Charger Steve’s second annual Wild Rides and Classic Car Showdown will be held Sunday, Aug. 15 in Pacific Beach on Garnet Avenue between Mission Boulevard and Cass Street. Steve Lordigen, known to car enthusiasts as “Charger Steve,” organized the first Wild Rides Classic Car Showdown in Del Mar last year. This year, he wanted to hold it in Pacific Beach. As the date draws near, Lordigen has been busy organizing the day’s events. “Entertainers will be taking the stage throughout the afternoon starting at 11:30 a.m. until the award presentation at 2:30 p.m.,” Lordigen said. Mark Christopher Lawrence will be making an appearance at the show. He has appeared in “The Pursuit of Happiness,” “K Pax” and “Planet of the Apes.” Lawrence will perform a stand-up routine and be available to sign autographs and take pictures with the public. A bikini contest will take place in the afternoon. Sycuan Casino, sponsor of the event, will be raffling off prizes as well. “We also have just added a very special appearance by Bill Pitts and his nostalgic nitro-burning dragster called Magicar,” Lordigen said. This is an authentic dragster from the ’60s that has been completely restored and will be on display during the event. Lordigen hopes to incorporate the best aspects of the other shows he coordinates, such as the Cajon Classic Cruise during summer and events for the East County Cruisers as well. Spectators can expect a pre-1980 selection of vehicles to line the street. Famous replica cars that will be on display include Herbie from “The Love Bug” and the DeLorean from “Back to the Future.” The highlight of the day will be when Big Monkey Motor Sports blows up an engine. “We take a V8 Chevy engine and we run it with no oil and no water,” Lordigen said. Big Monkey Motor Sports manages the engine blow-up, which rarely results in flames. The engine is revved at 4,000 rpm, usually smoking until it blows. Until the engine is started, car-show spectators can guess how long it will take for the engine to blow up. Whoever guesses correctly wins a prize. The event will be free for spectators and takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit www.chargersteve.com.
