Looks like that '54 Merc in front of the Golden Nugget is up on a platform. A "Win This Car" promotion??
There was a '48 Tucker Torpedo in regular use in Malden MA during the late 1960's. I saw it several times near the Sinclair gas station at Lebanon & Sylvan streets - wherd the 426 hemi Coronet lived. An older gent had it. It was known amongst wè kids for it's 'helicopter engine' with it's distintive sound. With. 372 ftlbs of torque, it moved effortlely. It may have been a dark green or blue. Ritchie Willette would likely know the car as he is in that neighbourhood as well. - Don Christie
Hello, We used to drive by this old café on PCH in our early days of surf explorations. In one winter day, we stopped for lunch as it was almost half way to Santa Barbara and it was approaching mid day. The food was as good as advertised. The surf was not breaking was well since it was during the winter swell days. But, die hards still sat outside in the surf, just because it was Malibu Surfrider Beach across the street and the famous pier was just steps in front of the café on the ocean side of PCH. For us over the 20 years of going up the coast to surf, Malibu in the summer swells and other spots during the spring and winter, there were two places to stop for food. One was at the Malibu Café and the other was right in front of the L.A. County Line Surf Spot. Neptune’s Net The "County Line" between Ventura County and Los Angeles County has a pretty good surf history. It mostly breaks well in the summer months with a few west swell rollers coming in during the late fall and spring. The beach is usually crowded with parking at a minimum all along the beach highway. The other attraction to this site is the famous restaurant across Coast Highway 1, Neptune’s Net. For many years, the area out in front of the restaurant was just a dirt plot of land. It has been a motorcycle hangout for years, but the hot rodders usually could be found parked out in front anytime of the year. When we came up to this area in the early 60’s, the restaurant was a life saver as far as food for starving surfers from across the highway. The waves were pretty good, a few surfers out, and the day was enjoyable when we knew food was just a walk across the busy highway. But, later on we drove up this route to Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, Big Sur, and points North for a great coastal drive, sometimes ending up in San Francisco. The ratio of hot rods to motorcycles was about even when we were here in 61 to 68 and the early 90’s. With the popularity of motorcycles, today, the front is reserved only for motorcycles and the hot rod cars are relegated to the small parking area on either side of the restaurant property. Jnaki On our most recent drive down the coast, in 2019, we had planned on dining at Neptune’s Net. But, by the time we got there before noon, the beach highway was packed for at least a mile and the parking lots at Neptune’s Net was packed, too. Where were the motorcycles? They were all jammed up in the paved “motorcycle only” area in front of the restaurant. The Friday afternoon crowd was everywhere. Needless to say, a fine lunch in Trancas, just down the road was called for this time. In scouring the internet for hot rod cars at Neptune’s Net, there were only a few. “Los Angeles officially ends at County Line Beach. Cars perpetually round the blind corners of this strip of Pacific Coast Highway.” “On one side, County Line is rocks and rotting staircases you have to negotiate to get to the water. On the other, brush and hillsides that are prone to erosion and fire. There is also one restaurant here, at the overgrown border of Los Angeles and the rest of the world: Neptune's Net. It's a crumbling and colorful building that is mostly patio: a daytime watering hole for bikers, local surfers.” “The "restaurant side" is the original part of the building. It was built in 1957 and has housed the same deep fryers in the same location for the past 50 years. The back wall is a long refrigerator filled with rare IPAs and seasonal microbrews. The beach break that is Neptune's Net's front yard is surfed mostly by locals. To get back and forth between the beach and the restaurant, you have to jaywalk across the highway. There is a steady flow of foot traffic in each direction. Coming in: surfers with wet stringy hair and half-unzipped wetsuits. Going out: voyeurs carrying tacos they'll eat while watching others in the water below. “The restaurant itself is also featured in Point Break and TV shows like Gossip Girl and The Hills have shot there.” This spot had good waves, but because it can be seen directly from any passing car, if it was good, then it got crowded fast. So, our early 5 am surf treks pays off. Then, a nice lunch at the restaurant across the street. ocean front, great food, hungry surfers… a good place to be. These days, it is crowded with tons of motorcycles riders. NOTE: The other spot was the old Malibu Inn Café. It was directly across the street from the Malibu Pier and had parking in the lot. We only stopped in the winter, as the summer crowds were horrendous. Our early morning surf sessions at the famous Malibu Surfrider Beach was over, we usually ate in our sedan delivery, took a nap and surfed until it got too crowded. If we got out before lunch and decide to get something to eat, it was across the Coast Highway at this old café. Note 2: The last time we drove down Coast Highway on the way home from our Santa Barbara week long road trip was in 2019. The old Malibu Inn Café was now a concert venue and so, with the proliferation of other good food places on the highway, we did not stop for lunch.
Great history, we stop at Neptune's Net everytime we are in the area, another one we love is Malibu Seafood. Dukes is good too. Would have loved to visit that area in the 50s and 60s, I bet it was pretty amazing.
The Jalopy Journal
