Very simply Im new the car community (18m) been into cars for awhile but never went to any events/shows. Obviously everyone is different blah blah blah, have you ever been to a event and a strange came to make conversation? How did it go and have there been any bad outcomes?
People talk to each other all the time at car shows. Common interest, that’s partly whey they go. I’ve never gone to a new car show, never have read MotorTrend or Car & Driver either, I have little interest in new cars, but I go to classic shows from time to time, pretty fun. Folks owning the cars can be a little protective, tell you not to touch or lean on them, that’s about the worst outcome I’ve experienced.
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Here’s my advice . . .
Just take a chance and go to these events and be friendly and polite
Do NOT be arrogant and talk like a know-it-all . . . if you do that, you WILL get schooled and it’ll be an awful experience for you
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But don’t touch the cars. Some of those part jobs are up to $20,000. The folks have their cars on display and are happy to talk about their project. Lots of people of all varieties go there and a lot of females too. The narrative is fear and separation but the real world is nothing like that.
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Ive met some nice folks that will happily chat and even debate a little, had a fyn chat with the ownersof a356b super90 that makes regular visits to the lot while the owners grab a cup of coffee, will talk your earoffif you let him. We debated how the 356 compares ro the miata parked nearby. Fimd a local meet on Sat or Sun morning and see what you find.
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Expressing interest in other folks cars will be a sure conversation starter. Like @db4690 said, don’t try and impress.
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The people at the car meets are there to show off their cars. Any interest you show will make them very happy. Remember all the work they put into making what you see and even cars you don’t think are cool might appear in a different light. Of the older stuff, I really like stock, chopped and sectioned 50s and 60s cars. Others don’t, but the community is so large that there are a lot of people that will like almost everything.
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Thank you to all who’ve responded; I am gonna attend an event and use the advice you’ve suggested. 
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I attended Amelia Island Concours this year and got to see my dream car in person.
The Hirohata 51 Mercury. Arguably the finest example of the chopped, channeled, frenched, lowered and smoothed lead sled ever constructed.
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You will find similar acceptance at your local autocross. If you ever see a bunch of cars skooting around orange cones one by one in a big parking lot some weekend… stop, pull in and ask What’s going on here? They will tell, show and may offer you a 40 or 50 second ride along. Do it. It is fun and the people are great.
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Waited at tire shop today for 1hr. Talked to little old lady quite a bit. She was there for a coolant leak. She told me some theories on coolant level sensors. Turns out she knew pretty much every car subject I could think of. She was 85 approx. said she disliked stock rims on car and went to another shop and ordered new rims/tires. Had a 2000 grand am ram air. Looked pretty clean. Funny.
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But don’t be a total dumb a$$ either, Don’t walk up to the guy or gal with a 8-71 roots blower and twin dominators sticking out of the hood over a foot and ask is that a blower??? You might just get a very sarcastic answer… lol
But, say nice car, looks very cool, what is hiding under the hood or something like that, you will get a much better response… Also read up a little and maybe try to know the difference in a few engines, like a flat head vs a BBC… (you may already have that covered)
Also remember that Patina is huge now a days so don’t ask what color ya going to paint it…
I know when people come up to me and ask questions about my 76 Road Runner I am happy tp talk to them about it, but if you come up to me and say, man I love your car, I had one just like it in high school, what year is your Nova??? I want to say, you need to go back to school and learn how to read you idiot, it has Road Runner on both sides of the car in big letters, and Plymouth in the grill… 
And as already said, NEVER touch someone else’s vehicle unless they offer to let your 1st…
o as long as you are respectful and polite and keep your hands to your self that you will have a good time…
BTW Some guys/gals that grudge race will not tell you the specs of there engines, transmissions or rear gears etc, so if you ask and they give you a strange answer, (like a Mustang with a twin turbo LS swap in it and they say it is stock) don’t take it personal, that is just racing… 
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Saw a 2000 vette at gas station in 2001? Had 15” centerline rims/drag radials. Guy had open hood so I took a look. Had a belt driven supercharger and IC piping went thru cutout in front of rad. I mentioned IC and he was surprised. Not many folks would notice that he said. He had a NOS setup too. For emergencies. Some folks have interesting cars.
