18th ANNUAL EAST COAST INDOOR NATIONALS
- The All-Star Grand-Daddy of Car Shows
10:37 a.m. I just passed an awesome 1971 Dodge Challenger on the freeway. Zip! There goes a ’32 Ford Coupe. I’m stuck at a stop light, but it could stay red all day long as far as I’m concerned, because I am in total awe of the ’57 Chevys, Ford Galaxies, and Chevy Impalas that have my Auto Round-Up Cargo Van literally surrounded. It’s a semi-warm Friday morning in Timonium, MD (just outside of Baltimore) and I just pulled into the parking lot of Cow Palace, where the East Coast Indoor Nationals (ECIN) will take place this weekend, and I can’t help but think “Why can’t I just stay here all month?” There are so many great classic and custom American cars that have been hand-selected and invited to attend the 2007 ECIN, that I don’t ever want to leave this place.
That’s right. David Cohen and his wife, Nancy travel up and down the east coast all car show season long in search of the summer’s hottest rides and hand-delivers them a special invitation to this ‘One-Of-A-Kind’ Car Show, which is, indeed, the car show of car shows. It is a truly genuine gathering of the greatest collection of quality old cars from the east, and they’re all gonna be displayed under one roof, in one building, in one weekend—this weekend. In fact, this all-star cast of incredible vehicles is so awesome, that people travel from all over the country to come and see some of the east coast’s finest classic cars and street rods.
After setting up the Round-Up booth, I run into many old friends and familiar faces from the old car hobby like “Video” Bob Huff and his wife Janine, who will be filming this year’s event. The Huffs, who are out of Norfolk, VA, spend all car show season long filming some of the finest car shows and record some really spectacular footage of car show action that you don’t wanna miss.
Pat McCann of J.C. Taylor Insurance makes an appearance and I help him setup his booth. Everyone always needs a little help now and then, and Auto Round-Up is ALWAYS there to lend a hand. That’s why we are here, to make a difference in this hobby and help in any way we can. Take, for instance, Dennis Dawson from Baltimore, MD. Just seconds ago, he came running up to me his story with total excitement. “I just had to meet you guys! I bought this ’33 Ford Coupe out of a 1988 Round-Up Magazine, issue No. 196. After trading out my boat, I was able to afford this ride and restore it year after year. You guys offer a wonderful service for the small guys who can’t afford to buy these outrageous and overpriced old cars. You made my dream come true, and we need to get some more copies out there so more people’s dreams can come true too. Thank You!” And, that pretty much sums up the impact that we have had on the hobby after all of these years, and that’s why Ron Smith, my father, whose dream started in 1974, was able to convert that dream into a dream for everyone to share—called Auto Round-Up.
Dawson’s 1933 Coupe is a really nice ride, it’s candy-apple colored, and is a fascinating car. It has a ‘68 Corvette 327 motor under the hood with 350hp. Made entirely of all-steel, this Ford has a ‘68 Roadrunner rear end! And, to think that we had that much impact one individual, makes this so much more rewarding to know that we changed someone’s life by making their dream come true. The Cohen’s and the Street Cars of Desire Club have been making dreams come true as well for the past 18 years by donating their funds from the show to charities like the Abilities Network and Toys For Tots (the most recent charity). To date, their generous efforts have contributed nearly $1 Million in total charities!
It’s hard to believe that the 2007 car show season has finally come to an end. After so many road trips and some really great times, I reflect back on this past season wishing every second to go back in time, which is what we are doing here—making the past available, then handing it down to our children and their children to carry on the greatest hobby in the world! Just like Steve Moskowitz says “This is the greatest hobby in the world,” we too, believe firmly in that statement.
With the East Coast Indoor Nationals about to unfold before our eyes, this event represents all shows, in a sense, and sums up the entire car show season, because it is a collection of the best Pre-1973 American cars on the east coast of the United States. If you are a car-lover like we are, this is a definite grand-finale-must-go car show that you can not miss out on, because it is, essentially, a highlight film of the year’s best and finest. So, if gas prices and the economy have kept you indoors for most of the season, and you have had to “pick and choose” and narrow down your picks for the year, mark this one down for next year, because you DON’T want to miss out on this one. And, best of all, the ticket prices are very reasonable.
