Car lovers flock to South Philly at East Passyunk Car Show

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — More than 200 classic and custom cars, trucks and motorcycles took over a South Philly neighborhood Saturday.

For the last 14 years, the East Passyunk Car Show has brought car enthusiasts, lovers, and collectors to South Philadelphia for the neighborhood's largest summer festival and block party.

"It brings out the community, and you see them bond over these cars and reminisce about them," said John Christinzio, who has been coming out to the festival since its inception.

But this year, he decided to show off his custom built black Goth car that turns a lot of heads.

"It sits on a 1989 S10. It's a rat rod, she has flame throwers coming out of the back out of the skull tail pipes, skull headlights, shaved door handles. I have a beer can battery, a skull for an antifreeze bottle," he explained.

Christinzio says events like the car show are what inspired him to spend the last two years under the hood of his car.

"I spend about three nights a week on it. The reason I built this thing was to put smiles on people's faces, and it does," he said.

Juan, who registered his 1998 Honda Civic in the competition, says the racing cars brought him to the show, and there was one in particular that caught his eye.

"They got a Ferrari down there, 360 all carbon fibers. It's a special edition, it has carbon fiber steering wheel, carbon fiber exterior, carbon fiber brakes, it's nice," he said.

Marckwel McClain says he just had to come out to get a look at cars like Christinzio's.

"Most of the cars out here, I usually see in movies are actually in front of me. It's nice, very nice," McClain said.

The event also played host to food trucks, vendors and live music.