'23 Showdown

EPHRATA — Old and new cars, old and new trucks, four wheels, two wheels, cars with tricked-out trunks, cars with tricked-out engines, vehicles still in progress - those cars and any other vehicles beloved by their owners are being invited to the second Basin Summer Showdown car show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The show is in a new location for 2023 the Grant County Courthouse, 35 C St. NW in Ephrata.

Organizer Ricardo Gutierrez said that while car guys and car girls own just about every kind of vehicle imaginable, they all have something in common. They love their cars, they love to show off their cars, and they love to see what other people have done with their cars.

“We live in an area where there’s trucks, there’s cars, there’s bikes, ATVs, you name it,” he said. “So we thought it would be fun to get all those groups together and hang out and see each other’s builds.”

The show is co-sponsored by Gutierrez through his photography business, Open Iris Visuals, and Hansen’s Auto Detail. It’s hosted by the Diverse Society car club, of which Gutierrez is a member.

Gutierrez owns a 2019 Subaru WRX that wasn’t supposed to be a show car at all, he said.

“Originally it was supposed to be a commuter. And it kind of turned into what it is now,” he said. “It’s been evolving every year.”

It’s now a royal blue sports sedan, which is where it got its name, “Bad Boy Blu.” It’s got a suspension package that drops it all the way to the ground, which is how he parks it when he drives it to work at the courthouse.

“I park it out on the street here at the courthouse. I’ll be sitting here at my desk and I get random messages on social media, and people are taking little short (video) clips or taking photos of themselves with the car, saying ‘This is a beautiful car. Keep it up.’ They appreciate that,” he said.

Spectators at Moses Lake’s 2023 Spring Festival car show sometimes couldn’t figure out how it worked.

“I had a lot of people stop by and they (said), ‘Do you drive it like that?’ And I (said), “No.’ So I started the car up, I hit the button for the airbags to inflate and then air back down, and they (said), ‘That is awesome.’ It’s a head-turner for sure,” Gutierrez said.

“I’ve owned several vehicles that I’ve built, but this is my favorite car buildout of all. I built this one so I can go take it out and show people what you can do with a car,” he said.

In his travels, he has met a lot of car owners with stories to tell. Frequently he takes pictures of the cars he sees.

“I walk around and go talk to (other car owners) and ask about their build and the history behind it, and take photos, now that I do photography,” he said.

His next project will be a 1950s Ford truck, a tribute to his grandparents, he said. His daughters are interested in cars, after watching him work on them.

“So I’m very lucky that my wife lets me do it,” he said.

With all the cool cars out there, Gutierrez said he thought Grant County was an excellent location for a car show.

“I figured that in a five-hour radius, if I can go to them people can come here,” he said.

Basin Summer Showdown 2022 drew 96 vehicles, he said. It’s open to anything on wheels, motorized or not. Along with the traditional award categories such as classics, muscle cars and motorcycles, vehicle owners can win for the engine bay or trunk, for the highest mileage or the lowest mileage, among others.

Gutierrez said he’s made a lot of friends through the car - he’s going to meet a buddy from Canada for the first time in person this weekend, he said - and he wants to give other car owners similar opportunities, as well as the chance to look at a lot of cool cars.

“The main thing is just to have people come out and have fun and hang out and see each other’s builds,” he said.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.