The Lake Arrowhead Classic Car & Motorcycle Show at Lake Arrowhead, California – July 28, 2018.
Text and photos by Richard Bartholomew –
‘Hot Town Summer in the City’ as the song goes and it was hot outside the city on Saturday the 28th of July also. Up in the San Bernardino mountains approximately 80 miles east of Los Angeles my dashboard readout said it was 82 degrees (F) up by the lake AT DAWN as this reporter was driving into the city center of Lake Arrowhead California and it felt like it. Later a nice breeze crossed the lake occasionally to make it bearable but the city heatwave reaches the local mountains too I can tell you.
The cars are another story or you could say the same story: hot rods on a hot day. But there was a nice variety and the morning light made for some good pictures.
Camaros, Corvettes, traditional hot rods, mod hot rods and even a hot red mod Porsche 911 with in line seating and a GM Cadillac power plant behind the second seat. This Porsche and a very well done Black Willys were my personal favorites though so many of the cars were in extremely fine and I see a lot of cars at a lot of shows through the year.
The lake venue and the nice mix of very well done cars made the lack of Supercars and exotics palatable. Maybe there aren’t that many low and wide GT40s, Lamboghinis and Ferraris living up here amid the small mountain roads. Those animals do better on the wide flat open spaces in the open plains of the city.
The show is free and put on by the local Rotary Club and they were well organized. The show is a little different than most venues. Unlike most shows that are on golf courses or huge lots, even mansion parking lots, in this show the cars were strung out and around a good part of the shoreline at Arrowhead Village and amidst the local shops and a large bandstand that has live shows every weekend in the summer. Arrowhead knows how to party. The show also has a long history as one of the entrants told me he has been coming to this show for 14 years.
Enjoy the photos and see you next year, hopefully not during a heat wave.
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
Richard Bartholomew, artist and photographer, is based in Southern California.
More photos are in the two slide shows below.
I am looking for Richie Van de Water who I believe lives in the Lake Arrowhead area. I am involved in the restoration of 3 cars that he was associated with, perhaps in the 80’s? Just trying to connect the dots on the history of these cars. I most recently started an engine I believe he rebuild it sound great all 12 cylinders!