Burnout Houston is "One Helluva Hot Rod Party"

When is old not old enough? If you're talking about classic cars, the folks at Burnout Houston set the bar at 1964.

“We get a lot of beef about it, especially from the muscle cars,” says Veronica Flores, co-organizer of the event along with her husband, Marco. “The way we look at it, those are the cars that we have a special affection for: mid-century, anything pre-1964." She says she still invites the muscle cars to come out; they just can't show. Flores says there's no shortage of late-model muscle cars on the streets, but that this show has a special place in her heart because the pre-1964 cars are so hard to come by.

They're also psyched because this year's annual hot rod party has a new location with a great downtown skyline for the backdrop. “In other years we've been in smaller venues. This year is the first year in the Post Office building.”

She says it started out as a grass roots show and has grown exponentially over the years. Their cousin was a founder, but then he got busy (getting married, having kids) so Marco and Veronica handle everything now.

It's a curated show, and they'll invite customs, hot rods, bombas and choppers where they know the builders. If somebody asks to show, registration is held on the day of so they can make sure the car is top notch.

“We do have awards: [There's] a best in show award, a best hot rod, best truck,” says Flores. “And we also have a motorcycle award, too. We invite the local car clubs, and they'll do their favorite picks and make a trophy. Usually about ten people go home with a trophy.”

In addition to bragging rights, the winner of this year's best in show will end up on T-shirts and pre-show marketing for next year's event. Los Cochinos took home the win last year, so they've got the media glory this year.
Because this is the 10th anniversary of Burnout Houston, they've got an extra special line-up with a Texas focus. “Texas Tornados is the headliner; we're real excited about that,” says Flores. They've also got Sean Reefer and the Resin Valley Boys, Jolie & The Jackalopes and Los Skarnales. “We just recently added Archie Bell to the line-up; he pays homage to the city, he puts on a great little soul show.”

They choose a different charity every year. “A portion of the ticket sales go towards The Art of Hope Foundation. They work with Shriners here and in Galveston,” says Flores. “They'll have a booth selling art, [there will be] kids out there. Every ticket sold helps them out.

The 10th Annual Burnout Houston classic car show begins at 10 a.m. October 8, 401 Franklin, 713-572-7471, burnouthouston.com. Pre-show spectator tickets are $13 through October 1; day of tickets are $18. Car registration is $20 and motorcycle registration is $15.