New cars at Shows
 

Ok, what say you guys, should new cars be at shows, cars and coffee?
I heard one guy say, if the year of your car starts w/ a 2, you got no business at a car event, unless you brought a special car from one of the Automakers.

Well, a 2000 model year vehicle is 25 years old. That's a classic according to the State of Michigan and you could run historic plates.

Face it, Burd: you're getting old. ;)


We all are.

K

So many car shows. The organizers are putting in the work so it's their call.

If it’s something special sure but if it’s a car I can find at any local dealer no. And depends on the show, if it’s a cars and coffee prob doesn’t matter, but a 2025 base corvette at a true car show isn’t for me

Our annual car show is tomorrow, and we welcome all of them. Car people take pride in their car. Some are not able to build something themselves, so the only option is to buy something. If they are not able to maintain a classic car then they buy something newer. They are still proud of their car, just the same as I am proud of my '69 Camaro. We have classes for old cars and new cars so that they don't compete against each other.

I feel the hobby overall is showing signs of aging out. While it does reinvent to a degree, overall the trajectory is not favorable. Having said that, I don't think it is a good idea overall to start drawing lines in the sand. Do I care to look at a new to 10 year old car? In most cases no. But, you need those people and have to respect what makes them tick.

I remember when a 67 Corvette was a 10,15,20 year old car. Myself and many other people lusted after them then, as they do today.

I too have looked askance at new cars at shows, but remind myself they are sponsoring the shows attendance and keeping the younger generation in the car hobby,

Early this season I was at a local show with 12 C8 Corvettes. Add the late model Challengers, Camaros, Mustangs and it is a third to half of the vehicles there.

Those cars have no place at a classic car show.

I was at Corvettes at Carlisle last weekend and it was dominated by new/newer Corvettes. That was fine with me.

Also, NCRS just opened Concours Judging to C7 and C8 Corvettes, it is called the "open" class.

I don't mind newer cars at car shows. I usually only look at one or two of them though, after that they all look the same.

There are certain late-model cars that I will walk past a row of 57 Chevys, 69 Camaros, and 70 Chevelles to look at. Some that others might not even know are "special"... if I come to a local show and find 100 cars that I've seen at every other local show, but someone shows up in a 2012-2014 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon with a manual trans and Opulent Blue paint, you can bet that's the car I'm going to remember most from that show. Most old car guys might even think "why would someone bring that to a car show" if they saw one.

Fact is, what's "special" often doesn't look much different than what's mundane and if you're not into them you wouldn't know.

Imagine showing up to a car event in the early-70s with your '69 ZL1 and some guy with a Model A that they made 4.8 million of tells you that your car isn't special enough to get in the gate because it looks just like the 307/pg car on the used car lot down the street.

No, 26 is a classic. To get plates it’s gotta be 26, so it’s a 1999. So the 2 rule applies.
Keith, I’ve seen a new Cadillac suv a few time in pasteiners parking lot, I brought that up to Steve, he said if the guy buys his expensive models he’s good. One sat morn, I should get 40 new minivans there and fill up the lot.

Here’s the rules for classics in Michigan….

In the early 70’s he’s correct. But when his old Ford doesn’t start, leave the show and wave. lol

Was it the 682hp Escalade-V that starts at $170k?

OK allow me to stir the pot here...

For ME, (and this is just my opinion), I can never understand the thinking of someone who feels their (enter make and model) newer car is worthy of being entered into a car show. And for those trophy hunters...well that's another story.

I also understand why a promoter, in the interest of viability, may allow this, but I would challenge said promoters to get out there, recruit and network.

While I would absolutely love to own a new Challenger or Corvette, I would never take consider taking up the space required at any real car show.

Now of course there are some exceptions, but c'mon now. If it can be seen at your local showroom or on an average used car lot, or even at your local Walmart, please park it somewhere else.

This "trend" is why I choose the events I attend carefully.

As I said, just my opinion, for whatever that is worth!

Bashton

26 years? That's kind of a weird number.

Is that a (somewhat) recent change?

K

I don't mind the new cars but I agree with most comments here
Maybe it's me, and I'll preface this by saying I'm a huge music fan
A local cruise in blasts doo-wop music. I find it unbearable. What happened to classic rock that was popular when our muscle cars and classics were new? CCR, ABB, LZ, etc...

I have both modern and classic muscle cars. The biggest cars and coffee in my area attracts between 700 to 1000 cars each month. Most of them are modern cars. I usually take my Challenger Redeye. Most of the shows in my area that give out awards have separate classes for modern cars. Some of the shows don't allow modern cars. I don't have a problem with modern cars at shows but they shouldn't compete for the same awards as the classics. Allowing modern cars at shows helps the promoters make more money for the charities.

----Among the small collection of cars that I have and love is a 2008 Mercedes E63 wagon. I love this car and pamper it. There were only 52 imported into the US in 2008 so they are very hard to find. I would and have brought it to Pastieners as there are guys there that appreciate the rarity. I wouldn't take it to other shows that exist for all the great older collectable cars that are out there. I guess it all comes down to picking the venue you are thinking of attending for me!....Bill S

There was a time in the 60’s and 70’s when the then new muscle cars were showing up and car shows dominated by the then old timers driving the 30, 40 and 50 s rods etc. Probably felt the same way.
The cycle repeats and will continue to do so every generation!

Exactly. I remember when the discussion was if C3 Corvettes should be allowed.

K

It's to the point now that when they start playing "Little GTO" I record a snippet and send it to my kids just to piss 'em off.

K

The newer cars are certainly prolific at the race track.

In this first photo you can see some kind of new MOPAR back there...

