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DETROIT — Car buffs, Barbie fans and wrestling enthusiasts, rev your engines for Autorama.
The 72nd annual car show — presented by O’Reilly — will feature more than 800 souped-up hot rods, classic automobiles and custom motorcycles at Huntington Place Convention Center Feb. 28 and March 1-2. The hours will be noon to 10 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
The Barbie Cadillac, as seen at Disney’s Epcot Center, is making its debut at Autorama, and appearances from Danny Koker and Kevin Mack of “Counting Cars,” and Brother Ray and Devon of the WWE Hall of Fame will help celebrate car culture.
Several Roseville residents will display their custom cars as well. Ed Kahofer is bringing his 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport. It’s the same car he drove to school when he attended East Detroit High School (now Eastpointe High School) as a teen before graduating in 1979. He acquired the car from a neighbor, a GM executive who originally got the Camaro for his wife.
“She never drove it,” Kahofer said. “He said, ‘Here, take this thing and drive it.”
The car was black, but Kahofer changed all that when he painted it flame yellow and added purple metallic accents on the hood and sides. There came a time in which Kahofer put the car away.
“I had it parked in the garage for about 23 years,” he said.
About four years ago, he got back into the driver’s seat again.
“It’s exciting. It brought me back to my youth,” he said. “When I was growing up, my dad was a car guy. All my kids grew up in the garage.”
His wife, Nancy, often accompanies him to car shows and cruise nights. It’s common for passersby to ask him about the Chevy.
“All the time, especially at stop lights,” he said, adding they’ll say, “Nice car. Do you want to sell it? Can I go for a ride?”
The car buff is a member of the Michigan Hot Rod Association, the Bearing Burners chapter. Kahofer attended Autorama as a kid.
“I always dreamed of having a car in there,” he said.
Sterling Rowe, of Roseville, described Autorama as “the most exciting hot rod event of the year.”
“I love everything about it. You have a lot of gearheads,” he said. “I love the overall setup and the camaraderie.”
For the third straight year, he will display his 2009 red Chevy Corvette Z06. Rowe is always willing to let spectators take photos of his prized set of wheels and will even let others sit in it. He’s had the Corvette for 12 years. Currently, it has 59,882 miles on it.
“I’ve been happy with it since the day I bought it. I drive it as often as I can,” he said. “It has all the original paint. It’s a performance ride. It has a sports ride to it. It sits low. It’s very connected to the road.”
Rowe purchased the Corvette from its previous owner in Illinois. He took a train out of state and drove back in his new car. He will never forget his first ride in the Z06 on Interstate 94 in Indiana.
“The power of it was something I was not expecting,” he said. “I’ve owned a lot of hot rods. The power of this thing was unbelievable. It is an awesome piece of driving machinery. It’s an exhilarating ride. When you pull up to someone next to you in a Corvette, they automatically give you the thumbs-up.”
To keep the Corvette in tip-top shape, Rowe has done some minor engine work on it. Rowe is a member of the Detroit Vette Boyz, a Corvette club that experiences car culture through social, community and charitable causes. There are about 30 members, and some of them will be at this year’s Autorama.
Jim Davies has displayed various cars at Autorama for the past 15 years. This year, the Roseville resident will showcase his 1989 purple Ford Mustang. He meets up with a group of friends who love cars as much as he does.
“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “We look at the other cars and talk to people.”
The group also likes to head over to Fishbone’s for dinner. While Davies is a Chevy guy, he purchased the Mustang because “I just got a deal on it. I like the body style.” One favorite pastime is heading to the Summit Motorsports Park, in Norwalk, Ohio, for drag racing.
“(The Mustang) has a lot less power than the Chevys I drive. It’s slower,” Davies said.
Davies has always been interested in cars. He studied auto mechanics when in high school.
Other Autorama attractions will include the Megamorph giant transforming robot car, Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, Farmtruck and AZN from television’s “Street Outlaws,” rockabilly bands and much more.
According to an Autorama press release, the following Roseville residents also are scheduled to display their cars. The roster of car owners and vehicles is subject to change.
• Paul Curtis, a 1955 red and black Plymouth Sport Coupe.
• Scott Dallas, a 1990 Ford Mustang.
• Jacob DeClaire, a brown 1963 Chevy Impala.
• John Delisi, a white 2021 Jeep Trackhawk.
• Nicholas Klaver, a 1983 Mercury Grand Marquis.
Huntington Place Convention Center is located at 1 Washington Blvd. in downtown Detroit. For a complete list of events, visit autorama.com/attend/detroit.
