Jump On In! 2019 Car Show Season Trends

The older I get, the more I realize that change is constant. In fact, the thing which sparked my passion for cars as a youngster was the realization that there would always be new technology, new systems, new ways of doing things as time passed. Vehicles are forever being redesigned and refined, made safer, more efficient, or faster.

Car shows around the world are where people gather to share their passion for all things automotive. Whether it’s a Cars & Coffee, or a super classy event like the Concours d’Elegance, show cars are a reflection of their owners’ taste and style.

Here are a few of the trends we’ve noticed during the 2019 car show season. Some of the trends on this list are starting to fade, and some are just starting to emerge, but you’re likely to see at least one of these at your local car show.

2019 Car Show Season Trends

Wraps

If you’re anything like me, you might search for months on end for that car. The One. Maybe you want it to be a certain color or there are options and packages you simply can’t live without. But what happens when you wake up one morning to find you’ve grown bored of that color or design?

This happens to car enthusiasts from time to time, but it happens more often to the folks who are in today’s car show scene. Maybe the paint color has gone stale or you weren’t able to find a car in the color you were after. Maybe you just want your vehicle to stand out from the pack. Regardless, if you find yourself wanting something new, vinyl wraps are a great option—and a trend we’ve seen growing at car shows.

Custom Looks, Easy Application, Fair Price

“I’m noticing a lot of wraps today over traditional paint and even Plasti Dip®,” says Liam M. North, one of the organizers of Superfly in Akron, Ohio—a core car show group since 1999. “It seemed like, for awhile, Plasti Dip® was making a name for itself due to ease-of-use, simple prep work, and buying the entire kit. But I think the reason it’s not as big as wraps is due to how long it takes to remove, as well as how easily blemishes can show up in it (nicks and such). Wraps are fairly inexpensive (in comparison to traditional paint). They can be wild, creative, and changed easily if you grow bored.”

While they may have had an early reputation for being difficult to apply, the quality of vinyl wraps has really improved over the past several years. Whether you’re looking for a simple color change, or you have a radical livery or graphics scheme in mind, vinyl wraps are a cost-effective way to make your dreams come true.

Wider is Better

Show cars tend to be a bit on the wild side. Whether it’s an eye-grabbing paint job, huge wheels, or epic stereo system, these cars make a statement. Many show car owners try to fit the widest possible wheels they can onto their car—the trouble is pulling that off without causing the tires to rub on the fenders or suspension components.

The cheapest and easiest solution is a technique called rolling fenders. Special tools are used to reshape the fender above the tires, which can provide additional clearance for the wheels and tires. Rolling your fenders will only buy you a few millimeters of extra space, but adding more negative camber will help a bit or you could run a slightly skinnier tire for that extra clearance.

It looks like the trend known as “stretching tires” is dying down some. And… maybe that’s for the best. Some car owners were installing significantly skinnier tires onto their wide wheels to get “that” look. But, tires are not designed to be stretched in this way, and it places an enormous amount of stress on the sidewalls, which can lead to premature tread wear or blowouts.

Now, what do you do if you still need more space to fit those extra-wide wheels? You make the body of the car wider. With a set of widebody flares installed, you will gain several inches of space for those super wide wheels, even with aggressive offset specs. Companies like Clinched, Prior Design, and HARD all offer widebody kits of varying styles for many popular models. Some kits will only replace the outermost part of the fender flare, others will reshape the entire side of the car and give it a more radical appearance.

Return of the Classics

When we were younger, we all had our dream cars. Maybe it was your neighbor who had that brand-new BMW E30 convertible, your uncle with his Chevy C10 pickup, or that Buick GNX Hot Wheels car you had, which first sparked your interest in cars. Really, that’s how many of us were introduced into the world of cars—through toys, video games, or personal experiences early in our lives. But when we’re young, we usually can’t afford to buy those vehicles we covet so much.

Then we go to school, graduate from college, and go out into the world as young adults. We land our first “real” job, and suddenly the world is open to us. We can’t afford to go and buy muscle cars from the ’60s or ’70s because those prices have skyrocketed. That leaves us with the cars from 20-30 years ago. What a coincidence that those happen to be the cars many of us remember from when we were kids!

Walking around at some of the national car shows such as SEMA, European Experience, H20i International, and Waterfest you will see a number of E30 BMWs, early-gen VW Golfs, C10 Chevy pickups, and a lot of other ’80s & ’90s classics popping up. And it’s easy to see why these cars are appealing, as they harken back to “the good old days,” while also being relatively inexpensive to buy. Additionally, there is still plenty of aftermarket support for parts.

What’s Old Is New Again

I spoke with a young BMW E30 owner named Craig about this recently. He’s a BMW enthusiast, the co-founder of a company named Tennessee30, and a journalist for a European car parts company. His job takes him all across the East Coast, attending shows in his 1988 BMW E30 325i convertible. He’s restored that E30 to a show-quality shine, swapped the engine, and made countless modifications to make this E30 his E30. Sure, he could have bought a newer car, but it wouldn’t have the same character.

“There seems to be a 30 year or so cycle in the car world,” explains Craig. “For baby boomers there were muscle cars. But millennials can’t afford those cars because the prices have jumped up so high. What we’re left with are the cars we grew up playing with in video games like Gran Turismo, or in Hot Wheels cars. For a few thousand dollars we can buy the cars we dreamed of as kids, plus parts are still available, they’re (relatively) easy to work on, and we can make the cars our own.”

Remember what I said at the beginning of this piece? Change is constant. Trends will come and go, tastes will change, but I hope that the car culture will live on forever. Car culture has touched every generation, and so it features a huge variety of interests. Whether you’re a fan of lifted 4×4 trucks, muscle cars, exotics or imports, you’ll be able to find something of interest at your local car shows.

Who knows? You might even see something you never knew was possible!

What do you think of these 2019 car show trends? Yay or nay? Let us know in the comments!