They weren’t always the cool kids.
As teenagers, Mitch McSweeney, founder of the Modded Detroit auto club and car expo, and co-founder Paul Aren were just grateful to have wheels.
“I had a car, and I had friends with some cars,” says McSweeney, 26.
“I’d go to the cool car shows and kind of get shunned out because I didn’t have a cool car.”
Fewer than 10 years later, not only has McSweeney’s “cool” car-owner status changed, he and Aren have generated a substantial following for what they call “Michigan’s premier auto enthusiast group.” Modded Detroit will highlight its growth from a grassroots network of young buffs into a staple of local car culture when it joins the Detroit Auto Show Jan. 10 through Jan. 20 at Huntington Place.
The original crew of what would become Modded Detroit were primarily Novi-based, and they’d link up to travel to car events.
“It wasn’t a large-scale thing,” says McSweeney. “We all just kinda knew each other and we were all friends, and they’d invite their friends.”
Even as the group’s members got a little older, stacked a little more cash, and drove a little more stylishly, they encountered discrimination from the more established show organizers.
“One of the biggest problems we had was we would go to these events and there’d be all American cars, or you weren’t welcome,” McSweeney recalls.
Bikes and trucks were often excluded, too. So he and the team set about creating a more inclusive community — a “safe space,” he calls it — summoning a tone of sincerity that conjures an image of Dr. Phil peeking up from the hood of an engine.
No, there would be no car-shaming among the friends and fellow auto-lovers in Modded Detroit, which formed in 2019 and adapted the motto “any car, any condition.” But “any condition” refers to the welcome reception extended to drivers of whatever vehicle happens to transport them to Modded expos — only cars reflecting the best in Detroit’s history of flash, dash, and innovation are displayed at Modded’s special showcases, which are usually free and open to the public.
“We want Lamborghinis,” McSweeney adds, “but we also want the built-up Honda Civics.”
The strategy of inclusion, fun, and camaraderie has helped Modded (slang for “modified”) increase its attendance from between 10 and 40 participants during an average weekend outing to 1,500 at Michigan Central train station last Labor Day weekend. In November Modded’s show at Houston Hot Chicken, one of its occasional partnership appearances to support local businesses, drew 2,000 people.
The club’s growing popularity presented a perfect opportunity for Omar Khalil, project manager for the Detroit Auto Show, to recommend it as a partner in the 2025 event, which typically promotes new vehicles by the major car manufacturers, boosting their consumer appeal. Modded’s groundbreaking partnership will highlight 175 privately owned vehicles on exhibit in Huntington’s The Gallery luxury and exotic vehicle space, and as part of an exclusive Modded showcase on the conference center’s River Level.
“It was a good time to make the connection,” says Khalil, a longtime Modded supporter.
Sam Klemet, co-executive director of the auto show, agrees with Khalil’s suggestion.
“We see this as a great opportunity to tap into the enthusiasts who have real, personal relationships with their vehicles,” says Klemet. “It felt like a natural tie-in, as we look to evolve the show and bring in new audiences and new elements and partners.”
Aren, 24, has worked with McSweeney since the early days of Modded Detroit, and says the auto show invitation came as a highlight in his labor of love on behalf of the car-enthusiast community.
“I was thrilled!” he says. “I was over the moon.”
As a member of a family that values Detroit’s history in the automotive world, and grandson of a former tow-truck company owner, Aren is passionate about contributing to the preservation of a culture on wheels.
“I think this town has always had a pretty good car culture to it, like back in the ’50s with all of the colors and the big, sweeping wing tails on the back,” he says. “We’re just the newest generation that’s trying to mold it into something that works for us.”
Borrowing from aspects of the West Coast, low-rider show tradition, “monster” truck fanfare, and practically everything in between has given Modded a reputation for flair and knowledge that translates to about 150,000 social media followers. Occasional experiments, such as Modded’s swimming pool in the back of a van, might have tested Henry Ford’s sensibilities, but they keep the Instagram and TikTok crowds engaged.
“There’s a huge term: ‘built, not bought,’” says Aren. “You can buy a car from a dealership, but someone who’s really gonna get some attention is the one who lifts it and puts massive wheels on it.”
Among rarities scheduled for exhibition in the Modded Detroit auto show space are a Ford F-150 that’s been developed into the “world’s fastest drag-race truck” and a 25-year-old Nissan R34 Skyline GT-R imported from Japan. The Japanese car brand has been featured in video games like Need for Speed.
“That’s a huge way that kids like us get into cars,” Aren says. “People can see these cars in video games and then come to see them in real life.”
Aren and McSweeney are confident the diversity of vehicle brands and creative modifications will enhance this year’s auto show.
“It’s, like, super-unique stuff that’s all over the place,” says McSweeney.
While the effort, including logistics, tents, and signage, is larger than what Modded typically manages, the Modded team is eager to see the public’s reaction.
“I couldn’t have imagined the scale of what we were going to be doing,” McSweeney adds. “It’s an insane opportunity, and it’s going to happen. I’m so excited.”
