St. Paul, MN

For 40 years, the Minnesota Street Rod Association has hosted a car show that has grown from a few Minneapolis area locals to the 11,000 plus entries in 2013. The show, now located at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul, MN draws several thousand attendees over the three days of the event.

There are no Mustangs, very few foreign automobiles and a plethora of Detroit Iron. The show is open only to cars built prior to 1965 which precludes a lot of very popular Detroit and foreign vehicles, including the venerable Mustang, Dodge Chargers and the majority of Chevrolet Corvettes.

Don’t expect to see every one of the 11000-plus cars, even if you stay the three days. But you can go home with one of these beauties, if you have the scratch. Many of the cars have a “For Sale” sign attached. Often the owner is sitting near the car, and a deal can be struck on the spot. Also, there is usually an auction associated with the show,  however, the auction is not limited to pre-1965 vehicles.

If you like cars, you’ll find a lot to like at the Back to the 50s Show. I submit for your approval, a gallery of images from the 2013 show.

John Steiner