Steele Rubber Products Open House

Organizers are calling the 6th annual Steele Rubber Products Open House and Car Show a success and planning for next year’s celebration is already in progress.

Steele Rubber Products makes weather stripping and rubber parts for classic cars, trucks and street rods. The first year of the annual open house marked the company’s 50th anniversary and they invited the community to help celebrate the milestone. Since then Steele President Matt Agosta has opened the doors each year for classic car enthusiasts and family to attend.

Open House 2013 included plant tours, goody bags for drivers and kids, free industry magazines, door prizes from sponsors popular in the industry, awards in more than 15 categories and local food vendors.

The great weather and quality prizes lead to one of the largest turnouts the show has seen. There were 235 registered drivers with cars and trucks primarily from the ’30s to the late ’70s. Chevrolets and Fords were popular, but all makes and models werepresent. The collection included rare vehicles like a ’53 International pickup and a rare ’24 Ford Depot Hack owned by the same family since the end of World War II.

Registrants included a few drivers with one-of-a-kind vehicles, including a ’79 Dodge Woody wagon hand-carved from white pine. Owner Michael Teague from Taylorsville, North Carolina, won the Kid’s Choice Award. Another crowd favorite was a ’58 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham series 70, only 704 were ever made and this one was in mint condition. Owner David Clark won the Best of the 1950s Award.

“The thing about this show that was most impressive was the way drivers sit and chat with each other. It was very laid-back and had a sense of community,” said Agosta, “That was the atmosphere of the first show, and we have kept that aspect of the event.”

Agosta and the Steele Rubber Products staff have started planning next year’s event, including reserving a larger parking lot for the growing crowd of classic cars, trucks and hot rods.

Visit Steele Rubber Products at Steelerubber.com or call 877.455.1161 for more information.

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