Don't miss it. Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals.

[XS22J8R]

You're joking, right? What would they call it, "The 2025 Malaise-era Velour and Smog-equipment addled lo-po 5 mph bumper Car Nationals"?

I mean, they had a fairly significant Mustang II exhibit this year so I'm good on those.

Actually I got the idea for a Malaise Era Muscle display after buying my Magnum GT, which I sponsored at the 2022 MCACN show. So that feature has already been done! It was a very popular display where ended up with over 30 cars representing the often maligned but still interesting era in automotive history.
Since ‘22, the Malaise era has been included with smaller features. ‘23 had a GM collonade car feature with 8 or 9 cars. Last year had an GM F body display with 8 or 10 Camaros and Trans Ams. This year it was the every color King Cobra feature that all cars in belong to the same collector.
It’ll be interesting to see what Malaise era feature is at the 2026 show. It would be cool if it was all Mopar next year!
The malaise display was beginners luck for me. I came up with the idea, which I ran the idea by Bob. He was interested and said if you can recruit some cars, we’ll do it! I started putting out the word and networking with enthusiasts of different marques, and within a month of the end of the 21 MCACN show I already had a half dozen cars lined up. The idea blew up and we ended up with over 30 cars for the feature.
I have an idea for a “cars of ASC” feature starting with a 68 Cougar factory sunroof (subcontracted to ASC) and then cars of the 70s and 80s up to the Buick GNX and WS6 Pontiacs (they did the mods on for GM) That one I haven’t been able to get off the ground, other than my T top Magnum. (ASC did the T tops on Mopars)

 

[rmchrgr]

OK, fair enough but not my cup 'o tea. I grew up with those bloated **** boxes and they don't inspire many fond memories.

I can appreciate some later offerings like the Fox body cars, '78-'82 Malibus, Grand Nationals and even the turbo GLH cars but for the most part those '73-up cars were hideous and depressing.

Guess there is a niche for everything.

 

[XS22J8R]

At the end of the day, no cars are everyone’s cup of tea. And what is someone’s cup of tea doesn’t mean it’s my cup of tea, etc.
And therein lies the challenge of running the premier muscle car show in the world. Put a similar lineup of Shelbies, wing cars, hemis, COPO Chevies and the like in the show year after year, and as cool as it might be, it eventually gets stale and the show fades away. The show rose out of the ashes of the Chevy Vettefest show that ran there at the same time of year for many years in the 90s and early 2000s, and that is exactly happened to that show. The idea was made to try to renew the Vettefest show by adding all breeds of muscle, and that’s how we got MCACN!
Bob Ashton’s job of coming up with new ideas is a very hard one. His saying is “expect the unexpected” and he somehow manages to pull it off year after year. But doing that strictly limited to late 50s to ‘71 cars there is only so much to come up with.
It’s also a goal of the show to attract and recruit new blood to the hobby. Threads get posted all the time on all car forums by your typical forum know it alls predicting the hobby will die out as owners get old and gray, and sell out or keel. I’m still hoping to live long enough to get a chance to buy a hemi Daytona for $20,000 if those predictions are correct but not optimistic…
But that is why some other eras are brought in to the show, mid 70s, 80s probably even some 90s eventually. And a push to encourage and celebrate young people in the hobby. That’s why you saw the local cruise quality cars in the center aisle near the rear of the hall. Those were all cars owned by teens and early 20s car enthusiasts, and they were featured in a seminar both Saturday and Sunday.
It’s a show for hard core enthusiasts to see the best of the best, and the rarest of rare. But also to promote the hobby and encourage more to get interested in it.
I think the show does an incredible job trying to cover all these bases and am proud to be part of it!

 

[rmchrgr]

Very well said. I agree that Bob Ashton is really good at keeping the show fresh every year. My kids could care less about my cars. Maybe they will some day but point taken about keeping the hobby going for future generations. The large majority of attendees were 60 and older. The truth is it’s a graying hobby but that doesn’t really matter to me, (55) I’m in it for life.

Malaise era cars will always suck IMO but when you think of them from the perspective you laid out they become a little more acceptable.