Kinda hard to see but there's a newer Mustang back there...

and even harder to see a new Camaro back there.

K

I don’t know, durring Covid I put classic on my 95. I don’t do shows, I’m planning on doing a JDM cars and coffee, it’s at high octane coffee, side note, anyone ever been there?
I put an authentic plate on just to beat the 247$ a year, plates goes off monroney here. BS. Anyway, I’m waiting to get pulled over, the car looks too new to show a blue plate on, AND I didn’t cruze Woodward in it, do cars shows none of that. Once I saw a tuner at a car show, he had kamakaze crap, head band on, I was hoping a Vet would kick him in the balls. Can I say that here :naughty:
26 keeps it in the 90’s Keith :headbang:

We, the people who were alive when these cars were originally built, whose parents drove them when new, and we who drove them in high school, etc., are DYING OFF by the thousands every day.

The easiest way to ensure the total extinction of this hobby is to restrict car shows and meets from people with newer cars who have an interest in the internal combustion engine.

Go ahead and cut off the attendee year at 1973, like they used to at most car shows and watch the attendance fall to nothing in the next couple years.

I have a helluva lot of fun driving my 2022 Redeye to a cars and coffee one week and then my grandfather's 1971 Lincoln the next. Guess what? Tomorrow I am bringing my 1995 diesel Suburban (that I bought new in '95 and now has historic license plates on it) to the local cruise night because there's a trucks, military, and first responder vehicles themed event scheduled.

The last time I brought the Lincoln, it got more attention than any car I previously brought, including 426 Hemi cars and SD Pontiacs. A 17 year-old boy and his girlfriend could not believe they made cars that humungous back in the day. I let them climb inside the thing and take pictures. They were overjoyed. They totally freaked out when I flipped the headlights on and the headlight doors opened up. They'd never seen anything like that before. This was a kid who had brought a little 2000's-era Honda to the cruise night. This is the next generation that is expressing an interest in these cars. We should feel privileged that they want us to pass the torch to them. Otherwise that torch is sure to sputter out through spite and rightfully perceived as "typical Boomer behavior".

I went to a show last year where they were going to have too many cars for the area they had and they did limit the age. Maybe 2010 or something. I dont know but there were 3 or 4 cars that did not meet the age and they let them stay. It was a pre registered deal so maybe they didnt want to tell them to leave. The dumb thing they did was award the top two awards to kit cars that I knew were a few years old:rolleyes2:

Historical plates on a kit car. :bs:
A buddy used to have a Fauxbra, ( kit Cobra). He put historical plates on it. It’s titled as a fairly new car, not sure how it went through.

Here I wish there were an option to submit "THANKS" times about ten....

Agreed Bill!!

One year in Orlando, I had enough of the strip there, I took a drive and found an area that was nice, sand lake rd I think it was, sat morn there was a Smoke Shop that everyone brought their Exotics and had coffee and a cigar, it was nice seeing all the high end European cars. No mustangs, vettes or Chryslers.

I don't know if it's the same all over as it is here locally where I live, but here there is a distinct difference between a car show and a gathering at a cars and coffee event. All our local car shows charge an entrance fee for anyone wanting to display their car, usually $30-$40. Spectators wanting to view the cars get in free. A cars and coffee event is where you just show up, usually at a large shopping center parking lot on a Saturday morning. These are approved ahead of time by the shopping center. There is no charge for the car owners or spectators.

The cars and coffee events have cars from old to modern. The car shows usually have cars mostly from the '50's to the '70's.

We had our annual car show yesterday and we judged the cars by decade. The registration sheets for the '60s was the tallest, but the sheets from the 2000s was almost as tall. If we had not allowed cars from the 2000, 2010 and 2020s we would not have had a show. They greatly outnumbered the cars from pre '49, '50s, '70s, '80s and '90s.

No EFI would be a good line to draw in the sand.

So, no restomod old cars with a modern LS or hemi swapped into it?:grin:

Had a great time at the local cruise night. A ton of weird, never before seen trucks in addition to all the normal musclecars showed up. Looked what parked next to me: A vintage Mack semi. This guy just restores old Mack trucks as a business/hobby. He ships them all over the U.S. It was quite a spectacle seeing him maneauver that thing into the parking spot. It has manual steering. No wonder the guy was built like fire hydrant. He had Popeye-sized arms from driving old-school Macks all these years. Cool dude. There were some Unimogs, a half dozen WWII Jeeps, a Command car or two, and some weird Euro military recovery truck in attendance. It was fun seeing stuff you'd never seen before

I had a bunch of people come up an ask about the 30 year old 'Burb. This is the new vintage station wagon. Every who came by said they grew up in one of these Old Body Style (OBS) Suburbans. To our age group, the station wagon was THE family car of our childhood. To the newer generation, it's the Suburbans. I had one lady really trying to buy it. She had to recently junk her 99 Suburban because the frame was so bad there was nothing holding the rear diff in place any more. She said if she won the mega millions this weekend she was going to hunt me down. :laugh:

I did point her across the lot to a 55,000 mile 1992 Suburban 1500 with 350 in it, that was for sale for $15k.

1999 cut off. :dunno:
State of Mi says a classic is 1999 back.

Here’s another, old coolers, picnic baskets, fake food on drive in trays, drive in speakers, stuffed animals, crying bumper kids, back seat lined with trophy’s, signed parts on a car, die casts all over the car
A bud always put a diecast on his Aircleaner of his 62 Pontiac, one day we were ready to leave the show and he slammed the hood on it. Instant low rider. :naughty:

Ouch! did he punch a car shaped dent into his hood?

BTW, I second that on those crying/leaning/peeing dolls on the bumper. I just don't understand that. :confused2:

Nope!