Before cars became symbols of identity, competition, customization, and culture, they were something much simpler. They were new.  At the end of the nineteenth century, the automobile was still an unfamiliar technology. People were accustomed to horses, trains, bicycles, and carriages. The idea of owning a machine that could move independently under its own power was remarkable enough to draw crowds. Naturally, people wanted to see them. That curiosity created one of the longest running traditions in automotive culture: the car show.