Automania /n/- (See Also: Cartastic)
By ~Patrick Krook
Show Your Auto VIP display at Automania 2011!
If you've been to large car shows,
you'd agree that most of the time it isn't about the venue. Even the
biggest car shows are relegated to the county fairgrounds or in the
inside of some large warehouse complex. Likewise, most small town
cruise-ins are tiny affairs, a hundred or so cars- mostly Sunday
drivers, lining a block or two of an historic main street. Sioux
Falls, South Dakota is a city, majestic buildings hewn from Sioux
Quartzite, the architecture is iconic, and so is Automania.
Automania is a phenomenon that occurs
every June when a big city hosts a small town cruise-in where even
Ridler Award winners sit parked curbside next to hometown vintage
muscle still owned by the original purchaser. It is a confluence of
the main street show and the largest concours gatherings. In 2011,
nearly 1,500 cars lined the streets of Sioux Falls including one of
most every Hurst performance model ever made all the way from
Chicago. Four ultra-rare muscle cars arrived from Colorado,
including one of only three 1970 fours speed Hemi Challengers factory
equipped with a Shaker hood. A 1971 440 SIX PACK GTX also also made
the journey from the Wellborn Muscle Car Museum located in Alexander
City, AL. This is much more than a local street show.
Drawing more than 1,000 collector
quality automobiles of every stripe and era is a a feat withing
itself, but Automania is much more than that. Perhaps what makes
this show stand out amongst all others is the people. At national
events held at fairgrounds, you are usually catering to a crowd of
fellow owners, all of whom adhere to an unwritten code of respect for
each others' rides. Street shows attract general public and to the
dread of most owners- the risk of damage to their prized possessions.
Over 70,000 people flooded the streets of down town Sioux Falls,
representing over half the local population, without incident. Sioux
Falls, known as the Best Little City in America, is also a true car
guy town as well. Local classic and collector cars lined not just
the main drag, but most every side street from mid-day, well into the
night. The flood of people was restrained, polite, respectful, but
most of all- appreciative of all the cars and their owners for
bringing them out to display. Crowd wrangling is less of an issue
when dealing with courteous folks who understand the virtue of
self-control.
As the sun set a live band played in front State Theater, rocking out to the backdrop of letters blinking S-T-A-T-E on the marquee. As twilight set in, the neon signs began to glow outside the local restaurants, playing off the jewel tone of a sapphire sky. The Paramount's sign glimmered green while enthusiasts relaxed “al frisco” style, enjoying the company of a 1969 Camaro. Further down the block, folks basked the warm glow of neon red Manerva's storefront banner, savoring gourmet food served street side. The 50's were reborn outside the Phillips Diner, the sky shifting to a turquoise blue as if to acknowledge the time travel of the city's business district. A '56 Pickup, a '49 Mercury, and a custom '38 four door sedan hung out as a '57 Ford Fairlane Skyliner retractable hardtop went top down, inviting in the evening breeze. Inside the period shift is complete with stainless, chrome, and overstuffed booths. The food at the Phillips is classic Americana with a sophisticated twist of careful presentation.
Every side street revealed another
scene cut from yet different age of American automobilia. Down one
block 1930's hot rods flanked by pin-up girls, each emulating their
favorite Vargus print or doing their best Betty Page impression.
Round the next corner and you are greeted by rows of '60 and 70's
muscle gathered under puddle lights, an automotive version of Edward
Hopper's Nighthawks. The 1969 Daytona played the roll of Bogart, the
Baldwin-Motion Camaro, James Dean. Down the next alley 427 Shelby
Cobra roadsters hold court along with a 429 powered 1970 Torino
Cobra, almost never seen, especially equipped with Ram Air shaker and
4speed top loader transmission. The crowds persisted well into the
night, cars not rolling for home until 11pm.
If that were the show, it would be a
noteworthy gathering. The fun, however continued the next day with
private garage tours. It is a testament to the quality of a
community when private collectors are willing show their cars a
public of tens of thousands. Opening your private collection for
public tour is a testament to the level of trust people share in
Sioux Falls. Day two of Automania entailed a private garage tour of
about a dozen of the most established local collectors and car
related businesses. The hospitality and warm welcome was tremendous
at each location. Strolling through the personal garages lent
insight into how each person relates to the car hobby. On tour we
were treated to the entire collection of American powered European
exotics, 1950's and '60's lead sleds, a collection of resto-modded
Impalas. We saw walls and walls of automotive art- even a hot-rodded
coffee table, not mention the two headed cow. The most impressive
business tour was Dakota Digital gauge works. It was a first hand
look at the entire process from design to production and order
fulfillment. Begun in the founder's garage, Dakota Digital is a
modern facility that demonstrates that small scale manufacturing is
still viable in the United States. They are able to produce and
distribute internationally a full catalog of parts as well as fulfill
custom orders to fit an individual builder's need. Sturdevant's
Auto Parts hosted a barbecue pork tenderloin lunch in their 105,000
square foot S.A.E. Warehouse. We enjoyed really good food, sharing
company with genuine car guys. Perhaps there is a reason that Sioux
Falls only has a 5% unemployment rate.
The final day of Automania 2011 paid
homage to the gods of commerce with an indoor auction by Silver.
Offerings ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. No matter your
taste or budget, it was a buyer's market. If you were inspired by
the street scene of Friday night and wanted to join it next year, the
auction was the perfect place to grab some sweet wheels at an even
sweeter price. Whether you were where there for the street show, the
live music, the excellent food from downtown restaurants, the
hospitality local collectors, or stayed to take advantage of an
auction steal, one and all can agree Automania is the epitome of
cartastic.
Show Your Auto sponsors Automania! 2011 in Sioux Falls, SD, a set on Flickr.
