Air it Out – The 30th Vintage Air Tour Rolls to the Goodguys Heartland Nationals
One thing we’ll always get a kick out of is seeing classic cars on the road! We saw plenty of enthusiasts hit the road this past summer, ourselves included, as we heeded the advice of Goodguys founder Gary Meadors – “ya gotta drive ’em”! And while solo road trips are cool, most of us can agree that there’s nothing quite like the experience of cruising down the highway with a few – or a few dozen – of your friends and fellow rodders in a parade of cool vintage cars and trucks. The Vintage Air Road Tour is one such example!
The folks at Vintage Air hosted their first road trip back in 1993 and have selected a different route and event destination every year since. During that time the tour has only taken one year off due to Covid, which made this year the 30th edition of this long-running road trip. To mark this milestone, this year’s tour, coordinated and led by our friend and Vintage Air’s president, Rick Love, traveled to one of the biggest hot rod summer parties in the country – the Goodguys 33rd Speedway Motors Heartland Nationals in Des Moines, Iowa.
More than 75 registered vehicles gathered at Vintage Air’s headquarters on Sunday, June 30, to begin their journey to Iowa. The routed covered five states and 1,300 miles over five days, with an itinerary that incorporated many cool stops along the way. This included the Speeding Springs Speed Shop, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Kicker Audio, the Kansas Aviation Museum, The Garage Museum, the Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed, CAL Auto Creations, Quasar Drive-In, and Dennis Albaugh’s private collection in Iowa.
Rick tells us this year’s tour was one of the best ever, with great stops and good weather throughout the journey. There were a few mechanical issues along the way, but that’s not unusual for vintage car trips and most were quickly remedied with the help of fellow rodders – another good byproduct of traveling in groups.
Goodguys has always celebrated the idea of getting your hot rod, custom, muscle car, or classic out on the road and enjoying it, so we thought it made sense to share some of the fun our fellow enthusiasts had on this year’s Vintage Air Road Tour. Who knows, maybe it will inspire a few of you to join – or plan – a tour of your own.
Be sure to check with Vintage Air for info on their 2025 Tour – or look around for a road tour close to you!
