Past Events The 2019 Classic Auto Show

The Classic Auto Show (CAS) is a car person’s delight. This year’s CAS was held March 16-17, 2019 at their new location, the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.

This year’s Grand Marshall was comedian, radio and television personality Adam Carolla who cut the ribbon early Saturday morning, officially opening the doors for spectators to enjoy the estimated 2,000 vehicles that were on display both in- side and outside the buildings of the sprawling facility.

Some of the vehicles included rarely seen, museum quality classics, celebrity builds, as well as and hundreds of vintage and modern rides from dozens of the top car clubs in Southern California. Whether it was hot rods, low riders, sports cars, race cars, American muscle or foreign marks, the Classic Auto Show has become one of the major automotive events in the United States.

Features such as Restoration Row offered enthusiasts the opportunity to learn the latest techniques to get their build up and running. There were pin-striping demonstrations with master striper Johnny Martinez and other special attractions, including “40 Shades of Green” (a collection of green vehicles to commemorate the St. Patrick’s Day weekend on which the event was held). The organizers also introduced a new “Classic Truck Tailgate Party” with a variety of vintage pickup trucks, set amidst a family-friendly atmosphere with live bands. To top it off, one of the most sensory overload features was the addition of several vintage, nitro burning top fuel dragsters that performed live push starts thanks to former NHRA Director of Competition Steve Gibbs and his team at Nitro Revival.

While the cars were the stars, the Classic Auto Show also attracts many celebrities from the automo- tive world. This year attendees got to experience meet and greets with Bogi from “All Girls Garage”; Wayne Carini from “Chasing Classic Cars”; metal fabricator, Land Speed Record Holder and television personality Jessi Combs; Mike Finnegan from “Roadkill”; Dave Kindig from “Bitchin Rides”; Christy Lee from “All Girls Garage”; iconic racecar driver Lyn St. James; the First Lady of Motorsports and Miss Hurst Shifter Linda Vaughn; Mopar Guru

Mark Worman from “Graveyard Cars” and many more. The Classic Auto Show continues to be a fantastic addition to the Southern California car show scene, and if you have the chance to attend in 2020, make certain you put it on your calendar.