Enter, judge or visit a virtual car show from the comfort of your couch

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Though there’s something to be said for auto shows, where you can get close enough to antique and collector cars to smell their shiny wax, it also takes a little bit of effort to drive out to wherever the show is hosted and peruse the car aisles.

Thanks to Texaco’s Car of the Decades contest, auto enthusiasts no longer have to leave their couches to see the best classic cars from every decade of the 20th century: The virtual auto show and classic car contest allows you to view all the sweet rides and place your vote on its website, TexacoCaroftheDecades.com.

This is great news, as the smoky air and less-than-ideal hot weather from Southern California’s wildfires make the idea of walking around outside at a car show especially unappealing right now.

The Texaco contest offers 11 categories for cool cars, starting with the 1903 founding of Texaco and continuing up through the new millennium -- they can be stock collectibles, high-performance imports or just your daily driver.

Some of the competition entered on the website already: a 1970 Nova “Notorious,” a 1922 Buick Roadster, and a 1955 Porsche Speedster. Vote for your favorites in each decade through Oct. 12 – each first-place winner receives prizes that include $250 Texaco gift cards.

You can enter your own classic car in the contest until Sept. 14 on the site. A panel of judges (some from Car Craft and Automobile magazines) will determine the grand prize “Editor’s Choice” winner, whose award will include $1,000 worth of Texaco gift cards, a case of motor oil, and more. Winners will be announced Nov. 13-16.

Follow the competition on Twitter, @TexacoCarShow, and start voting now.

-- Kelsey Ramos