From the vehicles made when Henry Ford's motto was a "chicken in every pot and a car in every garage" to the 1950s "cruisin' to the oldies" models to the fast and furious cars of later decades, the appeal of classic cars has never grown old.
Fans of all ages have plenty of places in the Atlanta area to see dream cars up close and personal. Maybe you don't quite have the funds to invest in cars like the $69,900 1963 Corvette at Atlanta's classic car purveyor Motorcar Studios, a custom muscle jeep from Alpharetta's Muscle Car jr, or even the 1966 Ford F-100 on sale at Peachtree Classics for $10,900.
You can still get lots of vintage car enjoyment by viewing (and sometimes even touching or sliding behind the wheel) at these local and regional spots:
Gateway Classic Cars Cars and Coffee events
9 a.m., last Saturday of each month
Admission free
1870 McFarland Parkway, Suite 300, Alpharetta. 678-894-4833
Just a few of the hundreds of classics and exotics for sale at Gateway include a 1929 Buick sedan, a 1940 Chevy pickup, a 1967 Plymouth Fury II and a 1979 Volkswagon Beetle, so you could say they have most any classic car fan covered. The showroom is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday to Saturday, but the best time for vintage car fans to browse and bond at will is the once-a-month Cars and Coffee event. It welcomes all makes and models to cruise in and still welcomes folks (including families and kids) without a cool old car to come out and enjoy.
10 a.m.-2 p.m., June 16
Cars $25, bikes $20
Streetside Classics, 213 Thornton Road, Lithia Springs, GA. 678-279-1609
The show is at Streetside Classics Atlanta showroom, about 15 miles from downtown. It offers a some 350 collectible vehicles on an ordinary day, including antiques, streetrods, muscle cars and exotics. In addition to playing host at this youth benefit show, the last Saturday of the month brings a free Caffeine and Classic watch session to Streetside, which starts at 9 a.m.
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Each spring, this summit brings all motoring enthusiasts together for a weekend of extreme motorsports, a show car garage and of course, parts for the perfect classic car restoration. Plans for 2019 are still underway, but the tickets always have family-friendly prices. Past exhibits have included cars from Truett Cathy's private collection and the Million Dollar Salon featuring cars from the 1930s.
StreetWhipz King of the South Mega Car, Truck and Bike show
10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, July 5, 2018; drag racing begins at 6 p.m.
Tickets start at $20 plus fees
1500 Tara Place, Hampton, Georgia. 678-521-0716
This is one of the biggest car and bike shows anywhere in the Southeast. There are multitudes of vintage, stock car and drag racing vehicles to see, starting in the parking lot. It's also the event for those who are into competition. All motor enthusiasts will find something to love here and all types of cars are welcome, including imports, muscles, lifted trucks, lowered trucks and lowriders.
For more classic car events, visit events.ajc.com.
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