Long Beach

Les Callahan's 1922 Dodge Roadster Pickup

Bob Stokke's 1924 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup. Bob was a Long Beach Knights member.

James Stewart's 1931 Ford Model A Roadster of Long Beach, California. In 1946 James joined the Long Beach Dolphins car club with a few of his friends. He raced the roadster at El Mirage.

A Long Beach Cavaliers group shot from 1951. Photo from The Long Beach Cavaliers Photo Collection.

Tom Logan's 1932 Chevrolet Pickup

Monte Trone's 1933 Ford 3-Window Coupe

Nelson Morris' 1932 Ford

Bob Davis' 1935 Ford 5-Window Coupe of Long Beach, California was restyled in 1960. Bob was a member of the Lords of Wilmington car club.

Ron Guidry's 1936 Ford 5-Window Coupe

Bill Muehlstedt's 1949 Chevrolet of Long Beach, California. Bill was a member of the Long Beach Cavaliers car club from 1956 to 1964, and he owned the Chevrolet in the Summer of 1956.

Harold Johnson's 1949 Chevrolet

Paul Richards' 1949 Ford

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Santo Vasques' 1950 Chevrolet as it appeared in 1956.

Buddy Alcorn's 1950 Mercury

Larry Lorenzo's 1950 Mercury

Marshall's 1951 Chevrolet, of Long Beach, California, as it appeared in 1966. The flames were applied by Marshall in 1965.

Ron Dragoo's 1951 Mercury coupe of Long Beach, California was restyled around 1955.

Ed Schmidt's 1953 Ford

Bruce Bartlett's 1953 Studebaker Starlight coupe of Long Beach, California. Bruce was a member of the Ramblers of Long Beach car club, and his Studebaker was restyled by Sam Barris at Barris Kustoms. The build was completed in 1954.

Jim Logue's 1954 Ford convertible of Long Beach, California. Completed in 1958, Jim's Ford featured hydraulic lifts from aircraft surplus parts to alter the ground clearance. Jim's Ford is the first known custom car to be fitted with hydraulic lifts on all four corners, and it might be the very first custom to ever to incorporate this groundbreaking modification. Jim's Ford is also known as "The Fabulous X54."

Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury of Long Beach, California. Dulin was a member of the Cut Outs of Long Beach car club, and his Plymouth went through seven iterations between 1956 and 1962. This photo shows the car as it appeared early in 1958, after Mike Clines had added Gold scallops.

Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury of Long Beach, California. Dulin was a member of the Cut Outs of Long Beach car club, and his Plymouth went through seven iterations between 1956 and 1962. This photo shows the car as it appeared late in 1958, after Ed Roth had helped him lay a two-tone Green and Gold scallop paint job.

Ronnie Dragoo's 1954 Mercury

Harry Hoskin's 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air of Maricopa, California. Restyled by Barris Kustoms, the car went trough several iterations. The first version was completed in 1955. Jack Fox of Long Beach bought the car in 1962.

John McLaughlin's 1955 Chevrolet of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. In the late 1950s Jim sent the car on a train from Oklahoma to Barris Kustoms in California to have they finish the build and paint it. Harry L. Mabe of Long Beach, California bought the car in January of 1961.

Bill Burnett's 1955 Ford Crown Victoria was restyled around 1955/1956. Bill sold the car to Larry Quatrone also he from Long Beach in 1957.

The 1960 Car Club Murder. On March 28, 1960, a violent car club clash shook Long Beach, California, when members of the Townsmen of East Long Beach Car Club raided a meeting of the Dutchmen of Paramount at the Lakewood Moose Lodge. The attack left 16-year-old Neil Mahan critically injured with a gunshot wound to the head. The event, covered in newspapers like the Independent on March 30, 1960, sent shockwaves through the local community and marked a pivotal moment in the region's car club history. The aftermath of the incident, involving multiple arrests and a high-profile trial, was seen by some as signaling the decline of the car club culture among teenagers in the area. Photo courtesy of the Independent, March 30, 1960.

Larry Quatrone's 1955 Ford Crown Victoria as it appeared after Larry Watson had painted it candy gold and lime in 1960.

Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury of Long Beach, California. Dulin was a member of the Cut Outs of Long Beach car club, and his Plymouth went through seven iterations between 1956 and 1962. This photo shows the car as it appeared late 1959 or early 1960, after Larry Watson had given it a fogged panel paint job.

This is the plaque of The Townsmen of East Long Beach Car Club, featuring their emblematic character dressed in a top hat and holding a cane, a symbol of their club's identity in the Southern California car scene during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Officially established on September 27, 1959, and centered around Millikan High School in Lakewood, California, the Townsmen were known for their modified cars and, unfortunately, gained notoriety following the events of the 1960 Car Club Murder. Photo courtesy of Car Club Plaques.

Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury of Long Beach, California. Dulin was a member of the Cut Outs of Long Beach car club, and his Plymouth went through seven iterations between 1956 and 1962. This photo shows the car as it appeared circa 1960, after Junior Conway had given it a Candy Tangerine paint job.

Dick Gonzales' 1955 Studebaker

Gene "Clean Gene" Sadoian's 1934 Ford Four-Door Sedan of Fresno, California. The car went trough several iterations in the 1950s. In 1956 it received a Candy cold and red scallop paint job by "Screwy Looie" of Fresno. Gene moved to Long Beach in June of 1956 to do graduate work. He lived there for a year, bringing the '34 along.

