Like father, like son: Attending the Auto Show is an annual event
Bob Orzech Sr. has attended most Greater Milwaukee Auto Shows since the late 1960s, but he hasn’t missed a single one since he first brought his son, Bob Jr., 16 years ago.
“I was — what? — nine?” Bob the younger said. “All I remember is being obsessed with the Dodge Ram pickup for a long time afterwards.”
Bob Sr. said he was willing to return to the show every year in part because his son liked it so much, but they also both admit they love cars and enjoy spending time together. They say they plan to attend the Auto Show again this year, which runs from Feb. 20-28 at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee.
There, hundreds of the latest model cars from all major manufacturers will be on display in a no-pressure environment.
“‘Guy time’ is part of it,” Bob Sr. said. “But we like coming here just to see what’s new.”
Sometimes, the Waukesha resident said, he attends the show with ideas about what kind of vehicle he’d like to buy, and narrows his choices by looking under hoods, eyeballing trunks and sitting in the vehicles.
Junior, who’s now in his late 20s and lives in Hartland, says he rarely visits the show with a serious agenda. Last year, though, he zeroed in on the Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 and was so impressed he called it “by far the best-looking car at the show.”
Senior, a longtime Corvette owner, tried to act cool to contrast his son’s enthusiasm, but couldn’t stop himself from raving about the redesigned ’Vette’s styling. He was even able to cite the car’s exact horsepower rating and zero-to-60 time.
“I watch car shows on TV… any shows about cars, really,” he explained.
He also said he’s more excited about the show in the years when he’s planning to buy a new vehicle. In 2015, he said he was looking for a vehicle to use in winter when his “fun summer cars” — the Corvette and a Chevrolet Camaro SS — are in storage. His Auto Show experience helped him decide what to buy.
“I looked at pretty much everything at the show that had all-wheel drive,” he said. “I was thinking about a sedan going in, but when I sat in the GlC Acadia Denali, the height above the road, the amount of metal around me, the spaciousness of the interior, all convinced me that a large vehicle like that was the way to go.”
This year, he said, he’ll be looking for a smaller SUV for his wife, Eileen, when he and Bob Jr. attend.
The elder Bob said Eileen has attended the show in the past, as have their daughters, Amy, Corinne and Allie.
“But they’re just not as interested,” he said. A teenage grandson also isn’t interested in cars, but the Bobs said there’s always a chance the car-lover gene will eventually come through in the next generation.
Until that happens, the two say they’ll continue attending the show together, usually on a weekday afternoon.
“There aren’t as many people here,” Bob. Jr. said. “There’s always a line to sit in the Corvette, but at least, during the week, it’s a little shorter.”