Ed “Bing” Binggeli to be remembered Saturday

Storied hot-rodder Ed “Bing” Binggeli let it be known before he died last December at age 91 that he had no interest in a funeral service.

But a celebration of resplendent, souped-up cars and of his long, happy life in the shop and on the track? He was just fine with that.

Many friends and admirers of Binggeli will likely bring their hot rods and collector cars Saturday to Fred Stoke’s museum-like ranch on Old Redwood Highway north of Santa Rosa.

Festivities will begin at 10 a.m. and include the firing up of Binggeli’s baby: the canary yellow replica of a 1941 Willys that he and friend Jack Helmke built in advance of Bing-?geli’s 90th birthday in July 2013.

Binggeli would have turned 92 Saturday, the day of the celebration of his life.

The lifelong Windsor resident was widely regarded as a master of the building and racing of cars powered by Ford flathead V-8 engines. An article in the November 1962 issue of Hot Rod magazine marveled that Bing-?geli’s original 1941 Willy coupe “gobbles Chevys for lunch and then has Buicks and Chryslers for dessert.”

Modest and eager to be of help to other hot-rod enthusiasts, Binggeli operated the hallowed “Bing’s Speed Shop” in Santa Rosa - first on South A Street, then on Barham Avenue - from 1953 until 1976.

A large crowd gathered at the Stoke Ranch in July 2013 to hail Binggeli’s 90th birthday and to behold his newly completed Willys racer.

On Saturday, “Pasta King” Art Ibleto will serve a lunch and volunteers will staff a no-host bar.

Guests are expected to share stories and photos of Binggeli and to eyeball each other’s cars until about 3 p.m.

Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.