51st Annual Sloan Museum Auto Fair June 24 & 25, 2023, at Sloan Museum of Discovery at the Flint Cultural Center.
Our fundraiser is presented by Shea Automotive Group, and sponsored by Attentive Industries and Bishop International Airport, with media partner ABC12.
We’ve had a number of questions this year. Hopefully, this helps answer our most frequently asked questions:
Q: I don’t have a vehicle, I just want to see the show. What time do the gates open and how much does it cost?
A: Visitor gates open at 9am both Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $10 for ages 12+, children younger than 11 are free with a paid 12+ ticket.
Q: I want to show my car. What time do gates one?
A: On Saturday, vehicle gates are open 7am to 5pm and Sunday 7am until 11am for Judged vehicles and until 1pm for Show vehicles.
Q: My vehicle isn’t a Corvette, Chevy or Buick. Can I still bring it to the Auto Fair?
A: Yes. One of the wonderful things about the Sloan Museum Auto Fair is that all vehicles are welcome! This event is open to all vehicles, including hot rods, original, modified, motorcycles, and more. If it’s got wheels, it’s welcome.
Q: I’m a Genesee County Resident. I don’t want to see the show, just visit the museum. Can I do that?
A: No. The Genesee County Arts Education and Cultural Millage free admission benefit does not apply during Auto Fair weekend; Sloan Museum’s regular hours and admission discounts will resume on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.
Q: Can we bring a dog to the show?
A: Yes, dogs are welcome to the show as long as they are on a leash. Dogs and other animals are not allowed in the museum or planetarium unless it is a Service Animal.
Q:I was one of the Top 25 last year, do I have to pay this year?
A: There is no charge. Yes, you are invited back and will be part of our Lane of Fame display. A letter will be mailed to you that must be signed and sent back. This helps us to properly plan the space required.
Q: I have a Vehicle for Sale. Is there a special area for cars for sale? Can I enter my car in the show and display a for sale sign on the dash?
A: There is no special area this year. You can register the car for the show, bring it onto the show grounds, and have a small and discrete For Sale sign in the window.
Q: When are the Awards given out?
A: Sunday at 3pm. Registration ID numbers will be announced at the beginning of the Ceremony.
Q: I have a pop-up tent. Can I bring it?
A: If you’d like to bring a pop-up tent, you may do so. Stakes are ok and bags or buckets of sand are preferred.
Q: Can I camp or stay overnight with my vehicle?
A: No camping or sleeping overnight is allowed at the Flint Cultural Center.
Q: I’d like to grill during the show. Can I do that?
A: We’re sorry. No grilling is allowed.
Q: Is there a Swap Meet?
A: No, there is a Swap Meet and we are allowing Special Vendors. Visit our Vendor page for more details.
The Single Most Important Corvette Ever Built
Only one CORVETTE may carry that moniker, the one that enabled Corvette’s racing history legacy, and on top of that, it was a privateer project and not an official GM or Chevrolet Engineering Test Vehicle. This extraordinary 1953 CORVETTE was conceived, designed, built, and tested between January and April 1955. It was intended for Chevrolet Chief Engineer Edward N. Cole’s edification as to the necessity of a more powerful V-8 engine coupled with a four-speed manual gearbox for successful Corvette racing that was being planned for the 1956 Corvette at Sebring. This 1953 Corvette is owned by Ronald & Darwin Becker. Download the story about the vehicle here.
Celebrating 70 Years of Corvette
This special display showcases the 70 years of Corvette showcasing from 1953 through 2023. Don’t miss this display!
Vintage Motorcycles
Our vintage motorcycle display will be feature a variety of bikes, starting with one from the 1930’s through the late 70’s.
1955 Styling Proposal Corvette owned by Billy Jay Espich
In January of 1954, General Motor’s styling department was headed by Harley Earl who started work on a new design to give the 1955 Corvette a mild facelift to improve Corvette sales. Using the body from the yellow 1953 Motorama hard top Corvette S.O.2000, the 1954 styling prototype received the number S.O.2151. In March of 1954, S.O.2151 was presented to the management to view the body style changes. The S.O.2151 disappeared from GM, ended up in California. However, in 1974 a Chevrolet dealer owner found the car in a barn in San Jose, California. The car has now been fully restored by Billy Jay Espich owner of Billy Jay Indy Custom. It made its first public appearance since 1955 at the Amelia Island Concours in March 2023. Get the Auto Fair program to read the whole story about this fabulous vehicle!
A Tribute to Police & Military display
In service, classic and restored emergency and military vehicles are included in this display.
1956 Corvette SR-2 owned by Richard & Carolyn Fortier
As taken from the 1992 Paragon Vintage Corvette Magazine. The SR-2 was built in 1956 as a prototype styling car and personal car for Harlow Curtis, president of General Motors. It was painted the same color as all his family cars, a special formula “Harlow Blue”. There were two, possibly three, other SR-2’s built as race cars usually called the “high fin” cars. Get more details in our Sloan Museum Auto Fair program.
1965 Corvette cutaway chassis owned by Curtis and Diana Simlik.
This is one of three known original C-2 Corvette (1962-1966) cut-away chassis displays produced by General Motors for the auto show circuit. Rather than a simple static display, this elaborate and detailed cut-away dramatically showcases the Corvette in full motion. Head inside Sloan Museum to see this car yourself.
Vintage Tractors owned by the Genesee Valley Tractor Collectors Club
In 1990 a small group of tractor lovers came together to form the Genesee Valley Tractor Collectors Club. The purpose of the club is to promote the interest of the public in the preservation and the restoration of antique tractors, particularly the John Deere two-cylinder models, their accessories, lore and literature. Today over 100 members of the club continue their love of tractors and participate in shows, parades, drives and pulls around Michigan and beyond.