A ticket to the initial New York Auto Show in 1900 cost fifty cents, which would be more than $12 by today's standards.

The initial New York Auto Show took place in 1900 at Madison Square Garden. There had previously been joint bicycle and auto shows in the Garden (with bicycles in the starring role), but this was the first large-scale, modern car show of its kind in America. And it wasn’t all about internal combustion engines and fossil fuels. An excerpt about the event from the October 13, 1900 Brooklyn Daily Eagle:

“During the Automobile Show at Madison Square Garden, November 3 to 10, there will be contests of many kinds. The usefulness of the automobile in all kinds of going and under all conditions will be fully tested, and everybody will have an opportunity to see how the experienced chauffeur gets out of trouble. All the contests but these on Friday will be for vehicles on the show, and the programme, under the directions of the technical committee and the contests and exhibition committee of the Automobile Club of America, C.J. Field, chairman, will be as follows–

• November 3: Brake contest and obstacle contest for steam vehicles.
• November 5: Brake contest and obstacle contest for electric vehicles.
• November 6: Brake contest and obstacle contest for gasoline vehicles.
• November 9: Obstacle contest between electric cabs for hire, competition of electric delivery wagons.
• November 10: Championship competition and obstacle contest between winners in steam, electric and gasoline, championship between winners of stopping competition in steam, electric and gasoline.”