San Diego held an Annual Autorama from at least 1957 -1959, A Custom and Hot Rod Show, some icons attended included Roth with his Outlaw, Kookie's T-Bucket, Tommy Ivo, and the Kopper Kart

 above image and the rest of the story thanks entirely to Kelly and Crystal Hutchinson who posted it at http://ecotisticmag.com/204/

Ed “Big Daddy” Roth was present at the show with one of his earliest creations, “Excalibur” (named after his mother-in-law’s family’s Revolutionary War sword that he used as the shifter). The name he later changed to the “Outlaw”. Ed drove down in a 1957 Chevy with a trunk full of t-shirts, easels, and an airbrush kit. 

Kookie’s Car, built by Norm Grabowski, was pulled off the set of the “‘77 Sunset Strip” television show just to be displayed at this event. It was a bold move. If anything would have happened to the car, it would have halted the production of the show and much of the success it later famed.

Larry Watson displayed a brand new 1959 Thunderbird at the event that he had just purchased and repainted. Larry became a famous pinstriper and painter. He grew up in California and witnessed the work of Von Dutch and Dean Jeffries at Barris Kustoms.

above image from http://www.streetrodderweb.com/features/0711sr_trophy_queen/photo_18.html

model Louise Muller and the Ala Kart, photo from the Bog Book of Barris, google books, http://books.google.com/books?id=ATjy1tKxfjYC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=%22san+diego+AUTORAMA%22&source=bl&ots=Iz-J0Pk1fv&sig=TuorWt9DG5KG59KX2rBBiytG9Y4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2TppT426D-aXiALJ0ICIBw&ved=0CGQQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=%22san%20diego%20AUTORAMA%22&f=false

from the august 1957 Hot Rod magazine

and it was mentioned ina  magazine called the Red Cedar Review, issue 8:2/3 page 71, author Peter Nye

and 4 pages were about the San Diego Autorama in the September 1958 issue of Custom Cars found on ebay http://esp.ebay.com/viewItem?item=140713003320&v=gbh

and is mentioned to an unknown extent in the February 1962 Car Craft and Cart also from the same seller on Ebay