The vintage bikes and cars started filtering in on Friday night and into early Saturday morning. I could hear car engines roaring and bikes being kicked over before I was even out of bed. There’s something so perfect about vintage cars in front of palm trees and old motorcycles parked around sparkling swimming pools. The contrast of Paradise Road Show hosted at the hip, tropical venue of the Ace hotel in Palm Springs is perfect.
Saturday, January 20th was the launch of the second year of the event. Hosted by LA photographer, Adri Law, the Women’s Moto Exhibit founder, Lanakila MacNaughton and Cycle Zombies team member, Chase Stopnik – The event is a little mix of their personalities. Adri brings her vintage style and old taste in music to play by designing the layout of the event and curating the vibe through the events social media @paradiseroadshow. Lanakila is a business boss, bringing brands in from all over the country to vend which include vintage vendors from around the country, embroidery masters, photo booths and all the motorcycle brands we know and love and Chase collaborates with his friends and community to bring together the best choppers, old bikes and cars that pre-date 1970.
The day consists of drinking pink (vodka infused) lemonade, walking around taking photos of the cars and bikes, watching the pie eating contest, getting tattooed, and voting for your favourite vehicles in the show.
The motorcycles lined the open-air halls of the Ace Hotel. There were over 30 bikes, all with engines twice as old as I am. Most are custom choppers but some are perfectly stock.
The cars and hot rods are lined up on a closed off street beside the hotel. They’re parked side-by-side across from a vendor area of vintage booths that line the entire West side of the street. There’s more old stuff in that block than you could ever wrap your mind around.
The “Best in Show” car was Fabian Fiotos 1962 Cadillac. Although most of our crew are chopper kids who are pretty clueless when it comes to cars and hot rods, they were pretty hard to miss and added a really cool dynamic to a show that was primarily motorcycle based. If you love old anything, you’ll love Paradise Road Show.
The “Best in Show” bike went to Ryan Cox and his teal 1939 Harley UH Flathead Chopper. Paradise Road Show is the first show that Ryan has showcased his build. With it parked right at the gates of the show, it was hard to miss.
I was asked to host the official Paradise Road Show after party, so that happened. The Saturday night was a trip. It looked like a scene out of an old biker movie. Bikes lined up outside the one-story hotel bar, people were smoking around the pool, ladies were floating in the hot tub, old music and couples dancing went late into the night… it was a perfect ending to a very cool day.
The Paradise Road Show is an annual event that happens every January at the Ace in Palm Springs. Submissions for pre-1970’s cars and bikes are open to the public several months in advance. Even if you aren’t involved in the show, it’s an easy one to attend. Everything is very chill, there is lots to see and do and it’s a two day event so it’s worth the trip. Hope to see you around the pool next year! Becky.
For more information on the show visit:
www.paradiseroadshow.com
Instagram: @ParadiseRoadShow
Author: Becky Goebel
Instagram: @actuallyitsaxel
Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys® Instagram: @russbrownmotorcycleattorneys
