It's easy for publications to preach about enjoying rods and customs out on the road, but it's a much bigger undertaking to actually do something about it. Our friends over at Rod & Custom put their money where their mouths were in the early 1990s by creating Americruise, a summer event where more than half the fun was caravanning down the road to get there.
Enthusiasts across the country responded by making Americruise a successful annual happening for more than 10 years. The event went on temporary hiatus a few years ago, but returned in 2006 with renewed enthusiasm and a fresh perspective. Two tours were organized: a West Coast leg, sponsored by TCI Automotive, that left from Southern California; and an East Coast jaunt, sponsored by Air Ride Technologies, that originated at Fatman Fabrications in North Carolina. Both meandered their way across the land in late July to a familiar Americruise destination: Lincoln, Nebraska.
Unfortunately, the Custom Rodder editorial staff was unable to participate in either tour-maybe next year. However, we did have official Primedia photographers at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds the weekend of July 28-30, scouting out some of the coolest '50s and '60s cruisers among the more-than 1,500 registered vehicles. Besides the usual showin' and shinin', this year's Americruise had an autocross course and other participatory events set up to help make sure driving was a focal point of the event. It looked like a fun time with some cool cars. Check out the photos and see if you don't agree.