Grafitti classic car show
Saturday, june 7, 2026
The Grafitti Classic Car Show 2026 at McHenry Village in Modesto is really the kickoff for the whole 'Grafitti Summer' celebration that takes place every year. The show, and the entire Summer schedule of events honors the 1973 Movie "American Grafitti" and the Central Valley car culture as a whole. As you know, George Lucas grew up in Modesto, went to Modesto JC, and his teenage years there inspired the movie that really launched his career. And Modesto loves it!
Grafitti Summer really takes place mostly during the month of June and is centered primarily in Modesto, although there are events all over Stanislaus County, in nearby Ripon, Riverbank, Turlock and others. Within the week following the Grafitti Classic on Saturday, June 7, there is the 'Legends of the Cruise' on Wednesday, June 10 in Downtown Modesto, then on Friday the 12th more cruising Downtown with the Grafitti Parade, all capped off on Saturday, June 13 is the huge American Grafitti Festival Car Show at the West Campus of Modesto JC. What a week, and it doesn't end there. Car shows and cruises large and small are going all month, some officially part of the Festival, some are not. It's all good, as long as you're having fun.
So, this show, the Grafitti Classic, is also a huge show. Originally planned to cut off at 500 cars, it filled up so fast, they jumped it up to 550 then 600. And what a collection of eclectic cars. Classics, antiques, trucks, lowriders, muscle cars, customs of every sort, and don't forget those crazy Baha Bugs! They're taking over the planet! And this year, a special section at the show was set up to pay homage to Buicks and Oldsmobiles.
Cars, cars and more cars...they were all here at the Grafitti Classic Car Show 2026.
And here's our little band of miscreants. A patina'd 65 Baja Bug, Andy's '05 Mustang GT, David's 65 VW Bus, Glen's awesome lifted Baja "Herbie"-tribute and the white '77 Corvette with an LS swap. Quite a crew, we all showed up super-early to get a good spot. And boy, did we! We were right in the middle of the show, had some shade part of the day, and we all 5 got to park together. Not an easy feat in a show this size.
This was our tent and gave us some much-needed shade and a place to meet. David is an insurance guy and one of the top Haggerty agents around. He had tons of nice folks walking up off of the sign and asking about the excellent Haggerty insurance for their classic cars. It just added to the fun of the day. Got to meet some really interesting people.
That's me, Andy on the Left, and David behind on the right, standing in front of his sweet '65 VW Bus.
A tribute to Buick & Oldsmobile
This year, the Grafitti Classic paid special tribute to the Buick and Oldsmobile brands. A special area was set aside just for them and the turnout was impressive. Of course, lots of classic muscle cars, but some family cars, wagons and 50s cars as well.
It's all about the cars!
So, let's take a walk around this show. Let's look at some cars. Below are some of my personal picks at the show and some of the trophy winners, including our buddy Glen with is incredible Baja. Here we go...
ABOVE: Who doesn't love an original '55 Bel Air? How about a BelAir-and-a-quarter?
BELOW: I'm a sucker for black 55 Nomads. I owned one back in the day, my favorite car of all time. This one's not quite black, it's a few shades lighter and with just the right amount of metallic/pearl. Gorgeous car.
ABOVE: This '50 Ford Woodie makes you feel good just looking at it. I love Woodies. I hope that came out right.
BELOW: This drop-dead gorgeous Dodge Challenger appears to be a clone/tribute R/T. R/Ts all came with big blocks but this one had a small block. Buy hey, who cares, right? Obviously the judges did. It won a trophy.
ABOVE: I'm nuts over these square-body Riviera's, this one a 1965 with one-year-only clamshell headlight covers. Yow! Trophy!
BELOW: The British are coming!!! These guys shows up with a ton of great classic and modern British sports cars. We had a small contingent of British cars at our May 16 Cars & Coffee in Oakdale. I hope these guys show up to our next Cars & Coffee on Saturday, June 20, 2026. They're certainly invited.
ABOVE:This was my favorite flame job of the show. Classic, but with an edge. Just the right amount of color. Loved it.
BELOW: David's '65 VW Bus attracted a lot of attention, with people posing in front of it, and David even let them sit inside for pictures. These VWs attract more attention...
The Star of the Show: Glen's 1963 Baja Bug
ABOVE & BELOW: Our buddy, Glen showed up in the wee hours of the morning with the rest of us from Valley Classics, to get a good spot in this show. He trailered it in and we helped him unload where we met in the Safeway packing lot, cattycorner to the show. This thing is amazing, and he did all the work himself. This includes a 3-inch full body lift, all new suspension, a wicked supercharged engine that just rips, and this 'tough guy meets "Herbie"-vibe' that drove people wild.
ABOVE: The engine is a work of art. And yes, thats a supercharger you see perched on top of the engine. He found it on Amazon for $200! It sounds wicked!
BELOW: Glen rolls up to the Trophy Podium to receive his trophy for (are you ready for this?) Best Craftsmanship. Wow! Talk about a compliment! At a show like this, with this many cars, many professionally-built, to win for best craftsmanship and you built it yourself? Holy crap! Congrats to Glen.
BELOW: This car drew people like flies! It has an instant appeal that just pulls people to it. All day lookers were all over the car, and Glen was only to happy to talk to them about it. Seen here, he's posing with his trophy.
Special mention: The 914 Ambassador
Parked in the row behind our tent was this lovely little yellow Porsche 914. As I watched throughout the day, people were also drawn to it. I'm not sure what it is about these air-cooled German cars but its magnetic. They got more attention than all the other cars around us combined. Glen's Baja, David's VW Bus and this 914 were the stars of the show, at least in the area we were parked. Here, Curtis lets this young couple experience what it's like sitting in a classic mid-engine Porsche and takes their pictures. All the while telling the Porsche story. He's a real nice guy and its a really nice car.