Thousands of people attended this year’s show, which was a huge success

Like many others, the automotive industry faces the constant challenge of reaching the next generation — in our case, the next classic car fans.

ClassicCars.com CEO Roger Falcione approached me about this issue four years ago. We wanted to put together a show that supports and encourages future generations of car people to showcase their automotive passion.

Thus, the Future Collector Car Show was born.

Have a highly modified Supra or maybe an original BMW? Both are welcome and can qualify for an award. We made the decision to limit our show to cars produced in 1975 or later because, one day, these vehicles will populate show grounds and auction blocks alike. The Future Collector Car Show is a great place to see rising industry trends that, eventually, will impact the market for parts and the cars themselves. It’s the future of the automotive world.

I’ve been coordinating the show since its inception. Why? Because this is what enthusiasts like myself need. My automotive roots began with my 2003 Subaru WRX (it was at the show) but it can be difficult to move through different automotive circles, especially those dominated by the more traditional classics.

I want the Future Collector Car Show to be a place where import and domestic fans can come together and talk in an environment where everyone is open-minded and accepting, no matter your generation or brand loyalty. After all, aren’t we all car people?

In the show’s fourth year, we focused on quality over quantity. We limited entries to 65 pre-approved cars.

But after more than 350 people said they were interested, I decided to open the Fan Favorite vote to every car in attendance — approved or not. Will this be the same for our next show? Maybe.

That’s the beauty of running our own show, one where we speak to participants and attendees alike. We can make changes and adapt the show each year to make it better and better.

And I can’t wait to show you what we have in store for 2020.