SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — By 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, the line of trailers waiting to enter the fairgrounds stretched nearly a mile down the frontage road, their cargo hidden under fitted covers. By 9 a.m., the covers were off, and roughly 1,100 vintage cars sat gleaming in the desert sun for the 28th annual Sonoran Classic, the largest weekend car show in Arizona.
Organizers estimated attendance at about 40,000 over two days, a record, with entries ranging from meticulously restored 1950s coupes to rusty barn finds displayed exactly as they were discovered.
A hobby that is getting younger
For years, the classic car world has worried about an aging base of collectors. This weekend offered some evidence that the worry may be overblown. Show director Lorraine Bautista said about 30 percent of this year’s registered entrants were under 40, up from roughly 18 percent five years ago.
Many of the younger owners gravitate toward cars from the 1980s and 1990s, the boxy sedans and small sports cars they remember from childhood, rather than the tailfin-era cruisers their grandparents prized. One full row was devoted to compact hatchbacks, several fitted with period-correct cassette decks and aftermarket wheels.
My dad drove one of these to my soccer games. When I found this one on a farm outside Prescott, I knew exactly how the seats were supposed to smell.
Andre Whitfield, 33, owner of a restored 1987 hatchback
Bautista said the show added a “Rad Era row” category three years ago, and it has since become one of the most popular areas for families. “Kids walk up to a 60-year-old car and they’re polite,” she said. “They walk up to a car with pop-up headlights and they lose their minds.”
Prices and preservation
Collector car values have cooled somewhat after a pandemic-era spike, according to dealers attending the show. Mid-market cars, those typically valued between $25,000 and $75,000, have softened by about 10 percent over the past year, said Hank Morrow, an appraiser with Desert Mile Classics. Top-tier, fully documented cars continue to sell well.
- Cars on display: about 1,100, from 31 states
- Oldest entry: a 1919 touring car, still driven to local shows
- Most-entered decade: the 1960s, with 286 cars
- Charity proceeds: about $210,000 for regional vocational programs
Not every veteran collector welcomes the changes. Some longtime exhibitors grumbled that judging categories have multiplied and that heavily modified “restomods,” classic bodies fitted with modern engines and electronics, are crowding out original cars. “There’s room for everybody,” said Clifford Haines, 74, who has shown a two-tone 1956 sedan at the Classic for 22 years. “But somebody has to keep the originals original.”
Others see modifications as the hobby’s lifeline. Several shops displayed classic bodies converted to electric drive, a trend that drew both crowds and skeptical looks. “Half the people tell me it’s sacrilege and the other half ask for my business card,” said Rosa Delacroix, owner of a Tempe conversion shop.
The Classic also doubles as a fundraiser. Proceeds from entry fees and a Sunday auction support automotive technology programs at two regional community colleges, where students restore donated cars as part of their coursework. Three of those student-built cars were on display this year, and one took home a second-place ribbon in its class.
As temperatures climbed toward 90 degrees Sunday afternoon, owners began lining up for the traditional parade lap around the fairgrounds before loading back onto their trailers. Organizers said registration for next year’s show will open in the spring.
