When I first drove through Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California back in November 2020, seeing the theme park that way just blew my mind—even in the dark, with only Christmas lights to illuminate the park's permanent features.
So I jumped at the chance to attend the West Coast Customs Cruis’n the Park Car Show—this time during the day—which opened to the public the last weekend of February 2021.
It's a car show for the pandemic age—one that you drive through and past, as you wind along the park midways (once again crossing under rollercoasters along the way).
After getting an appropriately-soundtracked "car wash," we entered the DC Universe "land" of the park (based on DC Comics, opened 2011)...
...where we cruised past a live DJ...
...and onto The Boardwalk...
...which showcased everything from muscle cars to hot rods...
...in an environment suitable for a car hop or a sock hop.
After the classic cars, lowriders...
...trucks, and lowrider trucks...
...we encountered a few motorcycles along The Bike Path (and a biker chick to wave hello).
The centerpiece of the drive-thru is the themed "land" known as "The Underground"...
...which is the former Cyclone Bay area that Burbank-based custom car shop West Coast Customs took over in 2019...
...featuring rarely-seen show cars from the shop's collection, with the Sky Tower in view.
That's right next door to the West Coast Customs-Six Flags ride collaboration, West Coast Racers...
...a maximum-thrill, "racing"-style rollercoaster that features two side-by-side tracks with four individual magnetic launches and a real-time "pit stop."
Its "trains" look like racecars; and reportedly, racers can experience speeds up to 55 mph. (Adding this one to my list for when I go back when the rides are open.)
Farther down the midway, sport utility vehicles were arranged in their native environments in the car show's "Tumble Town"...
...appropriately located in the area of Magic Mountain that retains some of its "Old West" ambiance...
...with attractions appropriate for any theme park featuring a slice of the frontier.
Next, we drove past The Grand American Carousel—original to the Magic Mountain park's 1971 grand opening, but built by Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1912 and first housed at Savin Rock Amusement Park in West Haven, CT. (Not all horses are original.)
At the Golden Bear Theatre (also original, then known as The Showcase Theater)...
...not-so-monstrous trucks posed politely to show off their stuff.
We caught just a glimpse of the entrance to Goliath, the steel "hypercoaster" added to the park in 2000...
...and then made our way into "Wrench City"...
...located in the park's steampunk-themed "Screampunk District"...
...which opened alongside the Twisted Colossus rollercoaster in 2015.
As we got ready to make our exit, we said our final goodbyes to the Scream rollercoaster's loop-de-loops (installed in 2003)...
...the wood trusses of Twisted Colossus (a steel-wooden hybrid transformation of the original wooden, dueling racing coaster, which opened in 1978)...
...and the vintage bus best known for Six Flags' TV commercials that started running in 2004, starring its mascot, "Mr. Six."
They should've been blasting his theme song, "We Like to Party" by the Vengaboys.
TIL that not only the mascot had a name, but also his theme music. Adding the music to my rotation now lol.
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