New cars and trucks have been the main draw at recent Portland Intnerational Auto Shows, inlcuding the one that starts Feb. 5.

In addition to hundreds of cars and trucks, the Portland International Auto Show once featured entertainment acts to draw people in — including some that were less than serious.

Wentworth Chevy President Bob Wentworth still remembers the ostrich races staged inside the Memorial Coliseum when the show was held there in the 1960s and 1970s.

“That’s something I’ll never forget,” Wentworth says of the children dressed up like jockeys who raced the ostriches around the coliseum arena.

A few laughs were unintentional. Auto dealer Don Miller demonstrated a hovercraft-styled air car he planned on selling in 1969. He couldn’t control the awkward contraption and crashed it in front of those seated in the arena. Miller subsequently scrapped his plans to become Portland’s first air car dealer.

Much of the entertainment was top flight, however. The annual show featured some of the biggest performers of the day. They included Motown headliners The Supremes in 1967, Bobby “Ode to Billy Joe” Gentry in 1971, the Glenn Miller Band in 1972, country singer Roy Clark and the Grass Roots rock band in 1973, and singer and talk show host Della Reese with special guest Frank Sinatra Jr. in 1974.

This year, the autos are expected to be the biggest draw at the Portland International Auto Show, which runs Feb. 5-8 at the Oregon Convention Center. Auto shows held in other cities so far have attracted the largest crowds in years, thanks to the improving economy and the proliferation of new products. Consumers are reentering the market in droves, with 16.52 million new cars and light trucks sold in the U.S. in 2014, the largest number since before the start of the Great Recession.

Auto dealers change with the times

The shift in focus reflects the evolution of the Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association (MPNCDA), which stages the show. The organization has become more professional as the challenges facing auto dealers have grown during the past several years.

“We can be stronger by working together,” says Executive Vice President Greg Remensperger.

The MPNCDA is part of a network of organizations that work together on issues such as increasing federal regulations and more demanding manufacturers. Other organizations include the Oregon New Car Dealers Association (ONCDA) and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA).

For a small state, Oregon has had a large influence on the NADA. Two prominent local auto dealers have served as its president, the late Ron Tonkin and his son Ed, who is currently vice president of the Ron Tonkin Family of Dealerships.

In fact, Ed was NADA president during much of the Great Recession, which was one of the most challenging times for auto dealers nationally. The government encouraged bankruptcies of Chrysler and General Motors drove some dealerships out of business, and Ed spent much of his time in Washington, D.C. lobbying lawmakers on behalf of his members.

Now, in the wake of the recession, dealerships are navigating a changed landscape that includes such things as new federal rules on financing — the lifeblood of the industry.

100 years of auto shows and sales

The Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association celebrated its 100-year anniversary last year — a major accomplishment for an association representing businesses that normally compete against one another.

“We compete against each other, but we’ve always gotten along socially,” says Wentworth, whose father started the business in the building now occupied by Powell’s Books before moving it to 107 S.E. Grand Ave. and adding a Subaru dealership.

According to Remensperger, the reason the association has lasted so long is because its members — new car dealers from Vancouver to Salem — have a lot in common. Among other things Remensperger says they all want to find ways to give back to their communities, and support the association’s year-round charitable activities. It donated more than $265,000 to a variety of charities in 2013 alone.

Much of the money is now raised at the annual charity preview party held at the auto show the evening before it officially opens. This year’s Feb. 4 party will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Brain Injury Alliance of Oregon, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, the Meals on Wheels People, the Providence Cancer Center, and Victory Academy.

Remensperger says documenting the association’s activities apparently wasn’t a high priority for most its existence. He has found few records except for a series of incorporation papers since being hired there around 10 years ago. They show it started as the for-profit Portland Auto Dealers in 1914, reincorporated as the nonprofit Auto Dealers Association of Portland in 1952, then adopted its current name in 1970.

The annual auto show actually preceded the association, Remensperger says. The first one was held in the Forestry Center in 1909. Remensperger believes the association has sponsored every show since it was created, but is not sure whether any years were skipped during the first or second world wars.

The association took over the actual production of the show a few years ago because it thought the private company organizing them was not responsive enough to the community. Since then features have been added to appeal more to entire families, including a special room for health advice, and an emphasis on choosing and equipping vehicles for outdoor recreation. The association has also organized annual displays focusing on alternative fuel vehicles, recognizing the relatively high regional sales of hybrids and all-electric cars.

New this year is the Dub Show Tour featuring one-of-a-kind exotic cars and custom wheels and the Race Garage featuring a variety of race cars and products.