In Pictures: 2011 Goodguys PPG Nationals

Don't get me wrong: I love auto shows. The shiny displays, glitzy models booth professionals, and splashy news conferences all make for a great day of drooling over cars worth more than your house. But behind the glossy veneer and under the plush carpet, they're soulless: A creation of the same money-hungry establishment that this motoring nation has been rebelling against as long as parents have been reluctantly tossing keys into teenagers hands.

If you really want to find the spirit of motoring America, look no further than atop the faded, cracked pavement of your local weekend cruise-in or car club gathering. Here in the Midwest we like to do things big, so there's no better spot for checking out a cruise-in than the mammoth Goodguys PPG Nationals. Every July, the wonderful folks from the Goodguys car club invade the gigantic 360-acre Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds, creating one of the finest automotive events around.

Walking through the iconic steel "OHIO" entrance structure is quite the visceral experience: The hot, July sun reflecting off of a freshly-polished chromed tailfin, the smell of combusting Dino juice, and the rumbling of big, American V8 engines coming to life. It's more than a car show: It's a celebration of our uniquely American love affair with the automobile and everything that comes along with it.

More than 7,000 classic cars pack the fairgrounds for the annual event, with several thousand more lining up in the grass field parking lots outside the gates. You're likely to see a rusted out "junk rod" parked next to a pristine '57 BelAir, and just down the way from a numbers-matching Super Bird. You see vendors selling Corn Dogs next to vendors selling whitewall tires. You see girls straight out of the '50s, so convincing that you'd swear they just stepped out of a time machine. You see men in polo shirts and Dockers chatting with guys sporting cutoffs and tattoos. There's an electricity of a universal, common bond shared with all in attendance: The love of the American motoring experience.

Enough with my blabbing, onto the photos.

For those of you who just can't wait until next July for the Columbus event, Goodguys puts on events year round. Coming up in September, they'll present the Wix Filters Speedway Nationals at the historic Brickyard in Indianapolis. You can find information about all upcoming Goodguys events on their website, www.good-guys.com