Thursday ‘Car Night’ comes to an end…

Thursday ‘Car Night’ has been an institution in the greater Los Angles area of SoCal for about 30 years. It’s something I looked forward to for about 20 of those. It was a great after work break in the work week… every week, week after week. I have posted pics of some of the ‘Nights’ here on this board.

‘Car Night’ started about 30 years a go by Creighton (Craig) Turner of South Pasadena as a place for like minded English car enthusiasts to work on their cars at his house and maybe have a glass of wine. Through the years it evolved into a night of no work and many glasses of wine drank at different (or annually reoccurring) places every Thursday. Peoples homes, shops, collections, garages, and backyards……. All auto oriented.

A couple of months ago we visited Gary Wells home to share his very eclectic Bentley collection and restorations, and it turns out that someone in the group took/stole a very rare and loved locomotive/steam engine book right out of his lovely home………….. Unbelievable....... :eek: :mad:

Tina and Chuck Forward, proprietors of Auto Books/Aero Books, and organizers of ‘Car Night,’ sent a email stating other hosts have now come forward and reviled some of the same behavior but did not complain……..

Chuck and Tina said they couldn’t, in good faith, ask anyone else to host Thursday ‘Car Night’

Because of a few bad apples so ends a 30 year SoCal 'Car Guy' institution ………… It will be sorely missed....... :(


I will post a few pics of past ‘Car Nights’ when I have a chance…….

Chuck

.............. some past Thursdays

Hi Chuck . . . Yes I saw the notice just this past week and was disturbed that a great event like this has been lost. I never had the chance to attend a Car Night, but I was looking forward to joining the Thursday night gathering at some point. This is a terrible lost to the Car Culture Community in SoCal.

Terrible news... :(

Sorry for the loss, Chuck. I know it meant a lot to you.

Things like that suck big time and are horrible for our beloved hobby. Especially when enthusiasts are impacted and long-standing supporters (i.e. Tina and Chuck) do not see any other solution than pulling th plug.

We have had similar stories in the Alfa circles on the alfabb bulletin board and, frankly, these occurences piss me off. It is understandable that we do not want to open our houses and garages and share our passion if there are a few idiots with selfish motives on a repeated basis.

Very sad.

Thank's to Chuck's introduction, I have been very fortunate to participate and enjoy these gatherings here in the Los Angeles area the last several years...I have been able to see and interact with many interesting people, places and cars I as a youngster only had previously read about in my car books and magazines back home in Sweden...this is a violation to the "holy grail" of SoCal's car culture( because this is where it all happened!) and a "slap in the face" to all the people who has litterally let us wander into their homes and collections...I remember my first encounter to this willingness to share at my visit to the "Dunkel Bro's" open house in O.C many years ago...I was pleasantly astonished how open and trusting the Dunkel Family was with all their cars, old memento's, photographs and other personal items lined up on the glass counters for everyone to enjoy...I am so sorry to learn about this latest lack of respect and want to thank everyone who has let us enjoy their memories and experiences in the past...It has been very, very much appreciated...

P.S...I wish this is a terrible missunderstanding and that the "Lokomotive Book" and other such items will suface and that "the world" will be OK again.../ Lars...

This is such terrible and sad news. I only went to two or three of these gatherings - despite many invitations from Chuck - but each one that I did manage to attend was a WONDERFUL experience that I relish to this day.

The bad apples should be cored...

:( too bad, I attended many of these in the past 20 years including Don Ricardo's 91st birthday
at his estate, a most memorable event featuring great food, live music and a spectacular collection
of some of the finest automobiles and memorabilia in the world.