Macomb Township

Classic cars, hot rods come to Cobo for annual Autorama

By Robin Ruehlen
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo courtesy of Roger Iannucci Macomb Township resident Roger Iannucci is entering his fully restored 1962 Corvette in the 2012 Detroit Autorama, taking place at Cobo Center Feb. 24-26. The car was also the lead in the Chevrolet’s 100 Years parade at the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2011. Photo courtesy of Roger Iannucci Macomb Township resident Roger Iannucci is entering his fully restored 1962 Corvette in the 2012 Detroit Autorama, taking place at Cobo Center Feb. 24-26. The car was also the lead in the Chevrolet’s 100 Years parade at the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2011.

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — For classic car enthusiast Roger Iannucci, Detroit Autorama is more than just a car show — it’s a form of therapy.

“Autorama is like a getaway for me. It’s a lot of fun. There’s some really creative automotive minds coming together, and a lot are guys working out of their own home garages,” said Iannucci, who is entering his 1962 Chevrolet Corvette in the 60th annual event at Cobo Center Feb. 24-26.

“The air is electric. If you think of your favorite car, you’ll see it there. Some people do really phenomenal things to their cars, and you hear some great stories.”

This year’s Autorama will feature more than 1,000 exhibits of chopped, channeled, dumped and decked hot rods, custom cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles of past and present, including four vehicles owned by Kid Rock.

The array of celebrity guests includes WWE Superstar Rey Mysterio, Deena Nicole of MTV’s “Jersey Shore”, Austin Russell (Chumlee) of The History Channel’s “Pawn Stars,” Billy Bretherton of A&E TV’s “Billy the Exterminator” and Zendaya Coleman of The Disney Channel’s “Shake It Up.”

This will be the second time Iannucci, a Macomb Township resident, has entered a classic car in the show. His 1957 Thunderbird took third place in 2010, but he’s hoping the Corvette, one of his dream cars, will take first this year.

“I helped my older brother restore a 1962 Corvette when I was a young teenager. I was born in the ‘50s, so I remember all the cars that are collectibles now. They are very nostalgic to me,” he said.

In 2008, he found the Corvette, with 37,000 original miles on it and in need of a complete restoration, for sale online in Boston. After flying out to see it for himself, Iannucci made the purchase and had it shipped back to Macomb Township. Following months of tedious research and accumulation of parts, Iannucci and a friend were able to begin the full body off-frame restoration in the fall of 2009.

“I probably spent anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week working on it, and there were some weeks where things didn’t happen if we were waiting for parts or cleaning them,” he said. “Originality is my preference in classic cars, so it has the original color scheme and the authentic parts.”

The Corvette was completed in August of 2011, just in time to be the lead car in the Chevrolet 100 Years Parade to open the Woodward Dream Cruise.

Now, Iannucci just likes to drive it as much as the Michigan weather will allow.

“I do the local cruises in Macomb, and we go to C.J. Barrymore’s,” he said.

“I don’t like to park it as much as drive it — it’s all about the driving factor for me.”

And the hunt — Iannucci said he is “always looking for the right car at the right time at the right price,” and has sold off at least five classic cars already to keep making room for new projects.

“I’m always on the lookout for ‘60s-era cars, and a lot of ‘50s too. I could go on and on,” he said. “I have one butt and too many seats to sit in.”

Macomb Township resident Craig Maisonneuve is taking his 1971 Ford Torino GT convertible to Autorama for the first time this year. Maisonneuve took second place with a classic station wagon four years ago.

“I thoroughly enjoy convertibles, and I try to drive it at least three times a week,” he said.

It took him about a year and a half to restore the root-beer-colored Torino, which has 73,000 miles on it.

“Autorama is fun, it’s exciting, and it kind of breaks up the winter. It takes you quite awhile to get the cars ready,” he said. “I go with three or four other buddies of mine, and we make a weekend of it.”

The 2012 Detroit Autorama is open from noon to 10 p.m. Feb. 24, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 25 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 26. Discount tickets are available at O’Reilly Auto Parts, and are $16 for general admission and $4 for children ages 6-12.

Tickets at the gate are $18 for adults and $5 for children ages 6-12. Children ages 5 and under attend for free.

For more information and celebrity appearance details, call 248-373-1700 or go to www.autorama.com. Autorama is produced by Championship Auto Shows Inc. and sponsored by the Michigan Hot Rod Association.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Robin Ruehlen at rruehlen@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1105.