CCCA Experience at the Gilmore museum

[Jackve]

The CCCA is inviting cars built in Indiana to display at the CCCA Experience June 5 at the Gilmore museum grounds. Pre-registration was needed, I called thinking I would show my 48 champion convertible as I am a member of the Gilmore. It was $30 per person and $30 per car, $90 total in my case. Car stays home , I'm going fishing.

[JRoberts]

I hope for that much money (and for a member too!) a lot of the cash would go to some charity. I don't ever think I have paid that much for an automotive event in my life. Hey going fishing is fine for you -- what about the car?

[Lark8girl]

The event did include a lunch and after event meal in those prices. Lark VIII girl and I wanted very much to go , but really the prices are keeping us from being interested. It looked more like a
fund raiser for AACA, or a event for owners of classics rather than wanting owners of all the Indiana built cars to go to. We will go to many other shows for what this one would charge.
Husband of Lark VIII girl

[55s]

I agree.

Some of these charity organizers EXPECT car owners to restore their cars, insure their cars, bring them to their events, hold the car hostage (and perhaps the owner's family) for the entire event (usually a full day!), the owner has to get up even earlier to clean it and get it there, and have the cars be THEIR draw, AND they charge the owners more than the spectators.

I recently saw a car show bust as many car owners didn't show.

There are lots of excellent reasonably-priced events for car owners.

[Dads Baby]

I am a true CASO when it comes to paying to display my car. I don't mind if it is for a good cause. My car is a very presentable driver. Not all stock, but close. I can't compete with cars that have been subjected to a body off restoration. That is ok, I dig the car cruises more! They are free!

[AnAvanti4Bob]

I am a volunteer in the Gilmore Museum Research Library on site. This is a premiere event that has started out the season at Gilmore for many years. The CCCA "Grand Experience" usually features cars that can only be seen at Pebble Beach, Meadowbrook (or wherevever it will be this year), etc. I have gone to this event for years and have never failed to be amazed at the beauty and splendor of the "heavy hitters" in the mega-rich car community - this is a rare experience to see cars usually kept out of sight of the average collector (Marmon, Peerless, Imperial, Pierce, etc.). For that reason alone it is worth attending, but the 200+ cars at Gilmore are also well worth the price of admission. And, yes, a bullet nose Studie resides at the museum. I understand that the prices (as mentioned earlier) DO included meals and the event after is at the home of a person who has a car collection valued in the millions of dollars. Having said that: I have no car worthy of attending and my CASO side would also blanch at paying the pricey attendance fees. In any event I have no Indiana built car and am still seeking my Avanti. Cheers, Bob

[56H-Y6]

Hi

I too am a CCCA member, and you make a good point about the cost of attending an event at the Gilmore/CCCA Museum. Everything consider, it may still be a fine value, just hard to swallow initially when one is used to the 2-5 buck admissions. The Classics that do show are frequently only seen at club events so it is a rare opportunity to view some real rarities. With rare except, the members are friendly and genuinely enjoy sharing their rarities with all interested car folks.

That said, they are somewhat myopic regarding the cost of their events. I suppose that's a hazard of being wealthy, losing sight of how seeming small amounts of money can be regarded as a barrier to many car enthusiast. Even within the club, I know of many members with fine collections who don't participate in the shows and the CARavan tours because of the steep costs involved.

On the positive side, the CCCA Experience each Spring is worth the expense if it is for a show theme that is a particular favorite. I attended the Packard Experience in 1994, an event that along with the week of the Packard Centennial in Warren in 1999 that will forever be a wonderful memory for me. This years' gathering of Indiana-built car guarantees the chance to see rarities you may only ever see once. So, like any special occasion whose costs are somewhat high, select the one that best seems to match your interests, swallow hard, then go enjoy. Afterward, you'll be glad you did!

Steve

[Jackve]

This is not a knock on the Gilmore museum I have been a long time supporter and attended the CCCA experience before. I understood the non-classics were only for display on Sunday not the dinner and cruise. Gilmore runs some of the finest events I have ever attended and the museum is a must see for any automobile enthusiast. The car gets its due with some local shows, Studebaker events and Lemont Classic Car Club cruises and charity deals. But man does not live by cars alone, fish as often as you can.

[Lark8girl]

Lark VIII girl made a road trip to be spectators at the Experience at the Gilmore. We enjoyed seeing the Classic cars and the Indiana built cars. We saw some Studebakers, and Stutz , Auburn , and Dusenberg.
It was a nice addition to the cars of the Gilmore collection.