Car Shows are a Thing of the Past and That’s a Good Thing
The year 1900 saw more than just a new century ushered in, it saw a lot of firsts for the automotive industry. The first steering wheel was used in cars from Packard and Orient. Although there seems to be some debate about this as article over at TheNewswheel.com gives the honor of the first production automobiles to come equipped with steering wheels to Ramblers of 1904. I will include a couple links below so you can decide for yourself, but I am going with the December 1924 article of the Automotive Trade Journal as my source. Of course steering wheels are not what we are here to talk about.
It seems that 1900 was the first year a exhibition dedicated solely to the automobile was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City. That was a different Madison Square Garden from the one we all remember Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers (see how I'm relating this to cars, clever innit?) crushed the hopes and dreams of Spike Lee and, well, all New Yorkers on a fairly regular basis in the 1980s.
The important point here is that for the first times folks were gathering to see the different types automobiles and haven't stopped even today. The love of cars is one of those things that humans find that allows them to instinctively form a community. People who love cars can find something to appreciate in a gathering no matter the era or style of cars on display.
Car shows can be inspirational. They might inspire a love for cars in someone who had never seen a car as anything other than way to get from point A to point B. Or they might give a real gearhead that little nudge that pushes their automotive creation into a new direction. The automobile has more than horsepower. They are everyday sculpture. Rolling pieces of art. Sure some can be uninspired and boring, but put one in the hands of a gearhead and watch what happen to even most mundane of transportation options.
Car Shows are temporary art festivals 1, 2, or 3 days of artists coming together to share their vision of the world. So get out there and look for car shows in your area and while you are participating remember that you are carrying on a tradition that has been going one for more than 100 years.
