ROCKET CITY OCTANE AUTO SHOW: The one-day event is known as one of the most exciting auto shows in the Southeast

For most car enthusiasts the infatuation with car collecting and the allure of the vehicles’ beauty, colors and the mirror-like shine from chrome began at a young age. For Joe Scott, the admiration almost began at birth as his family brought him home from the hospital in his father’s candy apple red 1966 Ford Mustang. Today, 56 years later, Scott has his own 2011 Mustang Roush Stage 2 loaded with lots of modifications and a 1988 Mustang GT convertible with white and gray paint job and the rare factory blue top. His love for his cars and the thousands of others he has come in contact with has led him to be one of the finest car show promoters in the Tennessee Valley.

In mid-August, Scott will present his sixth annual Rocket City Octane Auto Show in the South Hall of the Von Braun Center, presented by AutoworkZ, which will feature the return engagement of Von Hotrod, a well-known West Coast pin-striper, who carries an old-school vibe, and two of the most famous actresses from the 1973 motion picture American Graffiti, Mackenzie Phillips and Candy Clark. The one-day event is known as one of the most exciting auto shows in the Southeast with people as far away as Kentucky and the Carolinas attending.

“The World of Wheels used to show at the VBC, but that went away and there was a void for a major car show in Huntsville,” said Scott, who for 30 years has worked as a chemist for NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center including the life support system for the International Space Station. “I, along with Terry Maples, Tim Johnson and Bryan Miller, all car enthusiasts, put the original High Octane Car Show together in 2021, and in our third year moving the show from October to August, we began to blow it through the roof.”

The World of Wheels was a super-produced event with the same cars year-after-year being displayed. Scott and his group of collectors did not want to copy that formula and decided to recruit area residents and their cars in an indoors setting with superior lighting and all of the amenities offered by the Von Braun Center. “Yes, we wanted to make the show family-friendly and get to look at cars not often shown. We wanted to make these families want to come back,” added Scott.

One local couple who have been married for 32 years and themselves huge car enthusiasts, will put their prized possessions on display at the Rocket City Octane Auto Show, as well as, volunteer to work portions of the big event. Dale and Gwyn Wright, both 62, have had the affection for the world of “hot rod” automobiles since their teens.

“I started while in high school as I’ve always loved cars and Dale grew up with a famed 1957 Chevy,” said Gwyn Wright, who retired from the business of breeding horses while Dale works for the Dept. of Defense, as they moved to the area of Hazel Green in 1996. “I sold my 1968 Camaro SS so I could go to college. Since arriving here in North Alabama, I began to get my cars mostly finished, put a few personal touches to our cars as we try and get those cars back as close to their normal looks as possible.”

Gwyn has a Lemans Blue 1968 Camaro SS while Dale sports a 1967 silver in color Oldsmobile 442. Each will be on display at the August event.

“The last 14 years we both dove into the experience and love being together with our cars, but Dale is the real driving force for us,” said Gwyn, who indicated she also had a fascination for Hot Rods and even did some street racing to see who had the fastest cars. “Our goal for the Octane Auto Show is to go have fun and talk about the cars, as we love to hear the stories we’re told by people on their first cars and other aspects of their youth connected to cars. I believe this show will be the closest to the Sema Car Show in Las Vegas regarded as the Super Bowl of car shows. Last year this event had huge crowds and many first-time attendees. In my opinion, the crowds were off the charts.”

This year’s event will feature the Rocket City Hot Wheelers Club which will set up Hot Wheels Tracks throughout the lobby of the VBC’s South Hall. The Octane Auto Show will also feature the “Mayberry” characters, a special appearance by the original full car mechanic for the Dukes of Hazzard TV program, the famed Bat Mobile from Batman and cars from Smokey and the Bandit film franchise.

One of the biggest highlights of the event will be the fact seven cars from the American Graffiti movie will be in attendance along with Phillips and Clark who played the characters Carol and Debbie, respectively, in the George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola film, which led the TV show Happy Days. Terry Johnson of Athens is expected to show his yellow 1932 Ford Street Rod like the one used in American Graffiti.

Up to 100 vehicles will be on display with an extra 40 arranging to attend, all of which are specialty cars within the show car industry. A wide range of cars, trucks and even old equipment from the U.S. Army will be on display for all to see.

“I had no idea I would someday be involved with cars like this as my dad told me to find a car and he would pay for half the amount,” said Gwyn Wright. “I found a 1979 Camaro and I soon began to hang out with guys and it was then I learned a lot about cars and I began to get my hands dirty. Growing up, I loved playing with Hot Wheels and was into sports. I’ve gone from Tonka Toys in the mud to Hot Wheels and now classic cars.”

Scott and his wife, Carissa, have been married for 31 years and have a 27-year old son. Scott was born in Decatur, but grew up in Scottsboro where he graduated from Scottsboro High School in 1987. He then moved to the area of Athens and began attending and then promoting car shows. His work with the Octane Auto Show has brought big names into the Rocket City including Dennis Gage, a superstar classic car buff and actor Eric Estrada, who played “Punch” on the TV show “Chips.” “Oh gosh, he was a big hit,” added Scott, who, for the last eight years has hosted a Thursday night live show on Facebook, dedicated to all things automotive. “I call it the Fastback Saloon and one of the sponsors of the show had the idea to have an indoor auto show at the Von Braun Center and I thought what a great idea.”

Since the very first Octane Auto Show, AutoworkZ has been a sponsor. This year, the business located on Jordan Lane in Huntsville and which specializes in painting and car modifications, is the event’s title sponsor. AutoworkZ and Scott are passionate about all cars.

“This show is where you will see people, especially families, have a good time and continue to talk about after they leave,” said Scott. “You will see some of the most spectacular cars you will see in any car show in the Southeast. The most unique cars will be on display and they are the most spectacular rides anywhere. This show is bigger than we are. We’re just ridin’ the wave.”