Bob, you couldnt of said it any better. I've been going to car shows for some 30+ yrs now & have seen everything you have talked about. Even traveled in the group w/some of them and it makes you wander sometimes "WTF are they smoking", and the outside folks who come see the cars, well you name I've seen them do it.
As our story goes, yrs ago I put together what some folks call a "beater" or at least it looked like one. It was in white epoxy primer, w/a 350 crate motor & 350turbo trans, nova subframe w/2inch dropped spindles disc brakes & lowwered springs, the rear end was riding on Chassic Engineering rear springs w/4inch drop blocks. The tilt steering column and power front seat came from an early 80's Buick & Cooling the inside was Vintage Air. The QQQ's I got asked the most was, whats the dash out of (early 70's Volvo wagon), what kind of shifter set up was I using ( cable shift on the column before any vendors sold them) and where did you buy that double jointed steering joint ( had to make it , cause NO ONE had them at the time). Now mind you I was parking with friends who had several cars in magazines in the past & here I was in a beater getting asked more QQQ's about my car, then all of my friends together.
One of those guys use to ride me hard about never finishing it (like they ever are "FINISHED") & one day I looked at him & said " Ok Mike, I know your cars have been in the mags & I know its worths lots of $$$$$$$$$$ along with having that fasttttt BB chevy motor & all that shiney stuff it SUREEEEEE LOOKS GREAT, BUT , lets park both in a shopping center parking lots & guess what???? both cars get keyed. All I will do is go home, clean the spot & shoot flat white spray paint on my car and I''l be done. While you'll be Bitchin all the way to the paint shop to have it repaired, So you see Mike I know I'm having more fun then you because I'm not worried about the car." AND just so you know, yes Mike is a " UP AT DAWN POWER PARKING, ATTENTION GRABBING, NOSE UP EVERYONE REAREND TYPE OF GUY" mind you he has worked hard to get where he's at BUT he's also that friend you'd like to just be able to see him step in crap & not come out smelling a rose just ONE TIME IN YOUR LIFE.
It use to burn me up sometimes to see the SNOBS at car shows untill one day an old rodder told me something, & thats the way I go to shows now & he said, OOOOOOOO you're going for trophies & the prizes arent you. Well if you are you're going for all the wrong reasons. You should be here to enjoy yourselves, eat some food, look at the cars, see some old friends & make some new ones and if by some chance you win something, Well thats just a bonus you get for enjoying your day at the car show.
As for what kind of car someone drives or wether its steel or glass, I could care less about that cause it takes the skill of someone to put it together and if you can afford to have someone do it for you, for what ever reason well thats your own call.
As long as we're all having fun isnt that all that matters??????????????...joe