A jaded eye on the auto show
Finally got down to Cobo Hall yesterday for the show. Forgive me if I seem harsh on some things. First of all, show cars suck. I tend to walk right past the majority of them. Perhaps its the long hours of scraping clay, sanding bondo, or creating digital surface for them, but I KNOW what those things are. And most of them are so far from anything that could possibly be produced that its disgusting. Besides that, this year it seems the quality of the showcars hits an all time low. I saw wings wavier than Lake Huron, paint with more orange peel than Sunkist, and interiors that looked stitched together in an 8th grade home-ec class. And we haven't even gotten to the actual designs, yet. Pew.
Here are the few concept cars that stuck out as pretty darn cool.
-Dodge had a little thing called the Sling Shot that was a small coupe. Looked like a fun runabout with balls.
-The Ford Shelby Cobra was pretty cool, I guess, even though I've been looking at it here in the studio for quite a while. Very Viper. It just makes me wonder how long we are going to rely on this nostalgia theme and when will we get some fresh ideas for car design. The Mustang GT showcar is a beaut, too, but I've seen enough street cars running around Dearborn to know that they screwed up the stance of that one enough (with the smaller wheels tucked in and different side sections) to take away most of its testosterone. Pity.
-Mazda had an econobox showcar called the MX Micro Sport. Think Super1600 rally car as far as looks and proportions go. It had a 2.0L engine and a 6spd. gearbox. This is the kind of concept car I like because if it looks about a month away from production, it will likely see production. Remember the MX Sportif was shown last year...10 months later the Mazda3 is on the market with near exact styling and specs. Crossing my fingers this car makes it to the US. My guess is that this will be the Mazda2. Look out G2.
Thats about all the concept things I could get behind. Of course there were a ton of cookie cutter mid engine "supercars" that mimic the McLaren F1/Saleen/NSX etc. (really a formula lifted from Ferrari long, long ago), but most of them just screw it up in an effort to be unique.
Production and prod. intent cars are what I primarily go for. Here are the notables.
-Chevy Cobalt. Probably more excited for this car just out of elation for something to be replacing the Cavalier. The SS version is 2.4L 170hp and they made mention of a SS Superchaged version with a blown 2.0 engine...no HP rating. Keep your fingers crossed that the General may wake up.
-Mazda3. This is going to steal a lot of VW buyers away from their dealerships. A lot of car for the money.
-VW R32. Yup, its coming to America. 3.2L VR6 turbo with 240hp, 6spds, and AWD. Coming in at 29,000. Much less outwardly flashy than the STI or EVO, but should respond well to way more boost because of the large capacity.
-Minis are the same, but still get a mention in my book. Yum. the John Cooper version with the studly bumpers and schtuff makes me smile.
-Chrysler Crossfire. Something about this car intrigues me. I really don't like the flow lines down the hood and trunk...looks a bit nautical to me, but the side proportions are pretty nice with a long hood and the cockpit well back...and those oversized wheels.
-Porsche Carrera GT. Absolute star of the show. Okay, yes at 400-500,000, it probably costs more than Kia's concept car, but what a piece of machinery. I'll take one without the body please. The naked version showed the beautiful carbon spaceframe encompassing all the jewelry of the suspension and drivetrain in a way that made me wish you could drive it that way. Ever seen a Ducati Monster? Porsche has.
-Audi A8L. As I eased behind the wheel the seat molested me. Ostentacious sedans has a new name. A8. Also tried on the Phaeton... "$70,000" and "Volkswagen" (peoples' car) seems like a contradiction in terms to me, but whatever. Of course invitation to sample a Maybach, Rolls or other penis extension was by invitation only...and I wasn't invited.
Other notable things:
-Dodge did an excellent job marketing Mopar. They had coilover struts, wheels, turbo mods, injectors, aluminum flywheels, exhaust systems, etc. all on display, both on the main floor with the SRT-4, the Viper and the SRT-10 truck, and also downstairs in their own Mopar area. Much better than showing hats and sunglasses like the rest of the companies show. Good job Dodge!
-Ferrari showed their new car proudly on display with the absolute worst body work and paint of anything in the show. Come on guys. I shoot better paint in dad's shop on my rally car. There is no excuse for waves like that down the sides of something you wanna sell. Most people noticed it and talked about it, too.
-The Mercedes SLR was again a stunner of a rolling phallic symbol. What a car.
-I didn't see a single STI on the Subaru stand, just a plain silver WRX. Mitsu also just had a low wing Evo on their booth, but they did have a Dakar replica on display. Subaru did have a Solberg ex-rallycar/replica on their SPT booth downstairs.
-The Saabaru (9-2?) was just that.
-Cadillac had their CTS-V World Challenge GT car on display. They chopped the front end pretty good to make it lower/move the wheel arches up quite a bit higher and it looks pretty mean. Allowing sedans in GT class, eh SCCA?
-Volvo had the new S40, built on the same platform as the Mazda3. No AWD version on display, though.
-Not sure if Lotus was there, but if they were, I'm sorry I missed them. The Elise coming to the US is a good thing.
Disclaimer. All opinions are exactly that, opinions. Deal with it.}>
