December 13, 2025
Florida Wrenchfest 2025 brought another year of good music and interesting cars. Riveters in Tampa was once again the host, with several bands and the pinup contest taking the stage.
This year, motorcycles were also invited to the event, and they had a nice turnout.
Getting There Early
Arriving early gave me a chance to see some of the usual vehicles that have become part of the event and take a few pictures inside Riveters before everything filled up with show activity.
A couple of vehicles that caught my attention were some nostalgic ones, including the VW Type III. That one brought back some memories since it was my first car. The Karmann Ghia was another one that caught my eye—it was actually what I wanted when I was in high school instead.
They weren’t rat rods, but it was still fun to see them.
The Rat Rods Steal the Show
The rat rods, however, stole the show.
Each one seemed to be a little more unique than the last, and some were just there to make you laugh with the props, jokes and other things displayed on them.
No two cars are the same—and considering that many of these vehicles are built from parts of several different cars, that’s probably not surprising.
