One of the best things about the automotive community is that there’s something for everyone no matter what you’re interested in. From SEMA to Formula 1 races, to nearby Cars and Coffee and even local events, there are all sorts of experiences to choose from and it’s totally fine if something isn’t for you. I’ve met plenty of people who felt like SEMA was the greatest thing ever, while I would be perfectly happy to have never gone in the first place. Turns out, being stuck in a massive crowd of very slowly moving people is a great way to find out you have undiagnosed anxiety issues. Oops.
Over the years, I’ve been incredibly lucky to attend a long list of automotive events that I otherwise wouldn’t have had access to without this job. Monterey Car Week is probably the biggest name on that list, and if you want to see gorgeous classic cars, it really is hard to beat. I saw so many Tuckers on my first day that I had to look up the total number of surviving 48s because I was pretty sure I’d just seen every single one of them. I hadn’t, but it was closer than you’d think.
That said, what probably kept it from being my favorite event was just how awful the traffic was. Showing up on a Ducati Scrambler would fix some of that, but even the most confident riders in the world are still going to get nervous about splitting lanes when one small mistake could leave you on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in repairs.
Instead, I think the best automotive event I’ve ever been to was Rennsport Reunion. It’s the Porsche event to end all Porsche events, so be prepared to both see and hear a lot about Porsches. You should also probably brush up on your chassis codes, because the Porsche nerds come out in full force. At the same time, though, Porsches are awesome, and who wouldn’t want to hang out at Laguna Seca for a week of racing and meeting race car drivers?
The list of champion racing drivers I met ended up being so long that listing them here would just feel like bragging, but a few highlights included chatting with Hurley Haywood for a while, Jeff Zwart showing me pictures of his dog and Mark Webber giving me a little shoulder squeeze as he pushed by so he could talk to Maria Sharapova. Trust me when I say no matter how handsome you think he is, he’s even more handsome and charming in real life.
Even without any famous race car drivers, it would probably have still been my favorite event because, again, the cars there were incredible. That was also the same year Porsche went for a new track record with the 919 Evo. I still remember the tension during those laps as every single person watched, hoping to see the fastest lap ever of Laguna Seca. Ultimately, it wasn’t quite quick enough to pull that off, but it’s still one of my favorite memories of all time.
So what about you? What’s the best automotive event you’ve ever been to? It doesn’t have to be fancy, either. As great as Rennsport Reunion was, I certainly couldn’t have afforded to attend on my own. Maybe there’s a car show in your state that’s a hidden gem. Or maybe it really is something big like SEMA or the Monaco Grand Prix. Whatever it is, share the best automotive event you’ve ever attended down in the comments.