By John Thomas . Pictures by gmhTODAY , Carl Swank , SVSR , and David Ferry

can vividly remember as a teenager , in the early 1970s , sitting

Rather than paying attention to the problem he had chalked on the board , I was soaking in the pictures and words of a new issue of Hot Rod magazine that one of my more fortunate classmates had brought to school . I was the 2nd oldest of seven kids and we didn ’ t have money for luxuries like magazine subscriptions . I ’ m not sure what triggered my interest in cars , but ever since I can remember I ’ ve enjoyed looking at them , reading about them , and talking with others about them .

I ’ d discovered the Henry Gregor Felson books in our school library and devoured every title that I could find . I spent the long school bus ride home reading whatever was my latest discovery . My imagination would kick in and I ’ d “ Walter Mitty ” myself behind the wheel of one of these beautiful machines , touring down the main street of my hometown with straight pipes crackling .

At the time , I was living in a small town in upstate NY ( 5- 1 / 2 hours west of NYC ) and I used to wonder if I ’ d ever get a chance to visit California and attend one of these events . California seemed to be the center of automotive amazingness in my readings . Fast forward quite a few years and I find myself living smack in the middle of the best area in the country for car enthusiasts .

When I was asked by Mike & Debbi Sanchez to write something about cars for this issue of gmhTODAY magazine , I enthusiastically agreed . We chatted a bit and came up with the idea of writing about the history of the Garlic City Car Show . I thought it ’ d be fun to find out the “ who , what , when and where ” of the car show ’ s origins .

I met with some local custom car shop owners I knew of , and connected with a few others after talking with folks at a few local car get-togethers this spring and early summer . The common thread is that all these shops have built , or worked on , cars that have been shown in past Garlic City Car Shows . I met with Dave Grimsley ( www . grimsleyclassics . com ), Mike Ledford ( BMK Customs ), Jose Garcia ( 101Classiccars ), and Arnie Tellez ( Gilroy Autoworks ). In speaking with these car pros , I learned a lot about their shops and about the many other custom car shops in our area . I was also able to meet with Carl Swank — the first person I came across who was involved in the very first Garlic City Car Show .

S , Rick P , Gene G , Richard B , Calvin A , Mike M , Danny D , Ed D , Rick C , Mike B , and others ) was formed in 2000 , with Carl as president . The club also hosted Rod Runs - road trips where club members would get together as a group and drive their cars to other destinations , sometimes for an overnighter . They enjoyed the camaraderie , their cars , and the fun they had on these trips .

A few months after South Valley Street Rods ( SVSR ) was formed , the idea of hosting the club ’ s own car show started to percolate , with the original thought being to host the show at Gilroy ’ s Christmas Hill Park . Unable to lock down a schedule with the Parks & Recreation department , Steve Ashford ( Ashford Heirlooms ) and Dave Peoples ( Nimble Thimble ) of the Gilroy Downtown Business Association suggested trying something in downtown Gilroy .

I met with Carl and we dug into his memories of that first event . He was the owner of Gilroy Tire & Brake and had many friends who enjoyed getting together at his shop to talk cars . Carl and his friends decided to start a car club that would allow them to get together on a regular basis . South Valley Street Rods ( Carl

66 SUMMER 2023 gmhTODAY Magazine : Go . Make history ... gmhtoday . com