By John Gilbert – Images by the Author
Produced by Rod Shows, the 2025 O’Reilly Auto Parts Sacramento Autorama, now in its 74th year, serves as the series finale for the ARP West Coast Challenge, which began in Pomona, California, at the “Grand Daddy of Them All,” the Grand National Roadster Show. The West Coast is host to several custom car shows that trace their roots to the early postwar years and have featured every kind of customized vehicle since their beginning. Our focus here is on ’47-and-up classic trucks and the style of classic truck tended to vary depending on which Cal Expo building or outside area we found them.
On Saturday and Sunday at the Autorama Drive-In we chose two each day for Classic Truck Performance magazine’s Editor’s Picks and then moved indoor to the Butch Gardener Club House. The club house started as a memorial to the longtime member of the Thunderbolts Car Club and major player in Sacramento’s car culture. The clubhouse is an enormous building with a nostalgic country fair aroma where folks gathered to represent their club by showing off their members best rides. Next stop we found a few postwar trucks in the Traditional Rod & Custom Showcase that was filled with mild custom prewar trucks and cars.
The main event is held in the feature building where Jimmy Hervatin’s 1951 Ford F-1, inspired by a Keith Weesner illustration, was crowned 2025’s Custom D’Elegance winner. It was a great show and we hope to be back in 2026 to help celebrate the 75th Annual Sacramento Autorama.
