If you love vintage cars and the car scene, then you’ll love their events and being part of the world’s largest association dedicated to rods, customs, muscle cars and classics.
Goodguys History
The Goodguys Rod & Custom Association can only be described as a classic American success story. Founded in 1983 by Gary and Marilyn Meadors of Alamo, California, Goodguys spun out of the Meadors’ unwavering passion for hot rods and classic cars. A builder of hot rods since his teenage years in California’s Central Valley, Gary began promoting hot rod shows as early as 1973 when he staged the first “Mini Nationals” in Lodi, California. For the following decade he dared to dream big and in 1983 caught lightning in a bottle. With a resurgent “street rod scene”, he and Marilyn held a “Goodguys Get-Together” one day event at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds. That first Get-Together attracted 400 cars of all years, makes and models setting the table for a 30-year run and a life nobody could have dreamed up.
The Goodguys West Coast Nationals followed in 1987. A whopping 2,124 vintage hot rods showed up for the first West Coast Nationals at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds but it was a stressful time for Meadors who’d largely promoted rod shows for other associations before stepping out entirely on his own that summer. Working with Marilyn and their two teen age sons out of their Alamo home, the family put all their resources and energy into shaping a national series of Goodguys auto shows to be kick-started by that first West Coast Nationals. Though they’d known him as a true hot rodder and promoter since the early 70s, industry insiders and rival promoters said he’d never make it. Doubt was starting to creep in. For the Meadors and the Goodguys Association, the story had a happy ending. Very happy in fact.