TMCP #561 – Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals Show 2023 – The Greatest Muscle Car Show of the All?

FEATURE INTERVIEWS:

MCACN SHOW SPECIAL 2023:

Welcome to the first ever show from the streets of Chicago at the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals show (MCACN). Ryan Brutt, the Auto Archeologist himself, brought out man Scotty Stap into the event to get a deeper look at what has become the premier annual muscle car event in the country! MCACN is a unique show in that both original, unrestored, barn find, and rare/oddball unique muscle cars are curated along with barn finds, specialty restoration parts suppliers, and everything in between! Thanks to Ryan we also secured a significant interview with Bob Ashton, the Managing Member of the show. We last had Bob on in the show in 2015 (Episode 265), so we were definitely overdue for a catchup!

Rusty Small, Rusty Tires at MCACN show 2023

Rusty Smalls, Rusty Tires: Every great restoration needs to have original tires to make it complete. Many vehicles had specific tires that made the vehicle unique at the time and adds another layer of history to the car. I met Rusty at the Rusty Tires booth and he has the knowledge and connections to find a lot of the old tires you are looking for. For those of you looking for Goodyear Eagle GT’s for your 1980’s era restoration projects….he has them! You can contact Rusty at smallhurst@gmail.com or 816-654-3400 .

Bruce Hawkins, Hawks Motorsports: Bruce Hawkins has had a special place in his heart for the Pontiac Firehawk for a long time. He has a passion for the short run, high performance collaboration between General Motors and SLP (Street Legal Performance) where they built 25 supercars out of Pontiac Firebirds and turned them into the street smoking performance monsters.

These vehicles would produce more horsepower than the Corvette at the time and came with a full roll cage and an aluminum racing hood. Bruce is dedicated to producing a new line of Firehawks that pay homage to the originals but using todays technology to up the game many times over. If you are interested in learning more, check them out at https://www.hawksmotorsports.com/

Seth Burgett, Gateway Bronco: Years ago Seth went on an epic road trip with his daughter across the country and by the time they got back the idea for Gateway Broncos was born. The vehicles they produce range from super reliable driving trucks to super high end one off Broncos for the stars. Many well known movie icons own one and love them. Some of the vehicle are almost all new parts right down to the custom frame.

If you would like to know more, check them out at https://www.gatewaybronco.com/

Jacob, ECS Automotive Concepts: In the middle of the show floor at MCACN 2023, there was a large booth with a lot of stickers. These are very special stickers as they are recreations of original VIN and information decals that are needed to make that special car feel totally brand new. This may be one of the coolest things I saw at the show! They can also make window and windshield glass appear authentic with reproduction etching with your proper date code. They also make some great protection products that can keep parts like brake rotors and drums, looking like new so your vehicle is always looking showroom fresh. Check them out at https://ecsauto.com/ and tell them The Muscle Car Place sent you.

Ryan Brutt, The Auto Archaeologist: Ryan is knowns at the Auto Archaeologist and he really knows barn find cars. Ryan is instrumental in the amazing MCACN barn find display that attracts many people every year. I sat down with Ryan after hours on the show floor to find out what it is that he does to get these cars into the show every year. If you would like to follow Ryans exploits you can watch on YouTube at www.youtube.com/@AutoArchaeology. You can also follow his other outlets at carsinbarns.blogspot.com Facebook: The Auto Archaeology facebook.com/TheAutoArchaeologist and Instagram instagram.com/theautoarchaeologist.

Bob Ashton, Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals: Bob is the head guy behind the scenes at MCACN that makes it all happen. In talking to others around the show it sounds like Bob spends a lot of time throughout the year getting prepared for the big event and making sure everything is in place. I got to talk to Bob in the barn finds section and he told me about all of the great things that make the MCACN show special. If you would like to find out more you can check out https://www.mcacn.com/.

-Rob Kibbe

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This interview sponsored by our pals at National Parts Depot – your premier source for muscle car restoration parts!