Cougar owner Fobert drives ‘signature car’

By R.J. Marx

Muscle cars and their proud owners are coming to downtown Seaside for the Seaside Downtown Development Association’s 12th annual Seaside Muscle & Chrome car show event to be held June 19 and 20.

Among them will be Rod Fobert, who has been participating in the Father’s Day weekend car show in Seaside since 2006. His Cougar will be this year’s signature car. “I love going to cruise-ins to see all of the great classic cars and also for the camaraderie,” Fobert, a Milwaukie resident, said. “I take my Cougar to many cruise-ins throughout the year — mostly the summer months. I especially enjoy car shows at the coast though, and also regularly attend the Rod Run to the End of the World in Long Beach, and also in Lincoln City, in addition to Seaside.

Fobert is a member of the car club, The Unlimiteds, a group of friends and car people in Oregon that have built their cars. There are 12 members, with cars that include a 1966 Chevelle, 1970 Dodge Super Bee, and 1968 Camaro.

“I have owned my 1967 Cougar XR7 ever since the beginning of my senior year of high School in 1982,” he said. “It has been through many different ‘phases’ over the years. This is all thanks to the help of my life-long friends — we all help each other out with our cars and have started our own little car club — The Unlimiteds. These are guys I’ve known most of my life. Some of them, I’ve known since first grade! We all have classic cars that we, on any given day, both love and get frustrated over when they don’t work right!

“I am 49 years old — not 50 yet! — and am a high school English teacher,” he said. “Coincidentally, the original owner of my car was one of my high school English teachers.

“I found out about the 2015 signature car selection from one of my good friends, who was looking up the registration information for this year’s show. Imagine his, and my, surprise when we saw my car there on the website.”

Seaside Muscle & Chrome includes show-quality vehicles from 1960 to 1978, and factory performance vehicles from 1979 to present. Entry is also open to high-quality special-interest vehicles. This year a limited edition 1964 Mustang — one of only 1,964 built —will be on display.

Participants will show their cars off along Broadway all day Saturday, culminating in the Downtown Cruise parade as they vie for awards in 30 categories. The awards presentation is part of the included finale banquet. The Seaside Downtown Development Association is now in its 17th year of downtown car shows through various fundraising efforts and the participation of sponsors and local merchants.

Originated in 2004 as Muscle Beach Cruz by the late Gary Diebolt, who was a merchant and SDDA board member. The Founder’s Award is given in Diebolt’s name as well as an award named for SDDA’s first executive director, Dolna Mespelt.

Marjorie Diebolt, a Seaside resident, owner of the Jewelry Box and the Man Store, and widow of Gary Diebolt, said this week that as a merchant in Seaside — the Diebolts were owners of the Flashback Malt Shop at the time — she and her husband were always seeking ways to draw more people to Seaside. They had been in the car show business before coming to Seaside, and the first “Wheels and Waves” was held the week after Labor Day, Marjorie Diebolt said on Monday. She said that her husband Gary started the show after being asked by the late Jim Rogers, owner of Wheel Fun Rentals. The first Muscle Car show was Father’s Day, with the goal of getting visitors to town before the Fourth of July.

Every year a car is selected to be the signature car for the following year’s advertising and apparel which “fly off the shelves,” according to Tita Montero, SDDA executive director. The selection is revealed when event information is unveiled. Rodney Fobert, the owner of this year’s poster car — a 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 — said he was pleasantly surprised when one of his car club buddies told him to visit the SDDA website. He and other members of “The Unlimiteds” will be participating in the car show this year.

Registrants can participate in a “Show and Shine” and barbecue compliments of Thousand Trails Campground and take part in the organized Cruise showing off southward along highway 101. In addition, they have the opportunity to win prizes and more than $300 in cash in the SDDA Downtown Treasure Hunt.

Muscle & Chrome entries will be on display on Saturday, June 20, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. all along Broadway; the cruise is from 5 to 5:45 p.m. Dinner and awards take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Best Western Ocean View Resort on the Prom.

Muscle & Chrome is one of 10 events and activities mounted by not-for-profit SDDA as they fulfill their mission of enhancing the environmental and economic viability of down- town Seaside for the local community and visitors. The event is sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts.