SHOWTIME IN SOLVANG: DIVERSITY RULES!


Sixth Annual Wheels ‘N Windmills brings car guys together for fun and to raise money for local charities.




                                 Jerry Loriaux fires up the blown Chevy in his '23 Ford T-Bucket. Homebuilt rod weighs under-2,000 pounds!



Once a year the Danish village of Solvang, California, with its iconic windmills and traditional European shops, in scenic Santa Barbara County wine country hosts a diverse group of car guys. The Sixth Annual Wheel ‘N Windmills yesterday attracted more than 10,000 people who were treated to a truly diverse selection of hundreds of classics, customs, hot rods, sports cars and even some boats.



This year the show generated more than $10,000 in donations to local charities plus raffles were sold for a new GM Performance Parts 350 HO Deluxe Crate Engine. All proceeds from the raffle benefited the Santa Ynez High School Auto Shop. The legendary custom and hot rod builder, Sam Foose, whose son is Chip Foose, was this year’s Honorary Grand Marshall. Sam started building cars in the 1960s in Santa Barbara.






                                 Chrome-laden '52 Pontiac coupe attracted a lot of attention.



Wheels ‘N Windmills kicked off this year on Friday, the 27th when 70 cars, all registered for the show, participated in a Cruise and Poker Run through the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. It ended with a BBQ in Sunny Fields Park in Solvang.



                                 2005 Ford GT looks ready to pounce in the Ford section.



Our man in Santa Barbara, Jim Palam, (http://www.jimpalam.com/) shot the photos and supplied information about the Show.







Two replicas, right, at the Show: A cloned Porsche RS550 Spyder and a
windmill!








For more information about Solvang, CA, please visit http://www.solvangusa.com/



For more details about Wheels ‘N Windmills, please visit http://www.wheelsnwindmills.com/