Chicago Auto Show's Chi-Town Alley celebrates best of the city's 'hidden' car culture
Back in 1991, Matt Conger spotted a Toyota MR2 Turbo at the Chicago Auto Show.
Four years later, he scraped money together to buy his own in crimson red.
Now, after 31 years, 49 oil changes, 56 spark plugs and 11 sets of tires, his car is on display as part of the Chi-Town Alley exhibit at the 2026 show, which kicked off Saturday and runs through Feb. 16 at McCormick Place. The vehicle was also selected as one of six finalists in a contest celebrating the best of Chicago’s car culture. Votes cast by attendees will determine the winner once the event closes.
“I am so humbled,” said Conger, 54, of West Chicago. “Winning, to me, is just being here, taking part in all this and helping start a new exhibit. I hope it stays.”
A new attraction this year, Chi-Town Alley also features a variety of vehicles owned by local enthusiasts, including a sleek, 1975 Datsun and an eye-catching 1995 Porsche 911 RWB Sandstorm. Also on display is a row of gleaming Mustangs and tricked-out lowriders from car clubs in the region. The exhibit was created to encourage community-building and celebrate Chicago’s car scene, which participants say is full of talent but not widely recognized.
“We are very passionate about our cars, but I have enough friends on the West Coast and the East Coast who think we're just simple Midwesterners,” Conger said. “They don't know what we bring and the status of our cars, because they just think we live in cornfields. [The culture] is very strong, but hidden.”
In addition to Chi-Town Alley, the auto show features the usual popular attractions, including kid-friendly activities in the Family Zone, off-roading vehicles in the Overlanding Chicago area, and even indoor and outdoor test tracks. On Saturday, attendees lined up to pet dogs that were part of an adoption initiative hosted by Subaru. They also participated in a meet and greet with “Fast & Furious” franchise actor Sung Kang, who made an appearance.
“This is the biggest auto show I’ve ever been to,” said Kang, 52, of Los Angeles, who has directed his own racing film, “Drifter,” which does not yet have a release date.
Kang said he learned about Chicago’s car culture while filming an episode of his Insight TV reality show, “The Ride Life,” in the city a couple of years ago.
“Chicago is awesome because it's very diverse,” he said. “There's such a mixture of different ethnic groups.The car culture is not just one color. Everyone came together to celebrate this common love of cars.”
Many of the city’s car enthusiasts also share a common story of gaining an appreciation for the culture from their parents. Among them is Alan Castro, another Chi-Town Alley contest finalist who was influenced by his father.
“It got me out of trouble,” said Castro, 37, of Elgin, whose bayside blue 1998 Nissan R34 Skyline is on display. “Instead of doing other things, I’d rather build cars. You can just sit for hours in the garage thinking, ‘What should I do next? When's the next event?’”
Similarly, Ryan Rivera, another contest finalist, learned how to build cars from his father, who worked in a body shop in Puerto Rico as a kid.
When Rivera was growing up, he watched his father work on cars at home and then eventually started helping him. They also attended the Chicago Auto Show together. Having his yellow 2024 Acura Integra on display at this year’s event is “surreal,” said Rivera, 37, of Portage Park.
“I kind of want to sit on the floor when there's nobody here and just look up and take in the moment,” he said.
The Chicago car scene is growing, as younger enthusiasts are picking up the mantle. For example, the Chicago Auto Show’s social media is managed by Capture Company, a Chicago-based marketing firm owned by 21-year-old college student Marcel Sutkowski.
Once a teenager taking pictures of cars at the event, Sutkowski said he was inspired by the culture.
“The auto show brings so many people together, and it's just an incredible time,” said Sutkowski, who grew up in the northwest suburbs and now attends Purdue University. “Look how many families are here. Look at all the couples. Look at all of the students. It’s a cool community.”
That community also includes those barely out of kindergarten, said car detailer Andrew Coldwater, 20, of Shorewood, who cleaned up a McLaren 765LT for display at the show.
“There was a little kid, probably 6 years old, and he knew everything about the car — more stuff than I know,” said Coldwater, who owns Coldwater Car Care. “That's how I used to be as a little kid, coming to stuff like the auto show. To see that still going on is very cool. It’s the stuff that makes me really enjoy what I do.”