MIDLAND, Mich. — There are few places where one can see a Ferrari, John Deere farm machinery, smart cars, 18-wheelers and recreational vehicles all in one setting.

The 47th Annual 2010 Northwood University International Auto Show, which ran from Oct. 15-17, featured all those vehicles and more. The show, organized solely by Northwood students, was visited by an estimated 55,000 people. The event is billed as the largest new car, outdoor auto show in North America. More than 500 students participated in the show, which was chaired by student Brandon Postema and vice-chaired by James Hannah.
 
The theme for this year’s show was “Electrify the Drive, Sparking a Global Revolution.”

Marcell Chandler, of Gaylord, Mich., co-captain of the Unique Auto Team, said he enjoyed the planning process, which happened year-round. “You get to see it all come together,” the junior, double-majoring in international business and management said, “It’s awesome. You get to meet new people, see new cars.”

Chandler’s team featured modified cars, mostly Camaros.

“In our case, some of these cars are so rare, they had drivers bring them in,” Chandler said. In other cases, students are allowed to drive the cars to the campus, between sun-up and sun-down.

Students work with dealerships around the state or with collectors to secure vehicles for the show. “Some dealerships can only give you so many cars,” he said. “After this show is over, we’ll start planning all over again for next year’s.”

Students also are responsible for all aspects of the display of the vehicles. They clean up their respective vehicle area, rake leaves and wax cars the mornings of the show.

Andrea Tahmovch and Michael Grant, both of Livonia, Mich., were part of Team Mazda. Tahmovch is double-majoring in entrepreneurship and management; Grant is majoring in accounting.

In Team Mazda’s case, they also set up a video game featuring Mazda race cars for attendees to play.

Team Mazda had a bit of difficulty tracking down an RX-8. There was only new one in the state at a dealership, Grant said. So the team requested permission from the dealership it was paired up with to secure an RX-8 at another dealership. The dealership gave the OK and the team brought the RX-8 to the show.

One show-stopping vehicle that garnered much attention from attendees was a 1996 Buick dubbed an “OffRoadMaster,” a car on a monster truck platform where the vehicle body was lifted about seven feet off the ground.

The event included a classic car show on Oct. 17.