I’m picky about which car shows I attend.
Here in Southern California, we are certainly blessed by being immersed in the car culture. There are countless automotive events going on every weekend. I absolutely love it. However, over the years, I’ve become more selective about which events I attend. Maybe I’ve become a bit jaded? I hate to think I’m a “car show snob,” however, I do want to see something different. I want to be dazzled. I’m not interested in seeing the cleanest or shiniest cars, and I don’t want to see a Wal-Mart parking lot full of late model Mustangs with their hoods up either. Last year was the first time I attended the Art Center College of Design’s annual Car Classic show. It profoundly changed me.
Over the last 5-years, I’ve found myself less interested in spending a whole day at a traditional car show. You know the ones where that creepy looking 2-foot-tall stuffed/plush toy child is leaning head first against a car fender or a couple of octogenarians are sitting in their fold-out chairs ready to perform a dissertation lecture on the finer points of chrome finishes. However, the Art Center’s show captivated me for over 6-hours…a miracle for me. I can’t remember the last time I did anything for 6-hours straight (including sleep). So, when my good friend Eric Noble (owner of The CARLAB and a Professor at the Art Center) invited me this year, I eagerly accepted. Truth be told, it had been on my automotive calendar for some time. I was just excited to get to come as “media.”
Of course, just like picking out an outfit, I spent the week pondering my automotive selection to drive to the event. Ok, I am nuts. However, I know many of you who have choices, do the same thing. Let’s see, the event would be at least an hour drive on LA Freeways and it would be 90-degrees out. The choice was easy…our 1984 Porsche 928 S (with a slight over-heating issue). It’s an automatic, has ice-cold A/C, and it just oozes automotive design. The drive there was a blast (at least for me) as I turned our ribbon of crappy concrete roads into my own personal autobahn with a few peeks at triple digits until my wife said, “really?”
The Art Center’s campus is spectacular. It is nestled up in the hills over-looking Pasadena. As one approaches the school, the road curls under a large glass structure which appears to be a tall building that had been pushed on its side and came to rest in two lumps on the hillside. It’s obvious you’re entering something special. The parking lot alone is a spectacle in itself. Students, professors, and VIPs have all brought out their toys as well. Everything from BMW E30 M3s to Lamborghini Espadas fill the spaces. My wife literally had to drag me to the entrance as I could’ve spent hours just in the parking lot. There is something very appealing about vintage cars that are driven. You get to see how they look when they are used on a regular basis. Finally, we queue in the media entrance and I instantly feel out of place. All the people around me have these large cameras, those goofy photographer vests, and even small voice recorders. I have my water bottle, iPhone, and wife…yup, that’s it. As I get my credentials, the staff member looks me up and down and I know he is wondering if I’m for real. I quickly reassure that Rupert’s pulling up with the rest of our equipment…my wife rolls her eyes (wasn’t the last time that day).
At this point, I feel like a kid at the grand opening of a Toys R Us®. I’m off speed-walking down the hallway of the main school building. My wife lingers behind looking at the student drawings lining the way. With each peak into a classroom, more wondrous images capture our attention. The work these students are producing is mind boggling. The campus is just exploding with creativity. Then again, this is the world pinnacle of automotive design and we are browsing through its epicenter. We both agree that we have to come back on another day just to tour the campus. We finally make it to the main field of display. You exit out of the glass structure at the top of a staircase not only overlooking the cars, but the entire LA basin. The view is breathtaking.
This year’s theme is Red, White, and Blue: Celebrating Italian, American and French Design. The field is grouped like a flag. Red Italian cars line the right side of the space and climb up the hillside. In the middle are a cluster of white domestic offerings. And finally, to our left are the blue French contingency (naturally, near where the smell of food is being cooked). Instantly, my wife and I are separated. I’m taking pictures and videos of the Italian cars at a frenzied pace while she becomes more absorbed with Citroen 2CV wagon filled with baguettes. The curation of this event is unlike any other show. The diversity of condition and examples is expansive; however, the number of cars is limited. It is apparent that a lot of thought went into sharing unique examples that express the importance of automotive design. There aren’t dozens of the same make and model. This show is all about quality, not quantity.
As I engross myself in a spectacular 1976 Lamborghini Countach LP400 “Periscopo,” I hear leaders in the automotive world being interviewed and broadcasted across the speaker system. These aren’t the normal “tell me about your car” interviews, but rather discussions about the ideas of design and how they impact us. It was almost as if you were walking through a museum wearing narration headphones. Before I knew it, it was 3pm and time to leave. Where did the day go? Had I seen everything? I felt as if I was leaving my house and wondering if I forgot something. Did I take enough pictures? I seriously didn’t want it to end.
Although I’m a bit sad, I’m excited to see what new theme the school comes up with for next year’s show and know it will be just as exciting and interesting as the ones before. As we quietly walk back to our 928 (and I wonder if I brought some extra coolant), I linger at the few cars left like a child savoring that last bite of ice cream. I wonder to myself, “can I enroll at Art Center as a 48-year old?”
Thank you to Teri Bond, Media Relations Director for the Art Center, and all the rest of the students, professors, and staff for the invitation and wonderful celebration of the automotive industry.
