We actually feel bad for the 90 million of you that are currently in freezing conditions, as we’re throwing a hoodie on and going to the first Donut Derelicts cruise in of 2018 still wearing flip flops. I know, we suck. But the good thing for those of you who can’t get your hot rods out and cruising is that we took a bunch of photos from this first Donuts of 2018 to share with you and they are all below. If you don’t know what Donut Derelicts is, then you need to make sure you add it to your list of must attend SoCal car culture things. Donut Derelicts is a low key neighborhood style cruise in event that fills up at the crack of dawn and then usually has cars parking across the street as well.
Think Cars and Coffee but this one started decades before some douchebag thought you had to put coffee in the title, and without the Lambo and McLaren Wang measuring contest.
Here is the story of how Donut Derelicts got started, directly from their website.
Do-nut/ der-e-licts, pn. Do’nut, Der,el’ icts. 1. Traditional, hearty individual,
bent on increasing horsepower, style, and a sense of independence through automotive expression” 2. An obsessive, compulsive for whom fast is never
fast enough, shiny is never shiny enough, and at the cost of all else; seeks
the ultimate fellowship with others who share the “addiction” for all that
is mechanical.
There are many tales of the who, what, where and when Donut Derelicts all got started on the famous corner of Magnolia & Adams in Surf City, Huntington Beach, California.
Adams Avenue Donuts has long been a community meeting place for old timers to gather and discuss the local politics, the list of chores their wives had waiting at home for them and other topics of nostalgia. Some of these beginning old timers were hot rod enthusiasts, Jim McCain, Ronnie Parrick, Ed & Harold, Mark Porter & Tom Witherby to name a few.
The guys would meet around 7ish each Saturday morning. Man, has that changed! They’d enjoy coffee and a donut and exchange pleasantries and opposing political views. In February, 1985, they decided to meet at the donut shop with their cars. They added “bench racing” and “sports” to their morning discussions, replacing some of the less important and more controversial topics.
After many Saturday morning gatherings, one by one, the local street rod owners started to join in. Before long, not only was the front row of the parking lot filled, but the back row and the remainder of the lot began to fill. The whole thing started to gain momentum. A phone list was started by Jim McCain that had 90 plus names and a heading dubbed “Donut Derelicts” . That list is still in existence and proudly so is the name..
The word was out! Every street rod, hot rod, classic and specialty creation from the South Bay to Laguna and parts unknown had heard about the self proclaimed “Donut Derelicts”. People come each Saturday to marvel at the beautiful creations of those who have spent thousands of hours, gallons of wax, and tons of money for a hobby that keeps enthusiasts out of trouble, cash and honey-dos.
I didn’t get to this show enough. Waking up at 5 am to drive down to Huntington Beach was well worth it even though I am not the slightest bit of a morning person.
I do miss those mornings I did make it to the show, meeting up with Chad and Bill Fowler.
Don’t feel bad for us, we don’t live in Commiefornia so snow and cold are small prices to pay for lack of regulations.
Good old beach fog in the background. Thanks for taking all the photos. next best thing to being there. I wonder what the story is on that custom Ford pickup? It looked like something you’d make out of a model car, but full size. It would get my vote for strangest of the event.