More than 30 car clubs will roll their Packards, Plymouths, Fiats and Ferraris onto the grounds of Glenview Mansion on October 17, as the Rockville Antique and Classic Car Show returns for another year of its six-decade run through Rockville Civic Center Park. The free event, which runs from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 603 Edmonston Drive, is considered one of the oldest and largest gatherings of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region.
According to The MoCo Show, the show will feature a flea market, food and beverages for purchase, and live music from the Rock-A-Sonics. This year's event carries extra historical weight: the show includes a special display called Mercedes-Benz: A Century of Amalgamation, marking the 100th anniversary of the 1926 merger that created Daimler-Benz, as well as the 140th anniversary of Karl Benz's 1886 Patent-Motorwagen, according to the City of Rockville. The exhibit was organized in partnership with the Mercedes-Benz Club of America's Greater Washington Section.
Strict Rules Keep the Field Authentic
Owners hoping to bring a vehicle onto the field face firm limits. Entries are restricted to authentic, unmodified motor vehicles up to model year 2001, with custom cars, hot rods and replicas barred from participating, per show guidelines published by the city. Registration is capped at 500 pre-registered vehicles with no day-of signups permitted, and fees run $15 before September 11 and $25 after, while cars built in 1931 or earlier register for free, according to MG Car Club DC.
The show is non-juried, but the Rockville Mayor and Council hand out one official distinction each year: the Mayor and Council Award. In 2025 that honor went to Richard Bassett for his 1923 Ford Model T Huckster, and the winning vehicle traditionally appears on the following year's dash plaque and program cover, Collector Car Guide reports.
A Century-Old Mansion Hosts Its Own Milestone
The show's backdrop is getting its own moment in the spotlight this year. Glenview Mansion, the Neo-Classical Revival estate anchoring the 28-acre Rockville Civic Center Park, is marking its 100th anniversary in 2026, having been completed in 1926, the city notes. The mansion grounds include formal gardens and an art gallery, and the property sits on land first cleared and farmed in 1838 by Judge Richard Bowie, according to the Historical Marker Database. Rockville acquired the estate in 1957, and it was later listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 10, 2007.
Event-day logistics follow a familiar rhythm for longtime attendees. Vendors arrive at 7:15 a.m. and show cars enter at 8:30 a.m., with the field opening to spectators at 11 a.m. and live music running from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., per MG Car Club DC. The Mayor and Council Award presentation caps the afternoon at 2:45 p.m. before the field closes at 3:30 p.m. A courtesy shuttle marked Rockville Senior Services, run by the Rockville Senior Center, will carry visitors every 15 to 20 minutes between Meadow Hall Elementary School at 951 Twinbrook Parkway and the rear of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Theatre, operating from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., The MoCo Show reports.
Parking and Accessibility Details
Public parking at Rockville Civic Center Park opens at 9:30 a.m., with access off Baltimore Road at Avery Road. Accessible parking is available in the park's main lot on a first-come, first-served basis for vehicles displaying an accessible placard or license plate, and bike parking is set up near the park's tennis courts, according to the same report. Organizers note the show runs rain or shine, though a severe weather forecast could force a full cancellation without a makeup date — in that scenario, registration fees are refunded within four weeks minus service fees and commemorative plaques are mailed to registered participants, per Visit Montgomery.
State Lawmakers Revisit Historic Plate Rules
The show's return also lands amid renewed attention on Maryland's historic vehicle rules. The 2026 Maryland General Assembly passed House Bill 4, establishing a rolling 25-year vehicle age requirement for historic license plate eligibility starting in 2027, which rolls back a contested 2025 law that had frozen historic status at model year 1999 or older, according to Collector Car Guide. That earlier law had forced owners of 2000 through 2005 vehicles off historic tags.
Maryland's Class L historic tags carry an annual $55.50 fee and exempt vehicles from mandatory safety and emissions inspections, but they restrict use strictly to exhibitions, parades, club activities and occasional non-daily driving, per Price Benowitz LLP. Daily commuting on historic tags remains prohibited under the law.
