By Teresa Mariani

2001 Central Coast Car Show Schedule 1st Annual Cars by the Bay Avila Beach April 14 & 15 San Luis Bay Inn & Resort 16th Annual Fun in the Sun Car Show Pismo Beach June 16-18 Downtown Pismo Beach & Pier area 3rd Annual Wheels of SLO San Luis Obispo August 25 & 26 Downtown Higuera Street, Mission Plaza area Car show hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays Details: 805-481-1804

Take 800 cool cars, 35,000 people and add one beach town, and what have you got? The annual Fun in the Sun Car Show in Pismo Beach.

Started in 1985, the show now draws entries and visitors from all over the western United States - including Hawaii. Participants show up with classic, custom and hot rod autos for a weekend outing in Pismo Beach.

The show draws everything from Model-T's to 1930s roadsters to 1940s Chevys and Fords to 1950s T-Birds to 1960s Mustangs and even brand new Corvettes - and even a few classic British sport scars.

"The show is mostly American cars, but we're open to pretty much everyone," says Event Coordinator Joe Rivera. Most entries span the decades of the '40s and '50s. The Pismo car show offers 40 classes for entries, and judging and prizes in all classes. "But the emphasis here is definitely on fun," not cutthroat competition, Rivera stresses.

In addition to souped-up hot-rods and classic cars polished and buffed to a sparkling shine, the show almost always draws a few unusual autos, too.

"We have a couple of guys from Southern California who bring some old CHP patrol cars. And one guy brings Jackie Gleason's limo. Then there's a guy with a VW van chopped in half - it's a real 'mini' van," Rivera says.

Held every year in June, the event kicks off with registration and a "Fun Run" drive around the streets of Pismo Beach. "We publicize the route, so people can turn out on the sidewalks and watch the cars go by," Rivera says.

The scene on the streets of Pismo Beach during the Fun in the Sun car show.

The car show itself runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the following Saturday, with cars parked on the streets of Pismo Beach downtown next to the Pier: Price, Pomeroy, and the Pier Avenue Parking Lot. Judging is Saturday; cars are also on display the following Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For the past five years, the summer car show has been drawing easily 35,000 people during the course of the two-day event, Rivera says. It's a long way from the first Fun in the Sun car show held in Pismo Beach in 1985, which drew a few cars and a couple hundred spectators.

But the show has blossomed into a summer favorite, both for locals and tourists. And it's still a real family affair. Watch the crowd and you'll see plenty of dads and kids - and moms and kids - admiring the cars. Maybe that's because the show is a family event to Rivera. His parents, Rocky and Glo Rivera, were the ones who started the annual event in 1985 and organized it every year for a decade. Joe Rivera took over six years ago.

Now, with the Pismo Beach Fun in the Sun show booming, Rivera has now added car shows in San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach.

The Wheels of SLO car show is held in August in downtown San Luis Obispo; it started in 1998. It's a smaller show, drawing about 10,000 people, Rivera said.

"We had about 200 cars, and that's what we will probably continue to have. San Luis Obispo is a very nice show. It's a smaller show, and the people who go there tend to like it that way," Rivera explains.

In 2001, Rivera will launch the Cars by the Bay auto show in Avila Beach. The event will be held in April on the Avila Beach Resort and Golf Course, overlooking San Luis Bay and the sunny cove of Avila Beach. The April event will also be a family friendly show, with food, drink and craft booths and a small carnival area for the kids.

Rivera expects each car show to develop its own personality and following - just like the Fun in the Sun show in Pismo Beach. And he expects all three to thrive. Apparently, you can't have too many classic car shows near the beach.

"The car show scene has really taken off in the past five years," he says. Why? Maybe an increasing appreciation - or longing - for all things retro. "I think people kind of like seeing the martini come back. And swing dance come back. And look at the P.T. Cruiser. I think you'll definitely see a lot more cars like that coming out."

In the meantime, you can always check out the originals during the summer in Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, and San Luis Obispo.

Click Here to find out about booking a hotel room during one of the auto shows.

Click Here to go to the auto show website and get an entry form.

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Writer Teresa Mariani lives on the Central Coast and doesn't mind mini-vans.