Each spring, souls dedicated to keeping the vintage Toyota flame alive spread themselves in the shadow of the Queen Mary in Long Beach, Calif. These are vintage Toy owners who define cult membership, with savant-like knowledge of obscure part details and production numbers.
What really sets the TORC show apart from most vintage iron meets are that the majority of cars on display are modified. Toyotas have been modified in other markets as long as they've been made, if perhaps not in the United States, since the 1970s. Cars here are swaddled in trick vintage bits from companies like TRD and Tom's, some fusing the best of old-school cool and modern technology, such as stand-alone engine management and trick turbo designs.
Different from last year was the large number of newer Toyotas on display, mostly Celicas, Supras and MR2s, along with reams of Scions bursting with watts, woofers and TV screens. The vibe was great, full of families young and old. Fairly unique in the vintage Toyota enthusiast population is the ethnic diversity represented. Spanish, Tagalog and English bounced between the cars in equal proportion.
Toyotafest is organized by T.O.R.C, or the Toyota Owners and Restorers Club, found on the Web at www.toyotaclub.org.