(Words and photos by Mike Brooks) – One of the shows at the top of my list each year is an insanely huge indoor show in Cleveland OH. The Summit Racing Equipment I-X Piston Powered Auto-Rama is a gearheads paradise! The motto for this event is “If a piston makes it go, it’s in the show!”, and they speak the truth. This show covers everything! Just about every car show features classics, musclecars, trucks, race cars, hot rods and motorcycles. But, this show is more than a car show.
This event also features all kinds of military vehicles, boats, antique tractors and construction equipment, classic and antique big rigs and tow trucks, large scale model trains, boogie vans, planes and more spread out over 1 MILLION square feet! Not to mention sections designated for the swap meet, vendors, manufacturer’s midway, pinstriping panel jam and charity auction, as well as soap box derby racing. Yeah, you read that right, this show will make your head spin! And yes, that is a full size ferris wheel you’ll notice in some of the photos, I told you this place was big! One of the many highlights of the show was the newly acquired Boeing KC-97G Stratofighter that now calls the IX Center home. The 14,000 horsepower vintage Air Force plane will be converted into a restaurant for visitors to enjoy within the next couple years. I couldn’t get over the size of this thing and the fact that it blends right in to this massive show. Summit Racing Equipment was of course on hand providing all your horsepower needs at a special show discount while displaying cars from Drag Week Veterans Jeff Lutz and Jeff Lutz Jr. Another highlight of the show is the “Hot Rod Asylum” put on by the Slick Devils Car club. In this display you’ll find an awesome selection of hardcore hot rods, rat rods, and vintage drag cars.
Nice!