There is an annual November tradition in the car collecting hobby that continues to raise the bar as the standard for themed car shows. This year’s Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) was held November 19-20 at the spacious Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, right next to Chicago O’Hare Airport. Mecum Auctions is proud to be the title sponsor of the MCACN event, and we put a lot of thought and effort into our display, which serves as the show’s center. This year, it held nine incredible entries that will soon be headed to The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction® in Kissimmee, Florida, this January. The Mecum display drew in fans with its featured Hemi wing cars from both Plymouth and Dodge, a black 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 Convertible, an Orbit Orange 1970 RAIV GTO Judge Convertible, a 1967 427 Corvette, several COPO Camaros, including a stunning Rally Green 1969 Yenko Camaro, and my personal favorite: a 1970 Dodge Super Bee V-Code in Plum Crazy with the potent 440 CI 390 HP Six Pack. In all, the 2022 event featured more than 550 fabulous cars on display and huge crowds in attendance. As the MCACN event is a celebration of a bygone era of cool cars and memorabilia, it also plays host to the fashions and music that many of us grew up with. Yes, flower power graphics, miniskirts and go-go boots were prevalent as well. Managing Member Bob Ashton with his wife, Vicki, work tirelessly to organize this extravaganza, and they also try to include muscle bicycles, mini bikes, model cars and specialty vendors to help transport us back to a time when many of us first fell in love with automobiles. My wife, Christine, with her beautiful unrestored ‘72 Corvette, was asked to show in the prestigious Invitational Class of 1972, adding to her enjoyment this year, while I moderated two different youth-oriented panel discussions called “Meet the Future,” cohosted multiple car reveals with my TV pal and host Scott Hoke, and my three-piece classic rock trio Redline 7000 played for two hours on Saturday evening to a crowd eager to soak up even more great ‘60s-‘70s pop culture. Even some well-known automotive TV celebrities, such as Courtney Hansen, Wayne Carini and Cherielynn Westrich, were there to hang out with everyone. My daughter, Valerie, and my granddaughter, Ava, age 4, took in all the sights and sounds, bringing three generations of us together in this wonderful overload of vintage pop culture. The exclamation point on this intense retro weekend was a stop on the way home on Sunday evening at the beautiful Des Plaines, Illinois, theater. We saw and heard the sole surviving member of The Monkees perform the band’s greatest hit tunes from more than 55 years ago. Micky Dolenz, now 77, still performs with enthusiasm, talent and intensity at the highest level, and I highly recommend seeing him live. Now, I am not advocating living in the past, but it is fun to dip a toe in those times on occasion, and next to a Mecum auction, the annual MCACN show is the best car show on the planet. See you there next year. MCACN MEMORIES 2022 John found career success as a sales manager of autos and then aircrafts, and he is a licensed Federal Aviation Administration pilot and mechanic. He joined Mecum in 2006 and is now the director of company relations and the company spokesperson at public events. As the supervisor of Mecum’s on-air talent, John further utilizes his skillset as a commentator and analyst for the televised coverage of Mecum auctions on MotorTrend and MotorTrend+. He enjoys tending to his personal car collection, spending time with his wife Christine, four grown children and five grandchildren, and also performing in the classic rock trio, Redline 7000. JOHN KRAMAN AT THE REDLINE 24 // MECUM.COM
