2017 Dallas AutoRama
The 56th annual Dallas AutoRama classic car and trade show took place over this past weekend, drawing a crowd of nearly 46,000 people and 300 competitive car, bike, and truck classes. Since 1961, AutoRama Dallas has been the place to be to check out hundreds of classic cars, browse vendor tables, and even meet special guests. This year's big name guest was world famous car designer Gene Winfield, best known for designing the original Pontiac Trans Am as well as cars for movies like Back to the Future and Blade Runner.
AutoRama drew lots of attention and adoring classic car fans and clubs. While most simply get to gaze at the stunning machines, I got an inside scoop and tour from a member of the Dallas Area Pontiac Association. A good friend of mine got me behind the scenes of the club, and gave me a special tour of their cars entered into the show. Their booth (more like an entire row) was filled with gleaming GTOs, Firebirds, and Trans Ams. My personal favorite within the Pontiac crew was a mint condition blue 1970 GTO (included in pictures below). With a beautiful interior and detailed engine to match, it was hard to take my eyes off of that car.
After visiting the Pontiacs, we toured the rest of the show, which featured some of the most beautiful and ostentatious cars I have ever seen. Another personal favorite on my list was a pristine 1969 Chevrolet Camaro in the shiniest black paint I have ever seen (included in pictures below). I could practically see my reflection in the clear coat! We then continued on to the Ford Mustangs, which featured a GT350 signed by Carroll Shelby on the dash.
In another room, we found a couple old dragsters, decked out show cars with crazy paint jobs and insane modifications, and even a few imports (which turned out to be only a few Nissans). Outside, a section of the parking lot had been fenced off to host the low riders. We got to browse through all sorts of makes and models showing off their bright paint colors and hydraulics.
Back inside, we headed over to the swap meet and vendor tables. The vendor tables were packed with old school memorabilia, art, rare collectibles, and car parts. Towards the back was a rough-looking '50s era chop top car with what looked like twenty guys hovering over it. We soon discovered that Gene Winfield was there doing a live demonstration on the car, hence the tons of guys standing around it. We stood and watched him cut, hammer, and weld on the car until he came forward to the crowd to sign autographs and socialize with fans.
The AutoRama experience is a great one for classic car enthusiasts, families, and pretty much everyone else. While it's no Mecum auction, it's one of the best places for classic car lovers to come meet with owners, purchase old school stuff, and check out some badass classic cars.
