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Photo courtesy of Daniel Fondren.
Magic City Octane car show at The Summit in Birmingham on June 8.
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Photo courtesy of Jeff Boesch.
Magic City Octane car show at The Summit in Birmingham on June 8.
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Photo courtesy of Jeff Boesch.
Magic City Octane car show at The Summit in Birmingham on June 8.
On the second Saturday of each month, more than 2,000 people descend onto the lower parking lot at The Summit to get a look at some of the coolest cars, hottest rods and mondo motorcycles from around the Southeast.
Known as Magic City Octane, the monthly event was established in 2017 by Paul Smith and Austin Tynes, two area residents with a passion, bordering on obsession, for cars. The event was envisioned as a way to bring car enthusiasts of all types under one umbrella.
Smith and Tynes explained that at the time they brainstormed the idea for Magic City Octane, Birmingham’s community of gearheads was segmented and disorganized, a problem the pair were determined to solve.
“During that time, there really wasn’t a consistent, monthly event catering to everybody in the car community here in Birmingham,” Smith said. “It was kind of an attempt by us to collaborate with everyone in the community.”
“Our goal was to take a very fractured, segregated community and turn it into a come one, come all, family-friendly event,” Tynes added. “It doesn’t matter what the cost of your car is, what you look like, what your car looks like, just come out and hang out. That was the initial intention.”
Initially held at Brookwood Village, Magic City Octane moved to The Summit in 2020, occupying a large swathe of the parking lot from Village Tavern to Panera Bread. Tynes and Smith say that they routinely have more than 500 cars, and visitors from Georgia, Mississippi and beyond turn out for what, they say, has evolved into one of the premier car events in the Southeast.
“It just continues to grow and grow. It’s been a really cool experience for us and just kind of humbling to see how large it has gotten at this point,” Smith said. “We never expected it to be as big as it’s gotten.”
In addition to rare and customized cars and motorcycles, Magic City Octane caters to local speed and performance shops. While technically a business, Smith and Tynes donate most of the proceeds earned from their events to Racing For Children’s, a motorsports-related experience that raises money for treatment and research for cures of childhood cancer and blood disorders.
For Smith and Tynes, Magic City Octane is a chance to share their interest in all things auto-related with like-minded individuals throughout Birmingham and, increasingly, the entire Southeast. Like many who come out to gawk at the colorful cars from every era, Tynes said the seed for that passion was planted when he was just a kid.
“When I was six years old, if a Lamborghini would pass by I knew exactly what it was, how much it cost and all the specs,” Tynes said. “So it’s been ingrained in both of us from a very early age.”
Magic City Octane is held on the second Saturday of every month from 8 to 11 a.m. Learn more at magiccityoctane.com.
