New Automotive Enthusiast Club speeds towards success with Auto Show

Marking the summative celebration of their first year as a fully fledged club, the Bucknell Automotive Enthusiast Club held what they hope will be their first annual Auto Show on Saturday, April 26.

Founded officially by Brady Muller ’26, the club was conceptualized by him, Alex Dalton ’26 and Peter Guzman (graduated with the Class of ’24) in Muller’s first year. Muller connected with Brent Papson to learn about and commence the process of turning his machine dream into a proper club. 

“I founded the club to both find other students on campus who share the same interest in cars, while also challenging myself to diversify my leadership skills that I’ve developed as a student athlete on the men’s basketball team,” Muller explained. So far, his favorite part of being in the club has been the promotional process for the car show.

“As someone who prioritizes basketball, it was a good experience being able to use some of the extra time that we have in the offseason to really dial in on this event.” Working with “various departments, from the box office and CAP center to alumni relations and even public safety” has made “leading this club [an] opportunity to learn what it really takes to plan and execute a successful event” for Muller. 

The laborious process paid off, in Muller’s eyes, with a car show that was “a complete success.” Muller’s original plan was to “host an alumni-only event,” with an expected turnout of about a dozen people, but after connecting with Robert Delbo, General Manager of Blaise Alexander Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat Lewisburg, Muller and the club’s executive team were able to “immerse the event within the Lewisburg [community]” and engage with local businesses and citizens to end up with “30 pre-registered cars leading into the event.” Local participants ended up registering at the gate day-of, leading to a total of 70 vehicles and 200 spectators over the course of the day. The range of vehicles that were showcased stretched about 100 years, from 1927 through 2025, and the show itself lasted about four hours. Muller was interviewed by an iHeart Radio satellite van that pulled up to the event. 

Now that the club has established itself as a strong presence in the community, they’re hoping to expand their alumni pull with the next Auto Show to “pair with the local crowd” that attended this year. “Since we are hoping to keep the quality of these shows high, we will likely do one per semester,” Muller explained, and they’re hoping to target alumni weekend to maximize their next turnout. Muller’s own car was registered in the show — it was “a really fun experience,” he said, to receive “a lot of compliments” on the “modifications [he’s] been working on in the last year.”

Awards were allocated to the top-performing cars at the show. The “Fast and Furious Award” winner was a C6 Corvette with nitrous tanks and a parachute; their “People’s Choice Award,” a riff off of the entertainment industry’s “People’s Choice Awards,” was bestowed on a red 1941 Willis and their “Best Mopar” Award, designated in collaboration with the club’s co-host, Dodge, was given to a 2021 Scat Pack Charger with aftermarket butterfly doors.

Because Muller spent most of his time at the show working, he wasn’t able to see all the cars for as long as he would have liked, but the cars he was able to see spanned “an amazing variety.” The registration fee for the event went towards funding it, with any extra proceeds going to the Automotive Enthusiasts Club itself. 

Muller and the members of the club are open to connecting with any and all alumni who have experience in the automotive industry. The club itself, though, is open to “anyone at Bucknell, whether you have a car or not; all you need is to like the hobby.” 

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