July 27, 2023

Hot Rods on the Tarmac – Hot Rods Meet Old Planes at the Lyon Air Museum

Hot rodders often treat it as hallowed ground. The piece of land known as John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California played host to what many consider the world’s first organized dragstrip. It all happened in 1950, when a group of gearheads led by C.J. “Pappy” Hart approached the county to transform an unused stretch of asphalt running alongside the airport’s landing strip. The event was very successful and the track itself, Santa Ana Drag Strip, operated until 1959.

History buffs might also be familiar with the Lyon Air Museum, located just a stone’s throw away from the old quarter-mile section, now overlaid with modern runways. Founded by Major General William Lyon, this world-class institution showcases restored aircrafts, mostly conceived to help the WWII effort. Several related vintage automobiles complement the display, including Jeeps and a 6-wheel Mercedes-Benz Touring Wagon delivered to Adolf Hitler.

The museum also currently holds a special, most appropriate exhibit centered around the early days of drag racing: Santa Ana Drags and Beyond – America’s First Official Drag Strip. This exceptional event (running July 1 through September 4, 2023) curated by Old Crow Speed Shop’s Bobby Green includes a dozen historical drag cars that have marked the motorsport’s history. Among them, a replica of Dick Kraft’s stripped-down 1927 Model T, which recorded a top speed of 113mph in Santa Ana during the early ’50s.

The Lyon Air Museum isn’t new to such stellar exhibits, as it hosted another happening called War Surplus on Wheels, a year ago. It gathered racing vehicles of another kind – belly tanks that competed at the lakes. This showing was paired with a one-day event in late July 2022, the 1st Hot Rods on the Tarmac. It proved a huge hit with the 120 pre-registered hot rod and custom car owners.

A year later, the museum pulled out all the stops for their 2nd Hot Rods on the Tarmac, though they extended the invitation to 150 vehicles. The format remained the same, with strict guidelines: “Roadsters, Coupes, Pick Ups and Kustoms that resemble what early hot rodders were running on the dry lakes or dragstrips, or cruising to the Drive-In theaters in period” – the said period being the 1940s to early ’50s. Due to space limitation, a committee handled the selection of the rods and customs eligible to participate.

The public came in masse to this fantastic get-together, enjoying cars as much as planes, such as a 1945 Douglas A-26 ground-attack aircraft parked outside, in the middle of the showgrounds. Without a doubt, the late Pappy Hart and the original Santa Ana Drags racers would have been proud of this exhibit.