Lanny Boeltl

Lanny has been a member of the Club since 1971, his club car is a 1932 Ford Roadster. He also owns a 1939 Ford Convertible, a 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe, and a 1956 Ford Big-Window Pick Up.

In 2009, Lanny became a Lifetime Member of the Club. He has been an Active Member for over 41 years.

Just when you think that everyone living in California came from somewhere else, you find out that some people are actually California natives. Such is the case with L. A. Roadster member Lanny Boeltl who was born in Santa Monica, California. Lanny told us that he attended quite a few schools in Southern California and that is probably due to the fact that he didn’t like school and a lot of the schools didn’t like him either. Eventually he attended California High School in Whittier, California.

Lanny’s main asset is that he he can do just about anything. He's a great mechanic, he has become a master upholsterer, he does bodywork and paintwork and he can do just about any job around the house. Of course, that’s something he’d never tell his wife, or he’d never have time to work on his cars.

Lanny’s love affair with cars started when he was a young kid. His dad told him he could drive the family Model A Ford when he could reach the pedals. So, every day he got into the car to see if he could reach the pedals. Finally, stretching as much as he could, he managed to reach them and was given the opportunity to take the car out for a spin. One drive around the block and he was hooked on old cars.

While he was in high school, Lanny’s mom saw a 1941 Chevy Sedan for sale in Artesia, California. It was a fixer upper, but that wasn’t a problem for Lanny. He purchased the car, got it running and improved the car’s appearance. Like so many other young fellows, he sold the car and started snowballing his profits into better cars. His next ride was a 1951 Ford, 1949 Chevy and a 1951 Chevy. The best and one of his favorite cars was a 1955 Oldsmobile Holiday 88 that he used for a daily driver.

When Lanny was growing up and working on cars, he was always doing it on a tight budget. One of his early cars needed upholstery, and he couldn’t afford having a pro do it, so he decided to do it himself. He found an old power sewing machine selling for a good price so he proceeded to reupholster the door panels and seats. He bought the material from the local upholstery shop, so when he was finished he took the car to the shop to show them how it turned out. The shop was impressed and offered him a part time job. He worked at the shop honing his skills and he eventually purchased the business. Lanny's still busy doing upholstery jobs in some of the finest cars in the Southland.

In 1959, Lanny went out with freinds to have a good time and attended a rock ‘n’ roll show at the El Monte Legion Stadium. While he was there, he met his soon-to-be wife Arlene. The couple went steady for a while, but Arlene wouldn’t marry Lanny until he was 19 years old. She thought 18 was a little young. Lanny and Arlene had a good relationship over the years and had three sons, Rich and twins Darren and Darryl. They also have two grand daughters that they are very proud of.

Lanny has always been building hot rods so in the early ‘60s he built a roadster pickup with a ’31 body, ’29 bed and ’32 Ford frame. Lanny did all of the work on the car himself and when he was finished it was a show car that was featured in many car magazines. When he finished the car he wanted to join the L. A. Roadsters Car Club. He was accepted as a full time member in 1971. Lanny continues to be a member in good standing and stepped up to a 1932 Ford Roadster. The old  roadster pickup is still in the family as he gave it to his son.

If you have a car that needs upholstery, give Lanny a call, you’ll be glad you did!