Saturday morning, December 1. Upon arrival at Cow Palace, we run into many great old friends and car lovers alike. Many subscribers sign up for our magazine and we give away thousands of sample copies to those who have never seen our publication before.
D-J Mac Thomas from Delaware kicks out the golden oldies from the 1950’s all day. D-J Mac also announces the Street Rod Jamboree held in Harrington, DE.
Cohen stops by our booth to give us some numbers later on in the day, “There are over 275 cars here today and over 5,000 folks have walked through the gates!”
He goes on to explain that the cars selected at the show came from all different states, including Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas and even California!
“We have also broken a record in the number of vendors here at the show,” says Cohen. Vendors came from Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, and Ohio.
There were so many great cars to look at out there, including: a ‘59 Buick, a ‘57 Chevrolet Bel Air, a ‘70 Challenger and a ‘70 Roadrunner that were right beside each other, a ‘50 Ford Mercury, a ‘60 Ford Thunderbird, a ‘66 Pontiac GTO, a a couple of really nice ‘41 Willys, a ‘65 Ford Cobra, a pair of ‘67 Chevrolet Nova II’s, a ‘52 Ford Victoria, and a ‘60 Chevrolet Biscayne. And, last but certainly not least, one of the most rare cars that caught our eye was the 1957 Ford that was nearly all-original.
Saturday night arrived, and David had a special dinner planned for all of us sponsors, which included fried lobster tail and some great red table wine from Australia. Over dinner, David explained some of the larger shows he had traveled to during his 14,000-mile hunt for this year’s best cars, “I went to the Charlotte Goodguys show, the Hershey Goodguys show, Henderson, Cherokee, Myrtle Beach, the Syracuse Nationals, the NSRA Nats East in PA, the Ocean City fall event, as well as many local car shows and cruises.”
Sunday morning, December 2. I run into Bruce Sumner from Bruce’s Auto Locks. After meeting this great buy and his wife, Peg, I am immediately amazed by his very unique business. Bruce makes original locks for almost any vehicle out there. His setup is something to see if you haven’t seen him out there before. He’s got everything you can think of, and he does it all by hand--something that is a lost art in today’s world. If you would like to learn more about Bruce’s Auto Locks, visit www.autoroundupclassifieds.com or call 609-927-4700.
Based on the judges reactions from the show, this is the best year (quality-wise) for the ECIN. I know based my parents’ (Ron and Sharon Smith) reaction, we noticed that the quality of cars seems to get better and better each and every year.
Sunday afternoon has arrived, and it is awards time. All in all, the event brought in $16,500 for Toys For Tots. In fact, Perry Lewis alone, just brought in 100 model airplanes to donate to the cause. “The winner of the 50/50 Drawing donated back a large portion of the winnings to Toys For Tots,” Cohen excitedly announced!
The show was nearing it’s end, and the season was about to close. With this one single show, 2007 would come to an end and 2008 would be just around the street corner. How would it begin, I wondered? Maybe at a cruise-in at a diner or at a burn-out contest on some little street corner. Maybe I’ll find a ride in our magazine and zip off to some small and unheard-of little town without a stoplight and buy a car that’s been covered in weeds for the past 15 years and start on a project this winter. Who knows.
Whenever and however the 2008 car show season starts out, I hope it can match the level of fun and excitement this year has brought to the hobby, especially with this show--the ECIN!
David Cohen would like to thank all of the sponsors including Auto Spa (Hand Car Wash), Salvo Auto Parts, Allogram, Inc., Bob Davidson Ford, Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting, 98 ROCK, Auto Round-Up Magazine, Cruising Magazine, Gliptone, and PHH. “Without your support, none of this would be possible. I would also like to thank all of the vendors and the car participants for making the trip, as well as all of the spectators! See you next year!”
If you would like information on becoming a vendor for next year’s event (or for general info) please visit www.eastcoastindoornats.com or contact David at 410-628-6262.
If you would like extra copies of this issue, call 304-884-7799, Ext. 1#. If you would like more information on upcoming car shows, visit our website www.Auto-Roundup.com
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