How Aaron Spaulding brings inclusion to vintage automobile showcases
Aaron Spaulding remembers realizing 40 years ago that luxury and classic automobile shows needed diversity and inclusion.
It was 1986 at Loyola Marymount University. The car enthusiast was a judge at a vintage auto show approaching with three white men the owner of a classic vehicle. The contestant insisted Spaulding was too inexperienced.
Spaulding’s colleagues came to his defense, and the chairman asked the entrant to leave.
It motivated Spaulding to ensure marginalized communities could attend and connect their culture to classic automobiles.
“For so long, these events were aristocratic, so the average Black or person of color wasn’t aware of them. There have been times over the years I’d be one of judges wearing my jacket, blazer and tie, but I’m the only brown face there,” Spaulding told UATL.
“I came in, kicked the door down, wanting to make sure they can look at them with awe and feel a sense of pride in them as rolling art.”
Four decades later, Spaulding is the co-chairman and lead judge of the inaugural Atlanta Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance at Lanier Islands Resort May 1-3. The three-day showcase borrowing its name from the French term meaning “competition of elegance” is spotlighting over 190 rare, functioning cars, boats and motorcycles that maintain their original appearance.
Spaulding is the highest-ranking Black person at the exotic car showcase and one of two Black people on its 27-member board. He hopes the auto show is welcoming and inclusive.
“You don’t have to be a multimillionaire or spend $100,000 to have a car restored. I want my folks to come to this beautiful venue off the water, experience this whole vibe and enjoy it because it’s for everyone,” he said.
“It’s an explosion of four-wheel art with metal, chrome and craftsmanship you just don’t see anymore.”
Major attractions at the event are 1960s race cars, Lamborghinis, a 1920s-era Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost and a 1958 Cadillac convertible owned by late comedian Richard Pryor. Programming includes an aerial show, panels, receptions, boat cruises, awards presentations and a jazz dinner.
“It’s a lot of pomp and circumstance, but this is not (just) a car show. We’re looking for the finest cars in the world, judging them on their merits and giving them respect,” Spaulding said.
Another vehicle on display is a Ford Model A, one of the earliest mass-produced automobiles from the 1920s. It was instrumental in the Great Migration, which transported Black people to major cities.
“It’s the most important invention of the Industrial Revolution. It was cheap, reliable and gave the masses transportation. It was part of the Black expansion from the South into Detroit, Chicago and New York City,” he said.
Some Black car enthusiasts connect classic automobiles with their family histories. Snellville-based car builder and designer Clifton Downie is one of the event judges along with Spaulding.
Downie, who owns 10 classic vehicles, wants youth to think of their relatives’ rare cars as sacred family heirlooms.
“My dad had a ‘60s aluminum-bodied Maserati Ministro I wish he held on to. Kids get to reminisce and possibly see something their grandparents had that they got to ride in,” Downie said.
“Hopefully it will inspire the younger generation to look forward to starting and keeping the cars with personal nostalgic value in their own collection. When their kids come along, it can potentially be theirs, which they may not see in 20 years.”
Spaulding, who was born in Compton, California, inherited his passion for automobiles from his father. In 1960, his dad became the first Black member of Sports Car Clubs of America.
In 1990, Spaulding entered his restored 1963 MG convertible in a Concours near UCLA. He earned second place and respect from judges and attendees.
“I was shocked and blown away. These gentlemen — a group of older white men — with coats and ties were greeting me and calling me Mr. Spaulding,” he said.
Spaulding was also extended an invitation to join the Concours.
“The average age of that club was about 58, but I was a sponge,” Spaulding, then 27, said. “They took turns guiding and teaching me how to judge and deal with people. That knowledge is what’s kept me in the game.”
Spaulding, 63, is a sought-after judge for best-in-class automobile experiences. Seven years ago, he curated The Cars of Iconic Black Americans, a vintage show themed around luxury automobiles owned by veteran Black entertainers at Tyler Perry Studios.
He said expensive cars symbolized accomplishment and success for Black performers.
“Sixty years ago, Black people were sitting on the back of the bus, but it gave entertainers a sense of pride. When we make it, we show it,” Spaulding said.
Spaulding plans to reproduce The Cars of Iconic Black Americans at the High Museum of Art next year. He hopes Black and other people of color can develop passions about classic vehicles.
“Cars tell all kinds of stories, and we all have memories in them,” he said.
“I’m like a kid in a candy store when I see them out and about. I smile because it’s people expressing themselves, and that’s what this country is all about.”
The inaugural Atlanta Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance. May 1-3. Tickets are $30-$200. Lanier Islands Resort, 7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford. atlantamotoringfestival.org
About the Author
Christopher A. Daniel is a Black Culture reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is an Atlanta-based, award-winning journalist, cultural critic and ethnomusicologist. He previously taught courses at Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University.