At the Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, and the surrounding areas, have a nearly endless variety of automotive events available to attend, at practically any time of the year. Southern California is blessed with the kind of weather that calls to us. It beckons us to enjoy the sun and wander through the rows of gleaming chrome and paint.

But once a year there is an addition to the long list of must-see auto shows, and it’s aimed directly at the soul of the automotive enthusiast. The Classic Auto Show strives to be the pinnacle of car shows. The CAS is held in the Los Angeles Convention Center and is the largest 3-day indoor classic car show in the United States. The show exhibits over 1,000 classics on two floors, and includes rarely seen, museum-quality classics displayed on the prominent Grand Boulevard. Also included are celebrity builds and hundreds of classics from local car clubs, and automotive institutions like the Petersen Museum. This year they added Hot Rods, Lowriders, Japanese Classics, Vintage Off-Road vehicles, Women Builds, Porsche, and Motorcycles to the lengthy list of attractions.

The Classic Auto Show returns to L.A. with seven new exhibits and expands to two floors

Emcee, Randy Kerdoon, who is the host of Talking About Cars on KNX 1070 Newsradio, sat down with featured celebrities to give live interviews before an eager crowd gathered at the Celebrity Stage. The celebrity interview list was packed with automotive aficionados, television show hosts, racers and even an automotive appraiser. The list included Wayne Carini, Dave Kindig, Dennis Gage, Stacey David, Don “The Snake” Prudhomme, Jessi Combs, Mike Brewer, Bill Goldberg and many others including the master, Chip Foose.

This year, a new addition to the Classic Auto Show was the Auto Detailing Studio. This was an opportunity to earn everything you need to know to detail your car from the inside out. Instruction on the latest techniques and products from industry pros. A great chance to learn how to get your car “show ready”. Hosted by Jimbo Balaam, who produces The Auto Detailing Podcast -a free resource for people wanting to detail their car faster and better.

Also new this year to the Classic Auto Show was the Restoration Station which gives attendees a chance to hear from the experts, get advice and earn techniques to get your build up-and-running. Segments featured topics including: an Upholstery Demo, Pitfalls to Avoid When Beginning a Restoration, An A to Z Guide to the Stages of Restoration and an All Women Build which consisted of a Chevy Montage Restoration with Bogi Lateiner, and many  others.

LA’s Classic Auto Show showcased over 137 million dollars worth of automotive history’s finest and rarest classic cars

Lots of opportunities to meet authors and automotive celebrities at the autograph signings held throughout the event. The celebrities in attendance were, Fireball Tim, Jennifer Caputo-Armstrong, Danny McKeever, the preeminent beauty queen of stock car racing- – Linda Vaughn, Lyn St. James, Jeff Allen and others. Plus, there were many opportunities to get autographs and shake hands with the many celebrities in attendance. A special area was available after each interview where fans could meet them personally. This was a very popular portion of the CAS.

I addition to all the other activities, appearances, autograph opportunities and of course, the hundreds and hundreds of cars on display, there was even an on-site theater where you could watch iconic automotive films and documentaries, The CAS KidZone, Restoration Row and the CAS Project Car and even the 2017 People’s Choice Award which went to a spectacular light blue 1956 Austin-Healey 100, owned by Bill Hoyt.

Also included are celebrity builds and hundreds of classics from local car clubs, and automotive institutions like the Petersen Museum.

Without question, the Los Angeles Classic Auto Show gives attendees the “wow-factor”, and a lot of it. We all enjoy the local, neighborhood car show held outdoors that feature local examples of automotive pride on display in the sun. But I must admit, it was a special experience to step inside, out of the sun, and take in the tremendous number of high-quality vehicles, all within the Convention Center. With all the well-thought-out elements of this unique show, the Classic Auto Show definitely delivers. CAS = WOW!

Without question, the Los Angeles Classic Auto Show gives attendees the “wow-factor”, and a lot of it

---