2023 Sacramento Autorama Portfolio

Cody Walls’ ‘49 Buick Sedanette took home the grand prize Custom D’Elegance award and $5,000. The metalwork on the car is just amazing. Look Ma, no headlights!

Words + photos: Mike Blanchard

The 2023 edition of the Sacramento Autorama brought some glitter to the exhibit halls of the Cal Expo fairgrounds. But the low overall turnout of cars entered for the event meant that there was a lot of space to see the cars. In years past the halls were jammed with cars and the outdoor spaces overflowed with vehicles that did not make it indoors.

There has been a lot of talk in recent years about automotive and motorcycle enthusiasts aging out. Prices on some vehicles (especially motorcycles) have come down from their highs of a decade ago, but vintage cars have continued to climb in price and the opportunities for younger people to get involved are getting more expensive. That aside, if the open house at Blue Collar Customs (traditionally held on the Saturday night of the Autorama) is anything to go by, there is a lot of enthusiasm for hot rods and custom cars in the younger crowd.

Which makes one wonder why the thin turnout of cars entered in the Autorama this year? As we have covered in previous stories in Rust Magazine, the Autorama is one of the nation’s legacy car shows with a long history of showcasing some of the best customs and hot rods in the country. It has been an important bit of car culture for decades in Northern California.

There have been several issues driving low turnout this year. Construction at Cal Expo limited the space for showing cars. On the same weekend there was Kool April Nights in Redding, the NHRA show in Bakersfield and the Viva Las Vegas event, all of which drew participants away from the Autorama.

And there have been disputes regarding judging the Lowriders, and many of that crowd chose to attend conflicting shows. This is a shame because Sacramento has a vibrant, quality Lowrider scene and it’s great to see those cars at the Autorama.

The show has been held in February for years but the promoters, who also put on the Grand National Roadster show in Pomona, moved the Autorama so it would not conflict and make it easier for folks coming from the East Coast to attend. But that just created its own set of conflicts. After this year it’s looking like they will be doing a little schedule fine-tuning. Hopefully that will result in a larger turnout in the future.

In the end there were some beautiful, innovative cars on display. The crew from South City Customs were inducted into the Hall of Fame. And well deserved. The vehicles they brought were stunning in conception and execution.