We’re Here so You Can Go!
American Collectors Insurance has gathered a list of great websites that allow you to find collector and classic car shows near you. Even if you don’t own your dream car (yet), these sites provide collector and classic car show information for great venues and events to go check out the vehicle of your dreams. Use the links below to find a collector and classic car show near you!
Collector and Classic Car Shows Calendar Resources
American Collectors Insurance’s Collector and Classic Car Show Events Calendar:
Events Calendar
Hemmings Motor News:
Hemmings supports the collector-car hobby by attending 100+ car shows and related automotive events each year. Specially designed trailers, lavishly illustrated with images of distinctive old cars, have become welcomed destinations for enthusiasts attending car shows from New England to the Northwest, from the Great Lakes Region to Florida, and hundreds of towns in between. Check out a calendar of upcoming collector and classic car shows near you!
CarShowSafari.com:
CarShowSafari.com is a well-established website providing complete, comprehensive and up-to-date listings of car shows and motorsport events nationwide.
Cars & Coffee Local Events:
Every single Saturday and Sunday of every single weekend there is a Cars & Coffee event somewhere in the United States. Thousands of automotive diehards are waking up at the crack of dawn to secure the best parking spots for their pride and joy and “talk cars” with other like-minded individuals with gasoline running through their veins. Find your local Cars & Coffee event locations here!
Collector and Classic Car Shows Types
Cruise-Ins are coming in a variety of forms these days. Perhaps it’s a regularly scheduled evening at a local burger restaurant or impromptu morning cars and coffee at a local strip mall. Cruise-Ins are very social. It’s a great way to meet up with like-minded enthusiasts on a flexible schedule. You can come and go as you please, generally park where you like and take advantage of grouping up with friends. No invitations or reservations are required, and no entry fees. Conversely there are likely no judges or prizes. Cruise-Ins are simple and inexpensive ways to see and be seen for auto enthusiasts.
Car Shows generally come with a higher level of organization. Car clubs will often act as the “sponsor” or organizer of a Car Show. They will typically include class and best overall judging and a “people’s choice” award. Due to their more organized nature, participants need to register in advance, pay an entrance fee, and check-in upon arrival. Cars are grouped by make or “class,” Thus, participants will be required to park as instructed by the event organizer rather than parking near friends. Entrance fees are often used to cover Car Show organizational costs, prizes and often contribute to a local charity. Usually, the start/stop times are pre-determined, and there is an expectation that participants stay for the show’s duration. One fundamental way to keep the attendees at the Car Show is to hold off the award announcements and distribution until the end!
Concours or Concours de elegance (Elegance Contest) tend to lean toward the best of the best. Cars that participate are generally by invitation. Occasionally a participant will have been required to have won another event to be considered for a Concourse. These cars are organized by class and represent the very best examples of that style or period. Some vehicles will be identified as approved Concours participants in advance of being purchased and painstakingly (expensively) restored to period correct, like new, condition. Cars are subjected to hand-selected Concours judges for class and overall best in show prizes on a 100-point method of judging. In this format, cars start with 100 points, and then points are deducted for lack of quality or accuracy. Concours event prizes can impact the value of a vehicle if that Concours is held in high esteem within the collector community.
Car Tours follow planned routes that can be participated in as a group or individually. Some of the organized group tours will be single-day adventures or multi-day, including food and accommodations in the itinerary and or cost. Enthusiasts often like this because they’re traveling with like-minded individuals in almost a parade formation at times. You have other enthusiasts on the tour that can and will help in the event of car trouble on a more extended trip. Many drives will even provide a support or “sweep” vehicle to assist anyone that ends up involuntarily taking in the scenery! On a multi-day event, entrance fees will likely include hotel and meal accommodations in the cost.
Any gathering can be a great place to admire different interpretations of cars that you know and love; while getting introduced to new makes and models that you might not have appreciated in the past. Regardless of your vehicle interests, these events are equally valuable for networking with other enthusiasts. As with many things in life, networking can make your experience in the collector car space more rewarding.
