Do you enjoy local car shows?

[benjamin j]

I do not enjoy sitting in the sun or dirt all day but I do enjoy the friends I get to see.

We have an evening show with a DJ and prizes that runs for two months a year at a local restaurant that is very enjoyable. Then there are the car shows that put you in a hot parking lot and they are for some type of charity and I would participate but won’t due to the uncomfortable settings.

What type of extra entertainment or activities do you guys see at shows that make them fun?

[Frantz]

Knowing people makes the biggest difference. For some reason sitting in the hot sun is far more enjoyable with folks to razz on. I also find the more owners are sitting by their cars engaging with casual attendees to enhance my experience. I enjoy a owner proudly telling me about his or her car, what they have done, what's unique about it, etc. Machines in action are always good too. I really enjoy going to tractor shows and seeing the old hit and miss motors putting along even if they aren't doing any actual work. Hearing a car fire up now and then with the owner showing off (without being crazy loud on the pipes please) is also enjoyable, especially on the older motors with more visible moving motor parts. Taking turns helping at stands is fun too. I don't mind accidentally handing out too much ice cream now and then and it breaks the time up. My daughter was completely smitten by the little Vespa and Isetta cars, as they were almost as big as her Cozy Coupe. At the AACA Museum she enjoys sitting on the little Crosley in the basement, so anything "Kid Sized" adds to their entertainment, and befuddles me on how someone can drive them (I'm 6'0 and drive a Fiesta, but I have limits!) I suppose the long and short of it is interaction. If all I'm doing is looking, I can do that online or in a book. I like interacting and learning.

[poci1957]

I also seem to prefer evening shows and we do not have many around here.  I like going to shows in other towns to see something different, your hometown shows sometimes get a little stale with the same old cars.  We have just had a "cars and coffee" event start up early on Saturday mornings and I think I like that idea, nice to see a show but not lose a whole Saturday or Sunday.  As my wife points out I really need that time to actually work on the old car, Todd C

[28 Chrysler]

Here in Vegas area we have several weekly morning cars and coffee get togethers in different parts of the valley.  There are also some weekly get toghters around sunset. These are more shooting the breeze with 50 - 250 cars/owners. The formal planned shows here are mostly spring and fall at cooler times of the day except "Super Run" in Henderson. This show (1,200 + cars) lasts for 3 full days in September.

[john2dameron]

I enjoy the local shows if they have cars that haven't been hghly modified.  This summer the heat has been oppressive so some of them have been very uncomfortable.  I like visiting with the people showing the cars and like taking photos.  Around here they have a lot of evening get togethers they call cruise-ins.  I don't enjoy them if I can't identify every vehicle.  I hate to look at my photos and have to wonder what year something in.  I was at a show a few days ago where a few people failed to display their windshield papers.  There was a Chevrolet delivery van there made in the 1920's and I am still wondering what year it was.  Of course, the people that fail to put their ID on their windshield are the ones that park their vehicle and disappear so you can't ask them questions.   

[Matt Harwood]

We have a lot of casual car shows around here, you can probably find one every night of the week. I don't really like car shows, I only treat them as a place to drive, but after about an hour of being there, I'm ready to go. I also get tired of seeing the same cars at every event--there's a core of about 100 cars that just seem to be everywhere. I'm the only guy who brings something nobody's seen before. The rest is pretty standard: a whole slew of late-model Corvettes and Mustangs (usually driven at 20 MPH by 70+ year old guys who just wipe them with diapers), a bunch of '70s sedans, some really rough-looking home-built things, and a handful of really nice cars, restored and modified. They're the exception rather than the norm. For instance, there's a 1980s Buick sedan that always shows up. The owner has sealed off the back doors and filled in the gaps with (I presume) bondo. The door handles are still inside and there's no way to access the rear seat anymore, but there it is...

 

The local shows demonstrate more than anything else that the hobby is dying. The young people in attendance are driving modern cars, like an '80s Camaro with some giant wheels, but nothing really amazing. Because of this, I get pretty bored with going to shows and by this time each summer, I'm done. I'll do CCCA and AACA tours, but going to local cruise nights is just sweaty boredom.

 

These events do give me some thoughts about the direction of the hobby, however. One, yes, it's clearly dying. EVERYONE at these shows is a generation older than I am. Young people are an anomaly and if they do show up, they're not really interested in anything old. However, I also notice that when I bring a genuinely old car like my 1929 Cadillac, people go crazy. A few weeks ago, we sponsored the cruise night and brought Cadillacs to display: our 1929, our 1941, our 1953, and Melanie's 2010 CTS wagon. I thought that would be cool. And it was! People were especially interested in the 1929 and to a slightly lesser extent, the '41 and '53. But there was a HUGE response to these cars.

