• Grassroots is an East Coast, invite-only automotive showcase that assembles the best cars from every genre onto a picturesque field of dreams.
• This bi-annual show is the perfect bookend to the Northeast’s “car season” and a course in automotive style, culture, and community.
• Grassroots leveraged its immense network in tandem with social media to find builds that can help inspire the next generation.
• In its third edition, Grassroots has attracted immense fanfare, incredible cars, and a special guest appearance from one of our generation’s most talented vehicle designers: Khyzyl Saleem.

A lot of buzzy rhetoric is thrown around in the aftermarket industry to describe events lately. Words like elevated, curated, and discerning have become diluted; they are standard issue on most about pages. Even the word “enthusiast” is being used by people who don’t really know too much about cars. As a result, there’s this air of skepticism around the industry. Is this new event really going to revolutionize the way that car shows are presented? Frankly, most aren’t, so that mistrust is understandable. There needs to be a hard reset in the language we use because not everything can (or should) be recognized as the best of the best.

I’m sure I’ve hurt some feelings here, but the silver lining is that there are still companies that are, truly, doing something better than the rest. Today, that company is Grassroots.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

While other terminology has gotten a bit overused, “grassroots” is one word that has remained true to form. By definition, a grassroots-focused event is predicated on a pure, unfiltered passion where politics, social media likes, and discrimination have no merit. In the case of cars, that is a valuable quality; appreciating cars across genres, styles, and generations is best done in person. Still, it’s important to articulate that a grassroots-focused event needs to uphold a standard; not everyone is allowed to be a show car.

Indeed, Grassroots makes no apologies for showcasing a hand-picked display spread, but it’s managed to create a curated event that doesn’t feel stuffy or unattainable in a way that many others have failed to do. That’s a tough line to walk but you can tell that the lofty car selection—whether it’s an insane long-term build, something rare, or something exotic—helped set an aspirational standard rather than make you feel like the car scene isn’t for you.

“We believe everyone regardless of background or vehicle, deserves a place to share their automotive passion. here, there’s no room for discrimination, just quality cars and exceptional people.”

NO BARRIERS

Part of creating that standard means breaking down barriers between car communities. Despite the car community’s natural taste or loyalist factions, the automotive lifestyle (and the top-quality builds that come out of it) is all-encompassing. As a result, Euros, JDM, low-riders, vans, Kei cars, and race cars all had a deserved place on the Grassroots Edition field. The spread wasn’t segmented in any formal way, but somehow, it still appeared well-planned instead of just a “park wherever” spattering. I rolled into the event with my friend Tom, and our 997 pairing was flanked by two lowriders with serious hydraulics. The contrast couldn’t have been greater—both of their cars contorted and reaching for the sky—while Tom and I were hunkered down P-cars on the grass.

That realization made me take in the event with a wider lens, hoping to catch interesting groupings that’d be easy to miss if you hyperfocused on single cars at a time. A trio of really clean E36 M3s were the first to catch my eye and reminded me that this chassis looks so good in virtually every color and style. You can’t say that about too many cars. An R107 SL on Pentas and a creme 190E on AMG multi-piece monoblocks made for an offbeat pair that I thoroughly appreciated, too. And I confess to having a secret affinity for the Y33 (Cima) chassis. Seeing it with a VIP-styled LS and an R33 GT-R made me want something to cruise in low and slow.

As a standalone, Rob Ida’s Jaguar XK120, aka “The Black Cat,” was a particular example worth recognizing. It had an aerodynamic blown canopy conversion— reminiscent of the speed record challengers from the 50s—but executed in a way that Ida has become famous for through the years. It’s always incredible to see how he translates his vivid imagination into these works of art.

FAMILIAR FACES

By proximity alone, the show was bound to bring together some friends from the ‘gram and familiar faces from Turn 14 Distribution gatherings. Andy brought out two heavy hitters—his E30 and E46 M3—both of which were merited mainstays in our lobby the past couple of years. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing Justin’s 944, either. I was a huge fan of it on BBS LMs, and the Nismo wheels are a nice change-up that I bet you’ve never seen on another transaxle. And last but not least, Daniel’s Bon Jovi Edition Golf on rare BBS Strosek wheels is always a treat. If he hadn’t shown up at our Cars+Coffee, I’d have never known this car existed. What a gem.

A FEW SURPRISES

Still, there were plenty of cars that I’d seldom seen—even on the internet. I couldn’t tell you the first thing about this trio of Volkswagens, but admittedly, I stared at each of them far too long before I was pulled away to grab lunch. Any VW heads who can school me on these, I’m all ears. This was the first time I’d ever seen or heard of a VW Brasilia. This one had a wild exhaust setup—that flirted dangerously close to the pavement—and a perfect set of Rotiform BKKs. The AMS Autowerks Rieger widebody hatch was unapologetically Euro, and I loved it. The loud paint, deep dish wheels, DTM exhaust, big wing, and the 348-style strakes on the kit made the car look like it should’ve been on the cover of Max Power magazine.

Speaking of bringing me back, Grassroots managed to attract a bunch of Evo Vs to the pitch, which has always been one of my favorite generations. This particular example gave me some serious Gran Turismo 2 vibes.

BEYOND SHOW

I remember being told that one day I’d grow out of cars, and I’m sure most of us heard the same thing as kids. Grassroots was a reminder that the car scene isn’t just a hobby we take on when we’re young—or even just a weekend “thing.” It’s become our world, and even as immersed as we are on a daily basis with cars, being selected for Grassroots feels special.

That says a lot and I think they are acutely conscious of that; they’ve purposely called the Grassroots Edition Fall Invitational a “course,” not a “show.” For as much as I harped on language to start this article, this distinction is important. By setting its intent to be a course, this Grassroots event sets a proper example for the next generation, both as a standard for quality builds, parts, and passion and as an exercise in community, authenticity, and acceptance. Thank you for having us, Grassroots, and we’re looking forward to the next one in the Spring.

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