Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

Whether it’s the sparkle of buffed chrome or the smell of burning rubber, there’s something for every car enthusiast at the “Run Whatcha Brung II” street race and car show this weekend. Back for its second year in Rialto, the Over the Hill Gang car club and Rialto Rotary are much more in tune with what to expect this time around--and they expect about 70,000 people.

So the 1995 event is split over two days: On Saturday, Riverside Avenue will be closed downtown from Foothill Boulevard to Merrill Avenue for the Show & Shine, kicking things off at 7 a.m., followed by the Open Header Cruise and Best Sounding Exhaust System contests. Automotive vendors will sell car parts and accessories; miniature hot rod time trials and a bike rodeo for kids are among the day’s attractions, along with hot rods and vintage cars on display.

A highlight on Saturday (1-4 p.m.) will be the arrival of the Batmobile (a replica) and caped crusader Batman (also a replica).

On Sunday, the show moves to Rialto Airport, Baseline Avenue and Linden Street, where stoplight drags begin at 7 a.m. Meet Over the Hill Gang member Noel Blanc (Mel Blanc’s son) along with a number of the top professional drag racers on Sunday. (They will also oversee a grudge match between morning and evening deejays from KOLA-FM.) Pro racer Bob Vance will give an exhibition of his fire-breathing, jet-powered car.

In a return to “American Graffiti”-type nostalgia, anyone can plunk down $25 and, if their auto passes inspection, compete in the stoplight drag races. Sunday spectators, $1; parking, $1. (909) 421-2236.