 

I see this also in the showroom and my conclusion is this: car guys are timid and they just don't like to take chances. A red GTO is fine, but don't you dare buy a purple one. Your buddy has a 1969 Camaro, so you need a 1969 Camaro. There's no vision, no imagination, no urge to be different or even curiosity about what else is out there. Everyone just buys what everyone else already has, and if they're building a car, they build what everyone has already built. As a group and on the whole, car guys are just not that imaginative, I'm sorry. Safe, familiar, and already been there and done that are what drive the hobby today. That's why orphan cars are going to be worth scrap (if they aren't already) and why there are rows and rows of late-model cars and Tri-Five Chevys.

 

But given the chance to see the old cars, people respond to them--they just don't know anything about them, which is the one thing I DO like about going to shows. When I tell people that the '41 Cadillac has an automatic transmission or my '29 doesn't need a crank and will cruise at 55 MPH, they're flat-out ASTOUNDED. They figured all old cars were 15 MPH putt-putt cars. They figured they were fragile. They figured they were impossible to fix. They figured they were astoundingly complex. I show them what's going on under the hood of the '29 and they immediately understand that this is a very SIMPLE machine that doesn't take a PhD to understand.

 

And then they go and buy a red '70 Chevelle...

 

[MCHinson]

If you think the hobby is dying, you need to move to North Carolina. It is certainly not dying here. Lots of events with lots of interest. Yes, there are lots of  young people with modified Honda's and similar cars at our local cars and coffee events but we also have folks in their 20's and 30's showing up with their Model T Fords and Model A Fords here locally. 

[JV Puleo]

I pretty much agree with everything Mr. Harwood has to say... except I can't be bothered going to the local shows and (perhaps this is a sign of age) get tired of the stupid questions... or the ever offensive "how much is it worth?" I make an exception for one local show, the oldest around here and the one where I still have a chance to run into a few old friends I haven't seen since last year. But, for the show itself, it isn't worth the 40 minute drive and wretched summer traffic (since it's near the ocean).

 

I heard my favorite dumb car show comment a few years ago... looking at the engine of a really fabulous 1910 Peerless I heard "boy, you could get a lot of money scrapping this one." I really don't think of myself as an elitist, but prolonged association with the general public leaves me feeling like a duck out of water. And... I detest loud speakers blasting pop music I couldn't be bothered with when it was current. I don't expect others to cater to my tastes but I fail to understand why they think they have a right to force theirs on me.

Edited August 17, 2016 by JV Puleo
typo (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

10 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

I see this also in the showroom and my conclusion is this: car guys are timid and they just don't like to take chances. A red GTO is fine, but don't you dare buy a purple one. Your buddy has a 1969 Camaro, so you need a 1969 Camaro. There's no vision, no imagination, no urge to be different or even curiosity about what else is out there. Everyone just buys what everyone else already has... 

 

Yes, sometimes things go in trends and fads that become ruts;

but I like being exactly the opposite of what you describe.

If 1957 Chevrolets and 1965 Ford Mustangs are popular,

I leave them to others and search out something different.

I'll pass the common cars at big shows and look at the

1926 Ajax and the 1950 Nash.

 

Even when buying cars, I want something different.

They make good conversation pieces for sharing with others.

 

[GARY F]

I agree with John S

[poci1957]

1 hour ago, Matt Harwood said:

 

These events do give me some thoughts about the direction of the hobby..............it's clearly dying. EVERYONE at these shows is a generation older than I am. Young people are an anomaly and if they do show up, they're not really interested in anything old. However, I also notice that when I bring a genuinely old car like my 1929 Cadillac, people go crazy.

 

I see this also in the showroom and my conclusion is this: car guys are timid..........Your buddy has a 1969 Camaro, so you need a 1969 Camaro. There's no vision, no imagination, no urge to be different or even curiosity about what else is out there. Everyone just buys what everyone else already has, and if they're building a car, they build what everyone has already built. As a group and on the whole, car guys are just not that imaginative, I'm sorry. Safe, familiar, and already been there and done that are what drive the hobby today. That's why orphan cars are going to be worth scrap (if they aren't already) and why there are rows and rows of late-model cars and Tri-Five Chevys.

