The Art of the Wooden Car

The influence of surf culture goes beyond the I-5.

Some of the more beautiful pieces in Mingei’s Craft Revolution show are from Carl Ekstrom, a local surfboard shaper who used polyurethane foam, fiberglass, and resin to create smooth doors and chairs.

During the past two years, both the San Diego Natural History Museum and the Fleet Science Center have hosted “The Ultimate Wave Tahiti,” a surf film starring Kelly Slater.

Now the San Diego Automotive Museum has an exhibit of woodies—or wood-paneled cars—that gained fame as iconic surf vehicles in the 1950s and '60s. Even the Jan and Dean song "Surf City" has a reference to the woodie wagons.

The museum’s exhibit spans much of the 20th century, from the stately, pre-Gidget 1924 Model T Depot Hack and 1932 Ford V-8 to the longboard-ready 1964 Austin Mini Countryman. It also features movie clips of woodies and displays about how the cars are built and restored.

Most of the woodies are California originals. They will be at the museum until May 27, 2012.

-- Maren Dougherty

Photos by Michael Jackson.