Auto Salon showcases modified cars

Auto Salon showcases modified cars

“Starting in 2010, we wanted to supplement the new production cars in the show with after-market and modified cars,” recalls Scott Diamond, Auto Show Assistant Manager.

“It was evident that he was well connected with the people who had the cars we wanted to include in the show,” Diamond said.

Liwanag recalls providing four modified vehicles the first year, along with some race cars and a “mixed bag” of other vehicles.

The plan was to give them something special they would relate to, different from the manufacturers’ production vehicles or the Academy of Art exhibit of beautiful classic cars they couldn’t afford.

Cars must be transported to the ballroom one-by-one in the freight elevator.

Dubbed the San Francisco Auto Salon, the larger exhibit space is viewed by Liwanag as an opportunity to create the kind of modified-car show of which he had always dreamed:

What surprises me is how it became almost prestigious for owners to display their modified cars.

The salon’s modified cars and the Art Academy’s classic cars add a different dimension to the experience for the folks who come to the show.