Staff Photo by Laura-Chase McGehee/Chattanooga Times Free Press
Jim Rearden, left, listens as his brother Jeffery Rearden tells him about his 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air, “Barbara Ann.” The World of Wheels Custom Auto Show was held at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Saturday.Of 132 cars at this year’s World of Wheels car show, one will drive away this afternoon with the big trophy, $2,000 and, most important, pride.
“It’s like the Miss America pageant,” show Chairman Eric Millians said Saturday. “Nobody really knows anything until they open the envelope on Sunday afternoon.”
The classic cars up for judging represent years of work, tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars spent and about 15 hours putting on the final touches.
With judging taking place Friday evening through this morning, it’s a long weekend of tense waiting for some contestants.
Still, the Chattanooga Convention Center had a fun, relaxed feel, with car owners showing off their hard work to enthralled car enthusiasts and casual fans alike.