 

 

I have also noted the copycat sameness for a long time and indeed local shows are the grand example.  In my early 1980s high school everyone liked Chevys and ignored Buick/Olds/Pontiacs and others, which I liked BECAUSE they were different.  My brother had a Javelin and was almost an outcast until he joined in and bought a Malibu.  And now 30 years later to my dismay the hobby is like that again but with gray hair and money, and why is that?  I have decided it can only be because narrow focus means if you buy a 1957 Chevy/1969 Camaro/Corvette then your group will be quickly impressed.  Those cars are recognized instantly and you don't have to explain anything.  I think my 1957 Pontiac is better than a 1957 Chevy and can explain why but no one cares because Tri-Five Chevys are the only 1950s cars that matter--the ones the masses can identify.  To suggest there is more out there is to be speaking a foreign language anywhere other than the AACA, which once again I value for the variety.  I wish we could broaden our interests but they appear to be narrowing, Todd C 

[John348]

13 minutes ago, poci1957 said:

 

I have also noted the copycat sameness for a long time and indeed local shows are the grand example.  In my early 1980s high school everyone liked Chevys and ignored Buick/Olds/Pontiacs and others, which I liked BECAUSE they were different.  My brother had a Javelin and was almost an outcast until he joined in and bought a Malibu.  And now 30 years later to my dismay the hobby is like that again but with gray hair and money, and why is that?  I have decided it can only be because narrow focus means if you buy a 1957 Chevy/1969 Camaro/Corvette then your group will be quickly impressed.  Those cars are recognized instantly and you don't have to explain anything.  I think my 1957 Pontiac is better than a 1957 Chevy and can explain why but no one cares because Tri-Five Chevys are the only 1950s cars that matter--the ones the masses can identify.  To suggest there is more out there is to be speaking a foreign language anywhere other than the AACA, which once again I value for the variety.  I wish we could broaden our interests but they appear to be narrowing, Todd C 

 Well said Todd!

This is from a Chevy guy also, many owners of the popular Chevy's do not even regard that there are any other cars then the years and models they own. I always felt many Corvette owners are in denial that they own a Chevrolet. On Long Island there are several popular cruise nights, but greed is starting to get in the way

Edited August 17, 2016 by John348 (see edit history)

[Vila]

 

There are local show I go to and local shows I don't.

 

At 66 I have general requirements for a car show to meet before I will go to it.

 

I go to local shows in the spring and fall when it is not ridiculously hot, but if they play music I won't go back the next year.  One thing I cannot stand is music at a car show, they usually play stuff I don't like. 

 

The last summer show I went to was in a parking lot and it must have been 95 degrees with 80 or 90 percent humidity.  I fact the past 3 local summer shows were all the same, before I made the no local summer show requirements.  Never again.

 

Hershey is a local show for me, so yes I go every year unless it is raining cats and dogs.  Usually do the flee market on Thursday, rest up at work on Friday, and take a car to show on Saturday.  My knees can only take one day in the flee market.  

 

I generally don't like car show that are on open parking lots either.  In my opinion, shows on grass or along streets with large shade trees are better.

 

What I enjoy most about car shows is when people restoring a car similar to the one I am showing have questions for their restoration. 

[poci1957]

15 minutes ago, John348 said:

 Well said Todd!

This is from a Chevy guy also, many owners of the popular Chevy's do not even regard that there are any other cars then the years and models they own. I always felt many Corvette owners are in denial that they own a Chevrolet.

 

Thanks for saying so John, glad my comments came out in the right spirit.

[AnniesSS]

I enjoy going to local car shows, but prefer to drive little bit to go to other towns and hopefully see some different vehicles.  Like another poster had said, you usually see the same cars at the same shows week after week.  I also enjoy the heat and spend my week wearing a sweater and sometimes a blanket on my lap while I sit at my desk and do paperwork all day long. lol  So for me, being outside for a few hours is worth it to me to warm up ;-)

 

As for parking lots, sometimes it's unavoidable!  There are a few shows that have grassy areas but not many.  night car shows are non-existent, except for cruise-Ins and we don't usually go to those.

 

My biggest problem with local shows is the ever present comments about me being a woman owning a truck - I usually take my modified 454SS to the local shows since my Burb is HPOF material and not very exciting. lol  "When you're done there, you can wipe mine down", or "Is it really your's!?"  or (if my husband is with me)  "How did you get her to do all of the work!?"   And the comments go on and on.  Fortunately, I've never had anyone at an AACA show make a sexist comment.... but don't get my started on the day-before-Hershey parking-lot-clean-up comments ROFL!!!

