Two local car icons are honored in tribute ride throughout the Crescenta Valley.

By Mary O’KEEFE

On Saturday, about 400 vehicles gathered at the Regal/United Artists theaters in La Cañada to take a last ride to memorialize and honor Rick Chew and Victor Luchessi, two well-known “gear heads” who were also strong community supporters. Both recently died.

“He was a great guy,” was the common phrase heard from so many who spoke about Rick Chew.

Chew had been a motorcycle and car enthusiast since he was young, and many within his circle of friends also shared his love of all things motor.

Twenty years ago, Chew drove his hot rod to Goldstein’s Bagels, which used to be located at the Regal United Artists theater complex at 1919 Verdugo Blvd. in La Cañada. He and four of his friends were looking for a place where they and others could meet with hot rods and classic cars.

“It started right at Goldstein’s,” Chew said in an earlier interview with CVW. “We had a few cars, maybe a half a dozen would show up.”

That meeting of motor-minds became the Early Rodders, which grew to include hundreds of hot rods, classic vehicles and motorcycles. The Early Rodders met, and continue to meet, every Saturday morning in the parking lot of the Regal UA.

“I have [known] Rick since we were 12 or 13 years old. We used to ride [motorcycles] together on Elephant Hill,” said Bob Vacca, one of the five founding members of Early Rodders. “We were good friends ever since.”

Elephant Hill is an area between El Sereno and South Pasadena.

Vacca added that Chew had gone to the UA manager and asked if they could use the parking lot. He was told as long as they cleaned up when they left they were welcomed. Now on any given Saturday at around 7:30 a.m. a variety of vehicles from every era can be found pulling into the parking lot.

For the memorial, Vacca drove his 1931 Model A Roadster Channel that his dad purchased and refurbished.

“This car has been in my family for 66 years,” he said.

Vacca added that Chew had a way of making friends wherever he went and the Early Rodders is not an organization or a club but a group of people who just liked getting together.

“He was here every Saturday … Hey, what did you bring?” Vacca shouted to another friend he saw who just pulled into the parking lot.

Early Rodders is as much about the vehicles as it is about socializing. People meet up with friends they have had for decades while others meet for the first time. Many have shared in the transition of vehicles from purchase to refurbish to perfection.

Vacca added that Chew had a way of making friends everywhere he went.

The memorial included about 50 motorcycles with Chew’s bike, a 1969 Triumph, in the bed of a 1917 American LaFrance fire truck.

“We have been friends for a long time,” said Alex Trepanier, who owned and drove the fire truck and is part of the Early Rodders.

Victor Luchessi was also an Early Rodder. He could be found on Saturdays selling Early Rodder T-shirts out of the trunk of his car. He had joined the car group shortly after Chew started it at the UA and he never looked back.

Vacca said Luchessi was a real supporter of the Early Rodders and was always available to anyone who needed him.

Early Rodders has grown into a community outreach group that bring their vehicles to local events, like the Home Town Country Fair, and help supply cars for the Montrose Christmas Parade. They also support the annual toy drive for Spark of Love delivering truck- and carloads of toys to Los Angeles County Fire Dept. Station 82 in La Cañada.

Among the places the memorial ride traveled was past Chew’s family home and Station 82, where a memorial for Luchessi was set up. It ended at Bob Smith Toyota in La Crescenta where a hamburger lunch waited.

Early Rodders member and community organizer Dwight Sityar said he was overwhelmed by the response to the call for a memorial ride. Early Rodders was joined by hot rod club Trompers of Eagle Rock, which was established in 1945, and the Road Kings of Burbank.

“I feel humbled and so happy that everyone would do this for Rick and Vic,” Sityar said.

Vacca said though Early Rodders will keep going members like Luchessi and founder Chew will be missed.

“He was our guiding light,” he said of Chew.