April 5, 2024

SPOKANE SPEED AND CUSTOM SHOW RETURNS APRIL 12-14

SPOKANE — The ninth edition of the Spokane Speed and Custom Show rolls into the Fair and Expo Center April 12-14 with some pretty mighty credentials.

Promoter and founder Brian Anderson is proud to proclaim that the 2024 event, founded in 2017, will pack over 400 entries into multiple buildings.

“(It’s the) biggest all indoor custom car show ever in Spokane, and biggest all indoor car show in Washington state,” Anderson wrote in a text message.

Entries will come from California, Utah, Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alberta and British Columbia. “We even have one from as far away as Florida,” Anderson said.

Of special interest to fans might be the following:

Everything Air Cooled, one room full of VWs of every sort and maybe even some surprise Corvairs?

Kustoms with a K, let’s think… Winfield, Barris, Hines…chopped-channeled and sectioned traditional Kustoms of the 50-60s.

Pro Street-Street Freaks, big tires, big motors, 70s straight axle big tire street cars to the 80s-90’s Pro Street stuff with some modern big tire entries mixed in. Lots of horsepower in one area.

And the Car Club Display Challenge! Get your club involved and set up a fun themed display of your own and compete with other clubs for the Best Club Display Award. (Availability is limited.)

Oh…NitroFest!!! Ya’ we will have a few cars burning some race fuel, alcohol and nitromethane for you to see, feel and smell both Friday and Saturday. It’s an experience!

Headlining the lineup of celebrity guests is Erik Estrada from the 70s TV show CHiPs. Estrada will make appearances all three days and be joined by American Graffiti Candy Clark “Debbie,” Charlie Martin Smith “Toad “ and John D’Agostino of Celebrity Kustoms.

This show fills the void left when the Spokane Auto Boat Speed Show closed in 2012. Formed by custom car and racing icons, Orville Moe and Don Wilbur in 1963, “The Spring Spectacular” as it was nicknamed ran for 49 years and jammed the fairgrounds with cars and fans for up to four days.

Moe passed away in 2015 and Wilbur in the fall of 2016.

Anderson is more than just the front-man to the Speed and Custom Show.

His father, Glenn, was a longtime judge at the former show, and Anderson himself followed in dad’s footsteps. “I grew up in town and my dad’s a long-time car guy and well connected with hot rods and that kind of stuff,” Anderson said. Glenn Anderson judged all but the final two shows.

Anderson said he began hanging out and judging the old Auto Boat Speed Show in about 1986.

“By ’88 I was a full-fledged ISCA judge on my own,” Anderson said, referencing the International Show Car Association that officiates car shows across the globe.

When the Spokane show dissolved there was a hole left in the car community, Anderson said prior to the inaugural event. “I think they are ready for it to come back,” he said at the time of the first show.

Like most new ventures there were plenty of growing pains including having a promoter partnership dissolve just as the first show was coming together.

“Before the first of the year I’m the last man standing with this thing,” Anderson said.

Anderson said he “Had been jumping up and down waving a flag for six months about a car show and I wasn’t ready to quit.”

Not long into his run, like everyone else, COVID intervened and cancelled a pair of shows. But it has continued to prosper and grow from the initial 150 entries.

“About any genre of car you can imagine,” Anderson said will be included in the show.

Admission: Pre-sale tickets are $12 each and skip the line. General admission at the show is $15.

Pre-sale tickets are available while they last at ANY area Motion Auto Supply locations and can also be purchased via ANY Federated Auto Parts store. Also limited Pre Sale tickets available the three Spokane Northside ACE Hardware stores!

Visit spokanespeedandcustomshow.com or on Facebook for further information.

Kevin Moore’s a 1961 Chevy Impala with 750hp LS comes to Spokane from California. Speed and Custom Show photo.

REGIONAL EVENTS

Sat. & Sun., April 6-7
55th annual apple Cup
Tri-city Raceway