosted by the Inland Empire Chapter. The BBQ is held on Saturday, February 25 at Fairmont Park in Riverside, CA, where the club plans to hang out with the other chapters for some good food, fun stories and a great time.

Many of the club’s members are regulars at the Pomona Swap Meet and as a club also participate in the Route 66 show, Dr. George Memorial Car Show, Mooneyes Xmas Party Show and many others. The car shows give them the opportunity to talk and enjoy the company of other people who share their passion for these great “sleds” and at the same time, contribute to the charities that are the beneficiaries.

If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a member of the club you can meet them on the Main Aisle of the Vintage Show/Sale section on March 4^th or attend a club meeting held the 2^ndSunday of every month at Jersey’s Pizza, 985 Kendall Dr., San Bernadino, CA. The club members pride themselves on not having a lot of rules, but rather enjoying a club that is for the members, where everyone has a say in events, issues and meetings.

Cadillacs ready for a cruise

While enjoying your day at the March 4 Pomona Swap Meet, be sure to stop by and visit with this unique club and experience a display of one of the most stylistic, innovative and recognizable American automobile lines, the Cadillac.

Check the club out on YouTube at Cadillac King Inland Empire Chapter.

- Matt Zarzana

Cal Rod's Club at the January Pomona Swap Meet

FEATURED CAR CLUB – FOLLOW UP

Most people in high school do some pretty stupid stuff, so to create a positive legacy that’s still around six decades later is quite an accomplishment. But that’s something you can credit Don Scurti with. You see, Scurti and nine of his closest friends started the car club, Cal Rods, while they were attending Baldwin Park High in the 1950′s. Today, that same club has about 400 members and meets regularly at the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum in Pomona, CA, where members of the Club help keep a handle on things at the museum.

It started in 1954, when Scurti and his friends decided to start a club centered around something they loved – cars. In those days, he had a ‘46 Ford Coupe, while most of the guys had ‘32′s, ’40 Chevrolets and stuff like that. As an early fundraiser, the club organized a newspaper drive, which enabled them to start a treasury. One of their friends had a really deep lot which she volunteered to the club. After the success of the paper drive, the group constructed a 24’ X 40’ clubhouse on the lot. They also had a garage with a pit, which made working on their cars much easier. At the time, the club had a dragster, which they all worked on together.

Don Skurti and his 1955 Ford Pickup

The Cal Rods were rather ahead of their time by letting the girls from high school be part of the organization, giving them the name Cal Rodettes. (Scurti jokes that, since many of these same ladies are now over 60 years young they no longer want to be ‘ettes’). The facility was also used by the club to hold weekly dances, which led to more than a few of the members getting married. In fact, Scurti’s girlfriend of the time, has now been his wife for 52 years.

The club continued to succeed at their goals in those days and, in 1955, they were elected Club of the Country. Scurti and the president of the girls’ club graciously presented an $800 club check to the City of Hope. “That visit was heart breaking,” recalls Scurti, “…because it was mostly children in there.” That award led to an appearance on the Bob Crosby TV Show along with their student adviser, Officer Gordon Browning of the Los Angeles Police Department. Oh, and Browning is still a member of Cal Rods.

The club thrived for about ten years, but then fell apart after the original members went their own ways.

Club President Tom Flenniken

"Checkbook Charlie" and his New '71 Mustang he just traded

Don remained a fan of things that ran on gasoline, ultimately having his own auto parts store where he kept a lot of the memorabilia from those club days. In the late 1990′s, Vick Cunningham took his ’54 Ford to the Pleasanton car show and happened to have had “Cal Rods” sticker on the car. It turned out there were 20-25 Cal Rods guys there, who were in the club originally. Those guys got to talking and decided to try to regenerate the club.

After looking around, they found Don Scurti and, in the office of his auto parts store was plenty of memorabilia from Cal Rods. So much so, in fact, they were able to recreate all of their new items using the original items. “We meet at the NHRA museum, which isn’t a bad place to meet!” In fact, when Wally Parks wasn’t around, some of the members referred to the museum as the Cal Rods Clubhouse. Today, their meetings attract over 100 attendees and feature guest speakers and presentations. “It’s social, it’s not all cars, it’s a good time meeting your old friends – many of whom we went to high school with”,states Don. Cal Rods hosts an annual car show at Santa Anita Racetrack which raises money for charity – their biggest charitable recipient is the Wally Parks Museum, where they also help polish cars and such on Thursdays and help with things around the museum.

Jim Clark with a 1951 Plymouth

The club also runs a twilight cruise at the museum, on the first Wednesday of each month, which draws around 400 cars. While the show starts at 4:00p.m., cars begin arriving around 1:00p.m. for catching up on the latest happenings.

In the original days of Cal Rods, Scurti had a ’46 Ford coupe – today he drives a ’46 Ford Sedan. During high school, he recalls that these weren’t classics, they were just used cars. There was even a member who was able to buy a brand new 1955 Chevrolet in those days – that was something. Of course, over the course of one’s life, one’s perspective changes. That ’46 Ford that Don has today has things like a Super Cool air conditioner and that back seat is the perfect place to have a couple of friends along for a night on the town. When Don first opened his shop, guys would come in looking for points and condensers – today his ’54 Ford features a modular V8 that’s computer controlled. Still, the more things change, the more they remain the same. “I’ll be 75 at the end of August and people ask what I do – I hang around with the guys from high school,” boasts Scurti.

This article was written by Tony Barthel from the Curbside Auto Column and Car Show Calendar. For auto articles, news and an on-line calendar of automotive events, please visit www.curbside.tv.

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