What started with a group of friends and a shared love of cars more than 50 years ago has grown into a hot rod tradition that stretches across the country.

For the October 11, 2026 Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show, we’re proud to feature the Over the Hill Gang Berdoo as our Featured Car Club.

More Than 50 Years of Hot Rod History

The Over the Hill Gang got its start in 1973 with Tom Sterkel, owner of Tom’s Top Shop in Fontana, where he specialized in custom auto interiors. Tom and about 12 friends had been talking about starting a car club when inspiration for the name came from an unexpected place.

One night, Tom watched a Western movie called Over the Hill, and the club had its name.

What that original group could not have known was just how far their idea would go. Today, more than 100 Over the Hill Gang clubs across the United States share the same recognizable logo, shirts, and jackets.

The Over the Hill Gang Berdoo

Today, OTHG Berdoo has a roster of more than 200 members, with around 80 typically attending the club’s twice-monthly meetings at the San Bernardino Elks Lodge.

Membership is about more than simply owning a classic car. Prospective members attend two meetings and participate in a club run before joining, and members must own a pre-1973 vehicle. There are no entry fees or membership dues. Instead, the club supports itself through a 50/50 drawing held at each meeting.

At its heart, OTHG Berdoo is a group of guys who love hot rods, cruising, and spending time with friends. The club stays active throughout the year with regular runs, gatherings, and events that bring members together both on and off the road.

Cars, Community and Giving Back

The club calendar stays busy throughout the year. Members get together for events like their annual Christmas party and club installation, a BBQ cook-off in Lytle Creek, and a taco cart party during the Big Bear Car Show. During Father’s Day weekend at the LA Roadster Show, the club serves lunch to its members and welcomes friends from other clubs who stop by.

But OTHG Berdoo’s impact reaches well beyond its own events.

Over the past 20 to 25 years, members have helped get numerous Southern California car shows off the ground, including the Veterans Car Show, Route 66, Run What U Brung, Riverside’s Show & Go Car Show, Lighthouse for the Blind, Redlands Fireman Car Show, Wrightwood Car Show, Marietta Car Show, and Youth Hope Car Show.

Members continue to participate in many of these events to help keep them going. They also volunteer their time each year to assist with parking at the Grand National Roadster Show and Grand National Truck Show, along with numerous smaller shows throughout the area.

See OTHG Berdoo at Pomona

More than five decades after a group of friends first came together over their love of cars, that same spirit remains at the center of the Over the Hill Gang Berdoo.

Come check out their cars, meet some of the members, and learn more about one of Southern California’s longstanding hot rod communities at the Pomona Swap Meet & Classic Car Show on Sunday, October 11, 2026.

Interested in joining OTHG Berdoo or learning more about the club? Contact Larry Volk at 909-823-8569.

Connect with Over the Hill Gang

Want to learn more about the Over the Hill Gang? Check out their website and follow them on Facebook to see more from the club, its members, and their cars.

Website: Over the Hill Gang Chapters
Facebook: Over the Hill Gang Berdoo