You’re probably thinking that it’s a little late to be releasing a Wekfest Seattle article, especially since the event was weeks ago and Kevin from SerialNine and myself already released a video that covered the event.
So, why write an article? Let’s consider this an exercise in creative problem solving, or in layman’s terms: plan B.
Wekfest is probably the premier import car show in America, maybe even North America. I say “probably” because I know very little about car shows. However, Wekfest has been around for a long time, and I do know there’s power in longevity. In my mind, bad things don’t always stick around and after participating in this car show, I’d say that Wekfest felt like a top-shelf car show.
Now for the twist: I don’t participate in car shows, but I’ve covered a few in my day. In fact, I used to downright complain about them. I once complained that import car shows felt as if they just kept replaying the same schtick and never evolved.
It finally dawned on me that that’s sort of the point of these car shows. They become like a time capsule of the era of when import car culture was brand new and existed on the fringes of car show culture. Back then, it was all new and exciting. It wasn’t your dad’s car show, it was something that you could call your own.
These car shows are still a thing to call our own, but now a lot of us are the parents. And instead of it being new and revolutionary, it feels more familiar. With that realization, it occurred to me that this must be what hotrodders and muscle car enthusiasts feel like. We’re holding onto an era that has slowly drifted away – after all, the car I entered in the show is nearly 25 years old. When I was a kid, a 30-year-old car felt like a classic, but now I’m just here living it.
It’s like when you’re grocery shopping and the supermarket plays Biggie. At first, I think to myself, “Yo, what a hip grocery store.” But then you realize that music is considered relatively safe now, because a lot of your fellow grocery shoppers are probably in their 30s and 40s and liked that music when it came out.
I don’t think it’s up to car shows to evolve, but rather protect the aura of the era that so many of us hold dear, with style and grace. In short, it feels like Wekfest is doing this the best. You won’t find vape-blowing contests or other spectacles to take away from the cars. Instead, you find a well-organized, stripped-down version of what import car shows have become – where the quality of the cars comes first.