[nick8086]

I like to take a car to a new show every year... I pick the shows that my dad went to.

 

Some shows not so nice.. I like the shows that thank you for showing up...  

 

It is also nice to get a great picture also..

 

If the car is in  the shop for repairs... I may take the Jr..

Edited August 19, 2016 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[Buffalowed Bill]

Sadly many car folks will never understand what it's like to own, show and drive something different. At a show and cruise night, I find that there is an arbitrary separation, which almost always takes place. There are the Chevrolet guys and the Ford guys, each of whom busy themselves with their own marques, and pay little attention to anything else. Then there is everyone else. I see it as kind of an alliance, whether by default, or conscious effort, and it exists at almost every event. This is where many of the real car people reside. I find that most of these people, who dare to venture into uncharted territory, are the most interested and often the most interesting to talk with. To me these are the real car people who can teach, and who are interested in learning. Exceptions of course and always dooly noted.

[Restorer32]

A few years ago we took a '15 Milburn Electric to a local cruise in. It drew a lot of attention as well as a letter to the editor of the local paper, which had featured a pic of the car, complaining bitterly that the car did not belong at a cruise in because it took attention away from the cars that the cruise in was meant for.

[8E45E]

15 minutes ago, Restorer32 said:

A few years ago we took a '15 Milburn Electric to a local cruise in. It drew a lot of attention as well as a letter to the editor of the local paper, which had featured a pic of the car, complaining bitterly that the car did not belong at a cruise in because it took attention away from the cars that the cruise in was meant for.

That's HIS problem; not yours, or any of the other spectators who admired it, is it?  They obviously liked what they saw, and it got even MORE exposure with the photo being published in the paper.

 

Keep up the good work and enter it again next year!!

 

Craig

[Xander Wildeisen]

Doctor, Doctor hurry! What is it, what is going on?  Well doctor, it looks like the car show is dying! What should we do? The doctor thought about it for a minute and said. Well we can ether take the greatest classic cars ever built. The ones that are the best examples of custom design, innovation and engineering. And get those cars in front of the youth, that are the driving force on the custom car scene. Or, we can take those same cars. And put them in a museum, with the rest of your grandma's stuff.   

[Matt Harwood]

8 minutes ago, Xander Wildeisen said:

Doctor, Doctor hurry! What is it, what is going on?  Well doctor, it looks like the car show is dying! What should we do? The doctor thought about it for a minute and said. Well we can ether take the greatest classic cars ever built. The ones that are the best examples of custom design, innovation and engineering. And get those cars in front of the youth, that are the driving force on the custom car scene. Or, we can take those same cars. And put them in a museum, with the rest of your grandma's stuff.   

 

Great idea!
 

But... how do we get the old guys who own these cars to bring them out? Solve that part of the puzzle, then you'll really have something.

[8E45E]

2 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

 

Great idea!
 

But... how do we get the old guys who own these cars to bring them out? Solve that part of the puzzle, then you'll really have something.

Work on their sons and grandsons to do the driving, and hopefully they'll gain some appreciation for these cars!

 

Craig

[Restorer32]

You could start by allowing really old cars, say pre 1920, to unload at shows such as Hershey right at the show field instead of a mile away in a trailer parking lot. As a veteran of more that one of these harrowing drives from a remote trailer parking area to a show field in a real early car that isn't driven much and maybe has to be crank started, we would be much more likely to bring such a car if getting onto the show fields weren't such a hassle. Maybe even consider a "non running" class for very early cars that just aren't up to driving onto the field but would still be interesting to see. We are restoring a 1909 vehicle now that was likely never reliable judging by its design and iffy engineering. I am already having night sweats over having to drive it up that final hill onto the Hershey show field sometime in the future. 

[AC Fuhrman]

I attend and enjoy shows large and small from cruise night to Concours.

13 minutes ago, Restorer32 said:

Maybe even consider a "non running" class

Not sure about a non-running class - my opinion but wouldn't that be a museum? 'Driven on the field....' one of the best parts of the whole thing!  Steaming Stanleys, silent electrics, that Model A sound? Would miss all that I think. And I've had one old car quit on me and trailered/not trailered - guess I just like the experience.

