By Gabriel Ionica
I go to a lot of car shows in my free time and I’ve seen a lot of incredible cars ranging from your cousin’s Lexus to that CEO’s Ferrari/Lamborghini. Even having experienced such automotive excellence, nothing could prepare me for what I saw at the VALT Auto Club x Blackhawk Museum show this past weekend.
The show was in Danville, CA, a city just east of San Francisco and an hour and a half away from me. Even though that was the farthest I had driven for a car show, I was confident that I would see some bangers based on the club’s Instagram posts. Let me tell you, I have never been more right.
Right from the moment I left my car, I knew I was in the right place. That first row was what I’d like to call “JDMuseum” complete with Supras, NSXs, Integras, and everything in between. Among these beauties was even a Bosozoku-style Toyota Cressida that looked like it was straight out of Japan. The next row was something entirely different: Muscle Car Land. Camaros, Shelbys, Corvettes, a Roadrunner, and even a Buick Grand National! By this time my head was already spinning and I was only on the second row of this massive commercial parking lot. My journey was just beginning, I had to press on.
With my head held high, I continued my walk through the parking lot when hark! What light through yonder window breaks? In the middle of everything, like two trophies in the sun, were a Bugatti Chiron parked right behind a Ferrari F40. This is what opulence looks like: five million dollars worth of cars sitting right in front of me. I felt privileged just to be in the presence of such works of art. The Chiron was finished in a beautiful cream color with green carbon fiber making up the rear. It’s one thing to see one in pictures but to experience one with your own eyes is like seeing the Mona Lisa out of its frame. The F40 was just as stunning and it looked to be in minty condition, complete with the factory Rosso Corsa paint job. Just when I thought this show couldn’t get better, I went up the stairs to the museum’s front yard.
Oh boy, it was just as crazy up there.
Parked around the museum’s fountain was a selection of the best wedges ever made: two Murcielagos, a DeLorean, an Alfa Romeo 1600Z, a Lotus Esprit Turbo, an Opel Kadett GT/E, a DeTomaso Pantera, some 924s, an SVX, a 300ZX, and a few Ferraris to finish off the lot. And in the back, almost hiding from the crowd, was a Nissan Skyline RS Turbo. That’s right folks, a genuine, RHD, DR30. Luckily for me, I brought a change of pants so after fixing that small issue, I headed back downstairs to check out the rest of the lot.
Among the final rows of BMWs and Porsches, a few cars stood out to me from the rest. For starters, there was a neat row of Skylines arranged in chronological order from R32 all the way to the R35. While I was admiring a Volvo 1800ES in a lovely forest green, a purple Noble M400 just casually drove by to put a beautiful (and loud) end to my VALT Auto Club experience.
If you haven’t uttered at least a few obscenities while staring in awe at those pictures, I am very surprised. Seeing such an incredible collection of dream cars in person was beyond insane and I’m convinced I ascended to car heaven for a few hours. Big shoutout to the team at VALT Auto Club for inviting me and organizing such an incredible exhibition of automobiles. I will happily take the day off work again to come to another one of their shows and experience true automotive elation as any car enthusiast should at least once in their life.