J.R. Kovalski's 1956 Chevrolet of Long Beach, California. J.R. was a member of the Long Beach Cavaliers car club, and he owned the Chevy in 1958, when he graduated from Long Beach Poly High School.

Jud Morgan's 1956 Ford F-100, of the Long Beach Renegades.

Danny Purinton's 1956 Mercury

Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury of Long Beach, California. Dulin was a member of the Cut Outs of Long Beach car club, and his Plymouth went through seven iterations between 1956 and 1962. This photo shows the car as it appeared early in 1957.

Gary Niemie's 1956 Buick Century

Bob Shelby's 1957 Ford

Dick Jackson's 1957 Ford of Compton, California was restyled late in 1956 or early in 1957. Dick, who started out at Barris Kustoms ran his own shop Advanced Custom Paints in Compton, California when the Ford was restyled. Later on in 1957, Dick traded the Ford with Buddy Alcorn for his 1950 Mercury. Buddy lived in Long Beach.

Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury of Long Beach, California. Dulin was a member of the Cut Outs of Long Beach car club, and his Plymouth went through seven iterations between 1956 and 1962. This photo shows the car as it appeared early in 1959, after Larry Watson had given it a Candy Magneta and Pearl White panel paint job.

Larry Watson's 1958 Ford Thunderbird. Larry bought the Thunderbird brand new in 1958, and he told a seller at Downey Ford to give him a call as soon as the first car with a tuck n' roll interior arrived. Larry brought it almost directly to Barris Kustoms for a mild job before he gave it a burgundy and silver panel paint job. Larry's Thunderbird was known as "Vino Pasiano" and "The Burgundy Bird," and the first iteration was completed in 1958. Bob Finley of Long Beach bought the Thunderbird from Larry in 1959.

Jim Cirivello's 1959 Chevrolet Impala

Ken Leake's 1959 Chevrolet Impala

A Crash Helmet Magazine group shot of some Cut-Outs of Long Beach car club members taken in 1957. The members in the photo are, from left to right Ron Dulin and Dick Gonzales. The two gentlemen in the center are un-identified, while Glenn and Gary Thorton sits on the right side. The guys are posing in front of Ron Dulin's 1956 Plymouth Fury, the "Strawberries and Cream" version of Dick Gonzales' 1955 Studebaker Speedster and Gary Thorton's Pickup truck. Photo from The Cut Outs of Long Beach Photo Collection.

A Long Beach Cavaliers group shot from 1960. "That was about half of the club at about that time," Patrick Farrell told Kustomrama in 2020. Patrick is at the bottom left of the photo holding a poster for an upcoming dance they were putting on at that time. ""Over several years we put on seven or eight dances. Each more elaborate than the last one. Cavaliers became the most well-known club in the area, mainly because of the great entertainment we had at these dances, and also because WE WERE THE GREATEST!" The club grew to about 65+ members by 1962. "Starting on the west side of Long Beach, based at Poly High School it expanded to include many guys from other parts of town," Patrick recalled. Photo courtesy of Patrick Farrell.

Andrew "Drew" Jackson's 1959 Chevrolet Impala of Long Beach, California. This photo shows the "Five Line" version of the car as it appeared in the early 1970s.

The 1960 Car Club Murder

The 1960 Car Club Murder was a tragic and defining moment in the history of Southern California car clubs. On March 28, 1960, a violent clash erupted when members of the Townsmen of East Long Beach Car Club raided a meeting of the Dutchmen of Paramount at the Lakewood Moose Lodge. Armed with weapons, the Townsmen stormed the hall in an attack described as premeditated. During the chaos, 16-year-old Neil Mahan of the Dutchmen was shot in the head while seeking refuge in the kitchen. He succumbed to his injuries days later, igniting outrage and leading to the arrest and trial of several Townsmen members. The incident highlighted the dangerous rivalries between car clubs of the era and ultimately led to widespread discussions about youth violence and the car club culture of the 1960s.^[1]

At the time of the shooting, Patrick Farrell estimates that there were somewhere between 20 and 30 car clubs in Long Beach. Farrell was a member of the Cavaliers, and according to him, the top three clubs were the Cavaliers, that were associated with Poly High and the west side of Long Beach, the Rebels from the east side connected with Wilson High, and the Jesters from the north side and Jordan High. "The Lakewood, northeast, was mainly a bedroom community of aircraft industry workers until 1957 or '58 when the townsmen emerged. They were centered around Millikan High," Patrick told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in March of 2021. According to Patrick, there were unwritten rules about being in a rival club's territory. "If you were with a date you were allowed, but if driving around with two or more guys you would be challenged. The Townsmen wanted to build a reputation as badasses, so they didn't honor the rules. They started trouble whenever they could." Patrick and the Cavaliers played football against the Townsmen a couple of times, "ending in a fight both times. After the attack and the killing, every club lined up against the Townsmen. About a week after the event hundreds of club members converged on Townsmen's drive-in hang out." According to Patrick, it was like a military action. "All exits were blocked by cars, the lone security guard was disarmed and told, for his own safety to go inside the restaurant. The Townsmen members caught there were told that they were to disband the club and if anyone was found wearing a club jacket or shirt or flying a plaque they would be stopped and their asses would be kicked each time." Patrick recalled that the streets of Long Beach were cleared of Townsmen immediately. "It didn't bring the dead young man back but it was what all we could do."^[2]