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I saw a S10 at the station and saw a strange badge on the fender, couldn’t see it very well, I noticed the DR on the back and skinny’s up front and thought hummm… He fired it up and it was the big cubed LSX truck some guys had talked about, sweet sound (for a GM anyway lol).
Very quick street truck… I’m sure it would have put mine in it’s place… lol
LOL
… By another know it all who is actually somewhat of an idiot. All kind of false information is spread about cars. The idea that it safer to not wear a seat belt because you’ll go through the windshield is still going around. Most people don’t understand that torque doesn’t matter, horsepower does. A transmission allows the engine to operate at its optimal speed for full horsepower. Torque is important when choosing what transmission to install. More torque can give you a bit more instant power, not having to wait for the engine to speed up, but that’s about it.
Then there are the endless disagreements about what oil to use. At least one side of any argument will refuse to look at real test or engineering data. But I used sythetic oil and 2 days later my engine threw a rod … Never synthetic again!!!
The situation is actually worse on the Internet, or other non hands on situations where people don’t actually have to back of what they’re talking about with a real car where it would be apparent to everyone that they’re full of it.
The dirt bike motorcycle situation is actually worse than cars as far as idots go.
I just looked up the Hirohata Mercury and I agree - It’s stunning!
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No
If op behaves arrogant and talks like a know-it-all, they will get schooled by someone that knows more than YOU . . . LOL 
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That is funny… Torque gets you off the line, HP helps at the big end…
Torque is 2 cars leaving the line wheels up with very low 60’ times and the 2nd car is ahead of the 1st car a little, then about the 500’ mark HP takes over and the slower car drives around the 1st car for the win at the 660’ mark… 1/8 mile or street racing…
My Hot Rod has a ton of torque and from a 15 mph roll I can pull away from a 392 Scat Pack Wide Body up till about 50 mph when his higher HP passes me and drives out of my life…
Here is Torque, NOT HP… But you do require BOTH to win a race… lol
Most knowledgeable engine builders know it’s torque that wins drag races—not horsepower. And transmitting the engine’s torque to the ground is largely the responsibility of the driveline. Obviously, getting as much torque to the tires as possible should be the goal of every performance-oriented racer.
Making the Most of Torque - Mark Williams Enterprises, Inc.
I found this from Capital One believe it or not… lol
More torque makes a car accelerate harder, assuming the weight stays the same. A low-weight, high-torque vehicle accelerates ferociously off the line, pushing you back into the seat like a rocket launching. Large work vehicles, such as heavy-duty diesel trucks, also have high-torque engines, but they won’t win drag races. All the torque is required to set a heavy vehicle in motion and help it carry or haul a large load.
Torque is the force and horsepower is the rate at which that force gets done. The difference in torque is doing the work, while horsepower is how fast that work gets done. Note that horsepower and torque are closely linked. The higher the horsepower, the higher torque.
What Is The Difference Between Horsepower and Torque?
Horsepower and torque are two sides of the same coin as one goes with the other. Torque is the force while horsepower is the rate at which that force works. The difference in torque is doing the work, while horsepower is how fast that work gets done.
The horsepower and torque, together with where each falls on a vehicle’s engine rotation per minute (rpm) range and gearing, determine a car’s speed and acceleration.
In layman’s terms, torque allows you to feel the sensation of acceleration when you put your foot down, while horsepower is your overall speed and power.
This theory is understandable because horsepower gets calculated from torque.
Consider how you can calculate horsepower with this simple equation: Horsepower = Torque x RPM / 5,252 (where 5,252 is the conversion between lb-ft and horsepower). Horsepower and torque are closely linked. The higher the horsepower, the higher torque.
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Theb\\ SNOWMAN /// motto again don’t let facts get in the way of NONSENSE.
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Yep, I’m putting in a 200 hp 1 liter motorcycle engine in my car, 10,000 rpm here I come!