 

 

 

Edited August 18, 2016 by AC Fuhrman (see edit history)

[Restorer32]

That's the whole point. Such a class would maybe get some of those very old, very rare cars that would take weeks of work to get running and driving out of the museums and onto a show field. A very restrictive, by invitation only class for non drivable cars that maybe haven't seen the light of day in years. I know several Concourse events that do just that.

[Xander Wildeisen]

These planes sure look pretty cool when they are out, where they can be seen.

 

[Guest]

I don't go that often anymore. Part of it is I'm too paranoid about my cars - not that they're that great, but I did put a lot of money and effort into them. Plus, I did it for my own satisfaction - not from a "look what I've got" perspective. I'm not looking for approval. Most of the actual car guys/gals there are great - I'm just not excited about belt buckles and dangling cameras all over my fenders, and yard rats climbing on running boards.

I DO enjoy the aspect that has been mentioned about how the general public seems to enjoy seeing something different. When I take my Cord 812, it always generates a lot of interest - much to the chagrin of the Corvette club, lol. ( and yes, I have owned C2 corvettes.) Inevitably, folks walk all around it, with furrowed brows, looking for a name plate - very little badging on a Cord. Then the person will approach me and say, " That's a pretty nice car......what is it?"  Even car people who know what it is, often tell me that they have never seen one except in books.

 I took my 31 Cadillac sedan to a few cruise ins and it too was appreciated by most, and was written up in the local rag. I generally have a good time when I participate, but it is a continual internal risk/reward debate for me.

Edited August 18, 2016 by Guest (see edit history)

[Terry Bond]

These days pick a weekend and there is a car show on every corner parking lot it seems.  I like to attend some of them but tend to shy away from events trying to make a lot of money off of those of us who make the show.   Legit charity  associated events are fine, and of course any events on military bases or run by veterans groups are going to attract us.  Collecting ridiculous entry fees is a turn-off.  Another turn off can be when I see their categories of vehicles - one event recently classified  "antiques" as anything made between 1928 and 1940.  Next group was "modified" so it was pretty clear what they were trying to cater to.  Since there was no place for my 1914 Model T I didn't go.    I guess what I enjoy most is meeting the public and explaining how important the history is, and showing off the Model T.  Love the crowds gathering around when I reach for the crank to start it up.  Same with the antique motorcycle (1912).  The MGs are always popular too at these "everything" car shows.   I don't care for popular vote type judging, don't need any trophies or useless prizes.  Being among friends, enjoying a relaxing day and meeting the public to help them understand what the car hobby, helping promote AACA and understanding what antique cars are all about is where we get the satisfaction.   If there is anything that turns me off it's loud music.   What I'd love to see more of is small swap meets connected to events.  

So, where's the next event!

Terry

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Matt and others, sometimes it is as simple as asking to get the older stuff out.  Two very good shows in CT (if your focus is these older cars) are the Klingberg and Belltown shows.  The Belltown boys have put an effort in in recent years to explain what types of cars they would welcome especially to the meet.  Both have cut offs that are earlier than the AACA definition of antique.  These are musts for me.  I also like to attend the Lime Rock vintage festival which has more of a sports car flavor and is open to a lot of much newer cars.  These events are well attended, Klingberg and Belltown are musts to me locally, for prewar guys and LRP is a must for sports car guys.  The LRP crowd, for what it is worth is at least half younger people - a sure sign of life!!

[John_S_in_Penna]

One way to improve shows is to EXPLAIN your car

to the public.  At one of our region's smaller events,

two girls around 12 years old were looking at a Corvair,

parked in a row with other antiques.

 

I got the owner to open the hood, showing there

was nothing there.  I pointed out how, in most old cars,

there's no center console, and you can get in on the

opposite side and slide across the seats.  They loved it!

 

The children got a lot more out of their viewing,

and the car made much more of an impression on them.

Now, they are much more likely to remember that car in the future.

 

What seems simple to us may be fascinating to those who haven't seen it.

[poci1957]

8 minutes ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

One way to improve shows is to EXPLAIN your car to the public.......The children got a lot more out of their viewing and the car made much more of an impression on them.......Now, they are much more likely to remember that car in the future.

What seems simple to us may be fascinating to those who haven't seen it.

 

Very good point, when I was a kid car owners always had a display sign with the basics at least.  And you never know what feature will be of interest to the uninitiated.  Upon seeing my 1957 and 1963 Pontiacs my teenage nephew was baffled at seeing two door cars that large--in his modern car world large two door cars do not exist.  You never know, Todd C   

[Mark Shaw]

The last car show I enjoyed was a church fund raiser.  I won the Pastor's Choice Award and donated the cash prize to the church.  This set a precedent for other winners who followed me & also donated their winnings.  

