Legend of the Cruise: Dan Vierra

Dan Vierra

Our Lady of Mercy High, Merced – 1961

Dan grew up on a dairy east of Turlock and attended Our Lady of Mercy High School in Merced. One of his earliest memories was receiving his first car – a pedal car – at age four. Since then he’s owned Studebakers, Pontiacs, Chryslers, Corvairs, Camaros, Corvettes, and Fords.

Today, he drives a ’29 Model A all-steel full fender street rod, a recently restored ’52 Ford custom pick-up originally built by Gene Winfield, a ’57 Facel Vega, a ’61 Corvette, and an exact replica of the ’64 Plymouth 426 4-speed that he bought new in ’64.

Dan was a member of the Eliminators Car Club and a trophy winner at Balico Drags at the old Turlock Airport. In the mid-60s he joined the Ports Auto Club. For the past 45 years, Dan has been a member of the Modesto Area Street Rod Association. Ask Dan about anyone he has ever known and he will likely tell you, in detail, about the person’s car at the time – the make, model, color, and how fast it was!