For Barry Meguiar, car shows are more than just looking at pretty cars.
“It’s a way to unite people of all backgrounds,” said Meguiar, president of Irvine-based Meguiar’s Car Care Products.
The enthusiastic 70-year-old continued his role as car show ambassador this year, greeting roughly 2,000 car enthusiasts from across Southern California on Sunday at the annual Coastline Car Classic at Corona del Mar State Beach.
This is the 10th year the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce hosted the event; portions of the proceeds benefit the Irvine-based Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.
Last year, the chamber donated about $10,000 to the cause, said chamber president Linda Leonhard.
Leonhard said she hopes to donate just as much this year.
“This is a really great event for a good cause,” said Jeri Wilson, executive director at the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation. “Thirty to 40 years ago, a child diagnosed with cancer had a 40 percent chance of surviving. Today, they have an 80 percent survival rate. And it’s because of events like this. Every dollar and contribution counts.”
This year, attendees were able to touch and see up-close 135 classic and custom cars, such as a 1928 Packard, a 1958 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, a 1956 Ford F-100 pickup, and a 1943 Ford GPA, which was used during World War II for amphibious landings and field services.
For some in attendance, the car show brings back memories.
When Dr. Pat Parsons of Newport Beach turned 30 in 1973, she purchased a 1969 Porsche 912 Targa.
“I remember driving from here to Yucaipa everyday, about 160 miles a day when there was no traffic,” Parsons said. She said her green 912 Targa, on display at the show, has about 410,000 miles.
Don Warner, 89, came from Santa Barbara. He said he looks at the Packards and remembers seeing the classic cars growing up in Los Angeles in the 1930s.
“Most of those cars are from my era,” Warner said.
Meguiar, who is a fixture at car shows across the nation, comes from a lineage of car lovers. His grandfather founded the company in 1901. Meguiar said when he attends these car shows, he tends not to focus on the cars; rather, he enjoys the people.
“This is a global community,” Meguiar said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor or how much money you make. Everyone here is passionate about cars. To me, this is heaven on earth.”
Contact the writer: 714-796-7977 or jpimentel@ocregister.com