 

Like others here, I don't enjoy babysitting a car all day with loud music in a hot parking lot full of modern iron and hot rods.  I prefer prewar traveling car shows we call tours.

[Paul Dobbin]

Local car show are a mixed bag for me, here's why:  After 50 years in Florida, we moved to the Smoky Mountains, and my circle of car friends was national, not local.  After 40 national tours in 6 different cars, everyone I knew was someplace else.

Local parking lot shows gave me a chance to find others who enjoyed actually driving their cars.  A trip to the local historical society showed me that they two had a hard time attracting new members (As all associations do).  I suggested that I write a local history tour of our area and invite antique vehicles 50 years and older to join us for our history tour in their cars & trucks.  The Historical Society became the name sponsor and it's 501 3c status got us some publicity.  The historical people helped me with the local history and we had 15 vehicles commit to come for the 25 mile tour.  To get them to read the tour instructions and history I offered a free lunch at the end for the vehicle occupants who scored the highest score on the history quiz.  We had a rain date, we had to use and 11 old cars (50% Pre WWII) came and had fun with their cars, even the local guys learned some history.

Now, 1 1/2 year later, we've done 8 local tours and 1 three State Tour.  The fun part is, I now know most of the old car community and if you see us in a parking lot it's because we just used our vehicles for what they were intended and we're inside getting food & refreshments along with lots of car talk.   I now have 35 names on my notice of tour list and at least 28 of them have already participated (Not all at once, but up to 17 at a time).

We love the cars and it's a good introduction to nice interesting people.  Back roads and old cars are a perfect mix on Sunday afternoons when traffic is light.  The newcomers are gaining confidence in their vehicles and in some cases getting a little mechanical help from others who share their interests.  Sure beats a loud parking lot show!

[Marty Roth]

As a is often the case, Paul has noted an innovative approach  --- Kudos !!

[46 woodie]

Matt brings up a really great point. I have been going to Hershey since 1968. I own a Model A now and have owned several over the years, so when I get to the show grounds at Hershey I always look for them. Last year there were about a dozen Model A's on the field. Back in the late '60s and '70s there were rows and rows of Model A's. Being a bit of a "pack rat" I tend to save everything so when I got back home, I got out the 1968 Hershey Program and counted over 200 Model A's. I stopped at 200, there were probably 250. Where the heck are these cars now? I guess the owners have passed on but someone should have their cars. They just don't disappear. I know this hobby is cyclical and everyone now want's muscle cars, but if you have one, get that old car out. Join a club, ask questions, get your kid's involved. I just can't see having an antique car sitting and not being used. That being said, anyone reading my rant probably has an antique car and takes it out once in a while. So the $64,000 question, how do we find all those cars and get them back into the sunlight.

[Mark Shaw]

 I agree with Marty; Kudos X 2 from me... 

 

Way to go Paul! 

[nick8086]

The cars need the older guy to help  new car guys..

 

It helps to paint and repair..

Edited August 20, 2016 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[Larry Schramm]

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2016 at 3:50 PM, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

Yes, sometimes things go in trends and fads that become ruts;

but I like being exactly the opposite of what you describe.

If 1957 Chevrolets and 1965 Ford Mustangs are popular,

I leave them to others and search out something different.

I'll pass the common cars at big shows and look at the

1926 Ajax and the 1950 Nash.

 

Even when buying cars, I want something different.

They make good conversation pieces for sharing with others.

 

 

I generally do not do "local" car shows.  Think what it is like when I bring my truck.  Now that is different.  As I say, it is not just another Mustang, Camaro, or Corvette, etc.  And we have a Corvette that we bought when we got married.

Edited August 19, 2016 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

I look for local car shows that have antiques but not street rods.

Both are plentiful around here, and sometimes the local shows mix them.

To me, a serious antique car show has only antiques.

 

No offense to the rodders, but I like seeing automotive history,

not modified history.

[39BuickEight]

I enjoy local shows, as I enjoy anything with wheels.  Unfortunately for me I prefer original cars, but they are outnumbered around here 100 to 1.  It was neat to see old cars actually on the road when I took my trip to new England this year.  At least once a day I would see a 1950's or older car out and about.  I see that here maybe 2-3 times a year.