The free Pacific Beach Hot Rod and Classic Car show, along with Charger Steve’s Wild Rides and Classic Car Showdown, is set to burst into action with tons of activities and automotive thrills on Sunday, Aug. 19 in its fourth annual installment. Featuring an engine blow-up contest, magician, comedy, dance, burlesque show and bikini contest — among a host of other activities — the show roars onto the scene between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. along Garnet Avenue between Mission Boulevard and Dawes Street. Steve Lordigyan, also known as “Charger Steve,” is the mastermind behind the power-packed event. “I basically run the entire thing,” he said. “Our event focuses specifically on hot rods, classic cars, specialty vehicles, dragsters and monster trucks. There’s a little bit of everything.” Lordigyan defined the classic cars as vehicles built between the 1950s and 1980. The engine blow-up contest will be put on by Monkey Motorsports and other big draws will include the Hog Wild monster truck and Wild Thang, a classic car that spews flames 30 feet in the air, said Lordigyan. The inaugural Hot Rod and Classic Car Show was held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in 2009 before it moved to Pacific Beach in 2010. According to Lordigyan, the attendance has in-creased steadily each year and he said he expects an even bigger crowd this year, possibly reaching to 30,000 visitors. The show will feature hundreds of hot rod and classic cars from television shows and movies, from the Pontiac Trans Am that Burt Reynolds drove in the “Smokey and the Bandit” movie series to the 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee car from the “Dukes of Hazzard” television series to the 1982 Pontiac Trans Am “KITT” from “Knight Rider.” Also expected to be on display will be the Gran Torino from the “Starsky and Hutch” television series, the 1963 Volkswagen Beetle from the “Herbie the Love Bug” movies, and even the Mystery Machine from “Scooby Doo.” Christopher Knight (Peter Brady) from the classic 1970s television series “The Brady Bunch” will be the special guest. For more information, call (760) 440-0896, or visit www.chargersteve.com. ‘Brady Bunch’ fan favorite to be guest celebrity at car show

Actor Christopher Knight — best known for his role of Peter Brady in the classic television sit-com series “The Brady Bunch” from 1969 to 1974, will be the celebrity guest at the 2012 Hot Rod and Classic Car Show in Pacific Beach on Aug. 19. “I’m currently in the process of developing and writing various projects in different states of development,” Knight said. Knight’s most recent project is as the co-host of “Lug Nutz Radio” with Gordon “Lug Nutz” Stewart on KLAA 830 AM’s Saturday lineup. “Lug Nutz Radio” is Southern California’s only radio program that features NASCAR and autosports — a perfect tie-in with this weekend’s Hot Rod and Classic Car Show. “I love hot rods and wish I had had more time with cars when I was growing up,” said Knight. “I had never been exposed to auto racing as a child, so I’m very interested in finding out how professional drivers like Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson can do what they do.” In addition to radio work, Knight recently starred in a pair of VH1 reality television programs, “The Surreal Life” from 2005 to 2006 and “My Fair Brady” between 2005 and 2008. After the VH1 shows, Knight went on to work as the host for the Michigan Lottery game show “Make Me Rich” from 2009 to 2010. Knight said he learned about about the Hot Rod and Classic Car Show through an individual who connects celebrities with local events. “This individual put me in contact with Steve (Lordigyan),” Knight said. “I was available and it was in line with my interests.” Knight and his radio partner, Stewart, might possibly be working a live podcast at the Hot Rod and Classic Car Show and he encourages San Diegans to come to the event. “Come on out and have a great time,” Knight said. “It’s been a few years since I’ve been in San Diego, but the weather should be perfect and it should be a great afternoon. Personally, I’m looking forward to the engine blow-up contest.”