ROSEMONT, Ill. – Midwesterners dreading classic-car withdrawals during the winter months get their “fix” each November by gathering in suburban Chicago for the annual “Muscle Car Nats” – drawing car people young and old who have the passion for classic Detroit horsepower. Although the all-indoor event is headlined by Brand X, the show is open to all makes and models of muscle cars – and you can always bet that the Blue Oval is well represented.

The most recent installment of the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals (MCACN) was the yearly two-day event held the weekend before Thanksgiving, November 17-18, 2018, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. There, the 10th Anniversary of the show drew some 600 rare and unique invitation-only display cars from across the country, as well as a collector car for-sale area, a variety of automotive (only) parts vendors, restoration businesses and sponsor displays, with a good number of industry celebrities added in as part of the deal.

Special features for 2018 included the Class of 1968 50th Anniversary, Barn Finds and Hidden Gems, the Ford Mustang and Shelby Pinnacle competition, and the Vintage Certification for unrestored original muscle cars, all sponsored by The Mecum Auction Company. As you might expect, our own roving photographer, Bill Cook, made the trip just outside of the Windy City to attend the event with his longtime friend, well-known Detroit-area super-enthusiast Mark Storm. This time both Bill and Mark handled photographic duties at the show for Ford Performance, and both agreed to send us their event photos to us share with you in the gallery below: 

FORD PERFORMANCE PHOTO GALLERY / COURTESY BILL COOK & MARK STORM