On June 10, Downtown Arlington hosted a classic car show with over 150 vintage, antique, classic, and new cars on display. The size of the event and the variety of vehicles made it one of the best car shows I have ever attended. This was a beautiful collection of automobiles, some of which had to be quite rare. From pristine paint jobs to pretty patina to relentless rust, there were plenty of cars for everyone to enjoy. Chevrolet presented the event and celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Corvette; the anniversary makes it one of the longest-running vehicles in production. In addition to the classic cars from people in the community and as far away as Oklahoma, Chevrolet had several new models on display, including the Corvette, Silverado, and others.

Hundreds of people attended the event, and despite the hot temperatures, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. The streets were blocked off, providing an opportunity to experience downtown in a different way. Local restaurants and small businesses benefitted from the event as well.

Classic cars were the main attraction, but this family-friendly event also included food trucks, vendors, artists, street performers, and entertainment. This was a great event, one that helped showcase Downtown Arlington as the vibrant part of our community that it is.

Cars and transportation have long been part of Arlington’s identity. Days before the event, Mayor Ross announced that General Motors planned to invest more than $500 million in their Arlington Assembly Plant, which opened in 1954 and is a significant contributor to Arlington’s economy. The car show was held in and around the Vandergriff Town Center, home to what’s known today as the historic Vandergriff Building. The building was built in the 1920s, making it the oldest commercial building in Arlington; it was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010 and is recognized as a City of Arlington Local Landmark. It served as a car dealership for many decades, primarily selling Chevrolet and other GM models. The longest tenant was Vandergriff Chevrolet from 1937 to 1966. The building is located at Division Street, formerly known as the Bankhead Highway, a historic and travel-centric stretch of town that helped Arlington grow into the city it is today.

Downtown Arlington last hosted a car show in October 2021 as part of the Ramblin’ Roads Music Festival. Due to the success of this year’s show, it’s believed that it may become an annual event for Arlington.

---

Notable vehicles from the show

With so many vehicles on display, it was hard to choose my favorites. I liked the old trucks the best, but other notable ones included:

1918 Covered Wagon

When was the last time you saw a covered wagon at a car show?

1932 Ford 5 Window Coupe

An iconic car owned by a member of the Arlington Area Street Rods car club. The club was there in their matching red shirts.

1936 Buick 46C Convertible

While it was hard to pick one of my favorites, this one was definitely one of the coolest ones. I believe it also won the “Mayor’s Pick” award from Mayor Jim Ross.

1953 City of Arlington Fire Truck

What a cool fire truck on display! The City of Arlington has a few vintage things like this that they bring out for special events.

1956 Chevy Corvette

Definitely a cool car. I liked the matching #56 Whataburger table tent displayed on the dashboard.

1970 Chevy Chevelle

Another cool car, but the large Pantera sticker on the back windshield made it even cooler. The owner was easy to spot as he sat nearby wearing a Pantera T-shirt.

2022 Chevy Tahoe

This is a Tahoe used by the Arlington Police Department. Officers were on hand to answer questions about the vehicle and let people get inside. It was assembled nearby at the General Motors plant.

---

While these were a few of the more notables ones, there were many more. Check out all of my photos from the car show here.

---

Blog post & photos by Jason S. Sullivan, 06-18-23