MOUNT VERNON — Thousands of car enthusiasts poured into Ariel-Foundation Park on Saturday to see — and hear — hundreds of exotic vehicles on display in the park’s first-ever car show.
Esoteric Detail, a high-end auto detailing company based in New Albany, partnered with the Triple F Collection, the Wyler Collection car dealership group, K-Cep’s Auto Body, the Hamilton Collection, XPEL paint protection, Columbus Cars & Coffee and McLaren of Philadelphia to bring Event 5 to the park.
Zack Campbell, a partner at Esoteric Detail, said Saturday was the fifth iteration of the car show with the Triple F collection.
“This has been about a year and a half in the works, so it’s been a long time coming,” he said.
“You can see it’s a lot of sports cars, exotic cars, what we call hypercars — loosely stated, like a million-dollar-car and up.”
The show featured Lamborghinis, Porsches, Rimac Nevera, GT3s and other hypercars.
Hypercar enthusiast and social influencer James “Stradman” Condon also signed show memorabilia and posed for pictures.
A dream destination for car enthusiasts
Esoteric Detail services the vehicles in the Triple F fleet. In 2020, the two organizations, as Campbell put it, “got this crazy idea to put on a car show.”
They held the first two shows at Easton Town Center in Columbus. However, Easton did not appreciate their success.
“Easton didn’t want us back because we shut it down,” Campbell said.
Events 3 and 4 moved to the Franklin County Fairgrounds. Campbell said that although the fairgrounds offered lots of parking lots, it lacked aesthetics.
A former Esoteric Detail employee who lives in Gambier told Campbell about Ariel-Foundation Park.
“We wanted something that was more of an elevated experience, something really unique to offer great photos,” he said. “When we were turned on to this, our mind was blown. We’re all from central Ohio, Columbus area, and to know that this was even here is just mind blowing.”
Although the location was perfect, Campbell said there were challenges. Would the city want the show? Could they get a car up on the terraces? Would people support the project?
“We pulled a McLaren out there last summer on the tippy-top mound, so we proved that we could do it. And then slowly but surely, we snowballed and got more partners,” Campbell said.
“We’re just really grateful to the sponsors who are willing to put out money and time and effort to put on a show.”
Supporting a good cause
Proceeds after expenses will go to Make-A-Wish Foundation. Campbell said the previous events raised several hundred thousands of dollars for the foundation.
“I already know we’re in good shape to send a lot of money to Make-A-Wish,” he said of Saturday’s event.
However, he said what really made Saturday special is that for the first time, the event doubled as a wish-granting event, with drivers taking Wish kids on a ride around town.
The Wyler Collection donated a car for the drives, and the Chicago-based Hamilton Collection shipped six vehicles. Several other collectors brought their cars, all with the intent of raising money for Make-A-Wish.
Organizers made three separate trips with seven cars carrying Wish kids and, in some cases, their parents. However, Campbell said the exact headcount was not the point.
“Getting kids in cars and granting wishes today. It’s the first time I’ve ever been able to do it. That’s huge. That’s really special,” he said.
Cars, community and charity shine at car show
The show’s draw stretched well beyond central Ohio. Mike Evanovich made the roughly 95-minute drive from Hudson, in Summit County, after following the Triple F Collection online.
“I know that they do a lot of good things for the community. I respect that,” Evanovich said. “Not everybody is as lucky to have these [cars], but everybody enjoys them. So giving the people the opportunity, and raising some money for a good cause. … That’s a no-brainer.”
Evanovich said he was not familiar with Mount Vernon before Saturday. But he was struck by Ariel-Foundation Park.
“Being a history person, it’s beautiful,” he said. “Whoever decided to make this into the park — it seems like it’s a real success. They’ve got something really special here.”
Asked to pick a favorite from the hundreds of cars on display, Evanovich didn’t hesitate: A black Porsche 930 Turbo.
His 4-year-old son John also likes Porsche.
“Our goal is just to create an unbelievable environment to have all these cars, people, and elements in one place so people can come enjoy it.”
Zack Campbell, event organizer
Evanovich said they planned to stick around Mount Vernon after the show wrapped up, drawn by Public Square and a local brewery.
“I was really impressed for Knox County,” he said. “Up in the Rust Belt, you get a lot of communities that are struggling. It looks like it is vibrant — a lot of storefronts, the square. This is great.”
He also credited the Triple F Collection with a small gesture that stuck with him: a free T-shirt for his son.
“It’s a small thing that’s really nice,” he said.
Thousands turn out despite the rain
Campbell said collectors brought or shipped in 30 to 40 cars. As of 5 a.m. Saturday, another 195 had registered to bring their cars.
Campbell estimates attendance will reach around 4,000 visitors. Children under 12 were admitted free.
He acknowledged the rain might have deterred some car owners and visitors from attending.
“We did not count [cars] because it doesn’t really matter. We were looking to fill the voids to create awesome photos. You can see these kids hanging out over there looking at cars,” he said.
“Did the rain deter? I’m sure it deterred. But you can see this turnout. The turnout is fantastic.”
Campbell said the organizers plan to return to Ariel-Foundation Park in 2027.
“All of these people got together because we’re all just car enthusiasts through and through, and you can see how much of a family environment it is,” he said.
“That’s what we want to foster here: benefiting Make A Wish, bringing cars together. You pick any car — most people won’t see these over the course of a year. You have 200 of them in one place on one day.”
(Below are Cheryl Splain’s photos from the event.)
