Detroit Autorama Daydreams

In a perfect world, I would have started this post by saying, “My cameras are charged, my notebooks ready, and I’m heading downtown for the Autorama first thing in the morning.” Unfortunately, that’s not the case this year. My flight to Detroit actually leaves on Wednesday—three days after the show gets packed up and everyone heads home.

But that’s okay; I’m not worried. I know for a fact the H.A.M.B. will be buzzing with coverage. As I planned this week’s post, I was looking back through my Jalopy Journal Autorama stories of yesteryear. They took on many different forms: longform, short form, photo essays and more. That makes sense for the ’ol Autorama. It’s a dynamic show. It always has been and always will be.

Re-reading those pieces was a trip down memory lane for me. There’s such a sense of excitement grabbing my passes in the lobby and walking quickly through the doors onto the show floor. The cars. The smell. The noise. The people. The atmosphere. Everything.

With my mind still in Motor City mode, I took a dive into a very old thread chock-full of Auotrama history. Whether you’re going to the show this weekend or not, I recommend looking through all 12 pages. I plucked a handful of favorites to share on here, but we’re only scratching the surface. With any luck, I’ll be there next year. We shall see!

—Joey Ukrop