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The 55th Chicago World of Wheels packed the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center with muscle cars, customs, and hot rods for its own version of March Madness. The show traces back to a 1962 Navy Pier gathering staged by the Gas Hoppers Car Club, and it survived a fire that destroyed McCormick Place, years in exile, and a 2010 move to Rosemont. Read on to find out how an ISCA-sanctioned winter show became the marquee stop for Midwest muscle car fans.
Chevrolet did not just show up at the 2017 Chicago World of Wheels, it took over the floor. A hood-up Nova, rows of Chevelles and Camaros, and a growing fleet of vintage C10 pickups outnumbered nearly everything else in the Rosemont convention center during the show’s 55th year. Why does one brand keep winning a show that welcomes every make and every kind of build? The reasons run from a shared small-block to the Midwest’s long history with GM. Read on to see why the bowtie count runs so high in Chicago.
Each November, automotive archeologist Ryan Brutt assembles roughly 25 to 30 of the rarest unrestored muscle cars in the country for the Barn Finds & Hidden Gems display at MCACN. The 2016 lineup included a NASCAR homologation Charger 500, a factory GTO funny car, and a turbocharged 1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire. What sets the section apart isn’t just rarity, it’s the documented story behind every single survivor.