Hot August Nights '09

Swallows fly back to Capistrano every spring. Salmon swim upstream to the same spawning grounds. But where do cool cars and trucks go every summer? Well, for more than two decades, they’ve been flocking to Reno’s Hot August Nights.


The numbers tell the story: a 10-day event with 5500 cars, 800,000 visitors, and some $350 million impact to the local economy. And the most important stat of all—smiles for miles from all who rolled into “The Biggest Little City in the World” for a truly world-class car event.


To simply call it a “show” hardly does it justice, since the entire city becomes one humongous collection of vehicles of all makes and models, from rods to classics to musclecars to krazy kustoms. There’s only one requirement to be a participant: age. Pre-’72 models are the main attraction, although almost anything is fair game if you just want to hang out at all the parties.


Now in its 23rd year, Hot August Nights has been rated as America’s #1 Outdoor Event, drawing spectacular vehicles from all over the country. Registration sold out for 2009, and there’s a waiting list of more than 2,000 cars. What’s the attraction? Visitors echo a familiar refrain: “Just keep on giving us the good ol’ days where we can all escape the current craziness and return to some of the happiest times in our history.” And through the magic of Hot August Nights they were able to recapture those wonderful days and times.


“It’s a not a car show, but a car culture event,” noted one long-time attendee. Besides the spectacular scenery, both the mechanical type and in the surrounding Sierras, there’s the amazing diversity of venues, since every major resort casino in town offers a place to kick it while showing off your set of wheels and enjoying the free concerts from big-name acts. And if you didn’t drop all your dough at the casinos, you could find a classic car and parts to call your own at the Reno Swap Meet and Cool Car Showroom, the Big Boy Toy Store and the Silver Auction.


Sorting through all the sensational and sizzling rods is no simple task. The strategy was simple: just shoot on sight anything with a hot engine, stylish rims, and gorgeous paint that looked like a winner. And so off we went through Reno. Our winners don’t necessarily coincide with the trophy winners, but we threw in a few extra categories just for good measure.


Know that many of these awesome street machines were caught on the fly, so we couldn’t always grab a lot of details from the owners. And not everyone will agree with our choices. In response we have a suggestion: Roll into Reno next August and let us know those you’d add to our list. We know we’ll agree on one thing—you’ll have a great time while you’re there. (www.hotaugustnights.net)

Top Corvette

Bill Verboon’s rare ’63 Split-Window Corvette has way more than a two-tone paint job of Millenium Yellow and Neon Blasberry from Goldtop Restorations. Underneath the hood is a 405hp Z06, fully dressed by Street & Performance. As for underpinnings, they include ’96 Corvette components, plus a rear end from Paul Newman Car Creations, which required widening the body 2.5 inches to make room for 18-inch tires.