The Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo is a classic car show on Main Street Fortuna that’s been happening annually for over 30 years.
“We’re out here in Fortuna,” James Surber, the owner of a 1932 Ford, said. “I brought our ’32 Ford and hoping for a win, but the competition is stiff out here. There are a lot of cars.”
The expo featured hundreds of unique and beautiful cars.
“It’s an all steel real 32 Ford and powered by a GM crate, motor and custom exhaust and disc brakes and air conditioning and overdrive,” Surber said. “That was a must for the wife. We’re like traveling around now. We’ve got a couple of other cars that are not so long distance friendly. So this is our this is our new long hauler car.”]
“The car is a 1958 Chevy Impala. I believe they made about 60,000 of them,” Dennis DeCarli, the owner of a 1958 Chevy Impala, said. “This is one of the more popular models. Everybody kind of goes after this type because it’s got a lot of stainless steel.”
Each car had a story to tell.
“I bought the car in May of 1967,” Henry Corwin, the owner of a 1967 Ford Mustang, said. “The year my son was born. So we’ve kept it in the family. [My son] used it for a few years. And then I got it back and I’ve been working on getting restoring it for the last five years, and it’s all original except the paint. Just had it painted by Preston O’Dell here in Fortuna. I’ve restored all the underneath. Our family just really enjoys it. My son and daughter drove it to high school and love showing it and showing it off to people.”
The car show had a turnout of 300 cars.
“It’s kind of a popular car for people to look at,” DeCarli said. “A lot of them can relate. A lot of them had them when they were growing up. People that are my age that can relate to this type of particular car. And this is a great car show here. And we get a big turnout. And I’ve been coming here for the last 20 years, and it’s neat to see other people that can relate to us or have cars just like this. It’s a great, great day and hopefully the sun will come out.”
“Watching everybody look at the cars [is my favorite],” Marilyn Strehl, Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo Committee treasurer, said. “People put so much work into restoring, or have the car in their family their whole lives. And it’s just really great to see the stories they have.”
There are so many awesome cars to show, there’s even an overflow lot. Awards for the AutoXpo will be given out Sunday at nine a.m. at Rohner Park in Fortuna.
