(Words and photos by Mike Brooks) – The Indoor car show season is still in full swing for 2015, and nobody has brought you more coverage than Bangshift! Those that know me know that I try to get to as many of these events as possible. Other than relocating to the west coast or south, it’s the best way to escape winter’s cold grasp. After many suggestions from friends in the car community about a massive show in Cleveland OH, I decided to cruise along the Lake Erie coast from my home in NY and head to the Summit Racing Equipment I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama. (even the name is massive) in Cleveland. The I-X center is the venue for the show is huge! How huge? Over 1 million square feet huge. There’s a friggin’ ferris wheel in the middle of the place for Pete’s sake! “If a piston makes it go, it’s in this show” is the motto for this event and they aren’t lying.
The place was filled to the brim with classic and custom cars & trucks, motorcycles, boats, aircraft, antique tractors, big rigs, military vehicles, antique construction equipment, vintage RV’s and more! The show featured some awesome restorations and custom builds as well as some historical drag cars. Central OH is pretty much the birthplace of the 60’s gasser movement, and there was an impressive array of gassers in attendance as well.
Spectators also had to check out some famous rides like the actual Two-Lane Blacktop ’55 Chevy and Fred Sanford’s pickup from the Sanford & Son TV show. A big trend developing over the past few years at shows across the nation features a segregated area for vehicles that may not be as “blinged-up” as their main floor counterparts. This show was no exception. The venue’s south hall featured the “Hot Rod Asylum” that included a vast assortment of traditional rods, rat rods, sleds, kustoms, local club displays, and even more gasser action.
I’d rather look at a tank or a skyraider than an another ls shmevey. Looks like an awesome show .