Dead stock, blissfully restored or daringly modified, great cars have never exclusively belonged to the West Coast or its legion of writers and shooters. There was, and is, a devoted rod and custom community in the eastern United States. The Saratoga Automobile Museum is giving East Coast rodding history a prime showcase, beginning October 23.

The museum’s exhibition, Right Coast Rods, will be a semi-permanent exhibit at Saratoga, running through May 8, 2011, with 15 cars expected. Among the already confirmed cars are the ex-Bill and Don Leslie Starlite 1931 Ford coupe of Gerard Christensen, the ex-Andy Granatelli 1934 Ford coupe owned by Bill Couch and a barn find 1933 Ford roadster presented by New England hot rod historian Dave Simard. On October 23, In April, hot rod historian/authors A.B. Shuman and Jack DeWitt will present seminars along with Saratoga curator Ken Gross, a rodding archivist himself.