Oct 28, 2008

Driving to Make World Better

Now you might not think that a candlelit dinner cruise, a wine-tasting party or a round of drag racing will help the world’s unfortunate. But that’s reckoning without knowing about the Muscle Car 1000 rally, an event open to drivers of rare high-horsepower American iron, that also benefits the poor and hungry in Honduras. In the recently completed five-day rally, entrants came from as far away as Georgia, Texas and Canada to take a 1,000-mile journey through Northern California. Half the proceeds were donated to Hunger Relief Organization (HeRO), a charity dedicated to ending world hunger. The event was open to anyone owning a 1964-1973 American muscle car (Pontiac GTO, Plymouth Roadrunner, Oldsmobile 442, etc.), 1955-1973 Corvette or 1962-1967 Cobra. 

The event opened with a red-carpet concours d’elegance display, a competition among car owners that is judged on the appearance of their automobiles, at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, followed by a candlelit dinner cruise. The next day, the caravan traveled to Yosemite Valley to enjoy a winemaker’s dinner under the stars at the historic Ahwanee Lodge Hotel. On day three, drivers took the backroads to Lake Tahoe, where they had a food-and-wine pairing dinner by the waterfalls before spending the night at Squaw Valley Resort. On day four, the group traveled to Sacramento for lunch at the state capitol before heading to Napa Valley for a reception and winemaker’s dinner at Stag’s Leap Winery. The trip ended the following day as entrants drove to Infineon Raceway in Sears Point for drag racing and lunch. Closing ceremonies that evening included a private reception, dinner and awards gala at the Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.

Chris Hoskins, founder of both Muscle Car 1000 and HeRO, used proceeds from last year’s rally to open seven feeding centers and one infant malnutrition center in Honduras. He said this year’s contributions will help fund the centers, each of which requires up to $15,000 to open and $9,000 annually to operate. 

“Muscle Car 1000 is making a real difference in one of the world’s poorest countries,” he said.