If you were awake from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 20, you may have been fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of polished bonnets and tires, or hear the roar of souped-up engines as the Auto Tech Club and local car enthusiasts set up for the annual car show in Lot E on the De Anza campus.
Continuing the near decade-long tradition of car shows held by the Auto Tech Club, this year’s turnout was nothing to scoff at. From famous historic racing cars to street cult classics to the new generation of supercars, this car show had something for everyone.
Many of the cars shown at the event were personal cars of Auto Tech Club members, but it wasn’t always like this.
Dre Scardina, a recent graduate of the Auto Tech program and now a lab assistant, said that this year was different compared to car shows in recent years, which saw smaller turnouts than pre-COVID.
“Before COVID it was like we had lost our way,” Scardina said. “But since then we’ve seen more and more students show up.”
One of the first things one might have noticed upon entering is the line-up of three impressive-looking cars: a purple Dodge Dart sporting drag radials, a red Datsun 510 built for autocross and a Mercedes-Benz 190e built to look like a factory race car, all sporting De Anza auto tech livery.
Another aspect of the show is that most of these cars are ready for students to race.
Bill Wishert, an instructor at the auto tech program, personally owns one of these track-ready cars and was willing to share some info regarding who gets to race the Dart and 510 in their respective events.
Wishert mentioned that a group of 14 first and second year students from the auto tech program are chosen when they decide to take these cars out.
Although the 190e is currently experiencing a few issues in the engine bay, the Auto Tech Club has plans on fixing it up and using it for racing events. This comes as a surprise for many auto tech students considering the 190e had been a showpiece inside the garage.
The car show has become a staple for Auto Tech members, both current and past, and is a place where different generations can come and bond over a common interest.
Chris Tkach, a 2019 graduate of the Auto Tech program, came back this year with SakeBomb Garage and was able to advertise the business during the car show. They brought along many cult classics and timeless pieces of history, including Mazda Rx-7s, Honda S2000s, Mazda MX-5 Miatas and even one of the first Mazdas fitted with a Mazda Wenkel rotary engine.
The show will continue next year for more car enthusiasts to enjoy.
