If you had visited the inaugural LA Auto Show back in 1907, you would’ve found 99 cars displayed in a skating rink while anxious car dealers hoped you would buy one of their gleaming beauties. Fast forward a hundred years and the purpose is much the same. This time, it’s the manufacturers trying to get the consumers excited and passionate about buying their latest wares. This year over 1,000 vehicles were on display to energize the public. If that weren’t enough to spike interest, 21 World debuts, 7 concept car World debuts, and 14 North American debuts were unleashed on the eyes of the consumers and media alike. There was excitement in the air this year as the earlier date meant that LA didn’t have to fight with Detroit (and lose) for the attention of the worldwide media. Furthermore, the LA Auto Show was sanctioned for the first time by OICA (Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles), which placed the show on its global auto show calendar. That’s enough of the preamble, let’s talk cars.
The action and excitement started as the Keynote speech by GM CEO Rick Wagoner was about to exit the stage. A couple of knuckleheads got up on stage and presented Wagoner with a pledge to sign about GM taking the leadership in some fuel efficiency/greenhouse gas thing or another. It was ambush marketing at its best and its worst as it underscored the lack of preparation and security by the auto show staff. Strangely enough, nobody really talked much about it after that as there were way too many new cars to look at.
The press conference that had the most oohs and aahs from the crowd was the Giugiaro design Mustang unveiling. No less than Fabrizio Giugiaro himself was there to explain how he came up with the design, and believe me it was very well received from the assembled media. Leave it to the Italians to make this stallion sexier than ever! From the “Lambo” type doors to the exquisitely detailed interior, no styling surfaces were left undone. Tasteful chrome bezel accents around the instrument cluster and “I’ve OD’d on vitamin C” orange had this pony car shining brighter than a Florida citrus sunrise. About the only downside I personally saw on this redesign was the horsehide center seat sections – that was a bit over the top. Otherwise it was a delightful display of a massaged over icon.
Fabrizio Giugiaro shows the world his vision of the Mustang.
For the first time since I can remember, Nissan held a press conference and in so doing, debuted the Altima coupe. It’s a beautiful two-door creation that should be able to fight handily against the Honda Accord coupe and Toyota Solara. Resplendent in silver, the Altima coupe’s styling showed influence from the 350Z and Infiniti G35 coupe. It will go on sale this summer as a 2008 model. Nissan also debuted the all-new Sentra SE-R four door sedan to be released in March. Mechanically, the Sentra boasts a 177hp 2.5 liter, four cylinder engine mated to an Xtronic continuously variable transmission (200 hp and six-speed manual transmission in the Spec V version), but from a styling standpoint – well guys, keep working on it.
Sleek, athletic, and sexy – the Altima Coupe hits showrooms this summer.
Porsche as always did a top notch job of getting the media revved up for their latest unveiling – this time with the all-new 911 Targa 4S. Of course having Bob Varsha on hand to give a racing retrospective with brilliant images of Porsche victories past combined with sensational flat six sounds reverberating off the walls had journalists salivating by the time the wicked orange sex symbol was unveiled. This Porsche features a 3.8 liter flat six that pumps out 355 horsepower and all-wheel drive. It’s also quite the economy car at a fuel sipping 25 mpg on the highway!
Like a fine wine, the 911 only gets better with age.
The 2008 Chrysler Sebring convertible was no stranger to pomp and circumstance as a foursome sitting in the car waited for the top to go down. That in and of itself wasn’t too impressive. What happened next was quite interesting. Some cables lowered down from the convention center ceiling and the occupants gripped them tightly so they could be raised up above the car. They then dangled and contorted in a great show of strength and agility while the onlookers stared in amazement. I’m not exactly sure how that translates into selling more cars, but it sure looked cool!
Move up in the world with the 2008 Chrysler Sebring convertible.
Land Rover debuted their LR2 compact premium SUV. It’s the fourth new model launched by them in the last four years yet it keeps the traditional “Land Rover look.” Since it’s in the highly competitive premium segment, it has all of the amenities you’d expect but it can also go off-road if you ever need to. One particular note of interest on this British built people carrier is that it features a Dolby® Pro Logic® II 7.1 Surround Sound 14-speaker audio system with auxiliary jack for mp3 players.
Honda had three cool concepts on display – the FCX, Step Bus, and REMIX. All three were unique in their class. The FCX is a fully functional fuel cell vehicle that features a revised fuel cell stack that is 30 percent lighter, 40 percent smaller, and puts out 14kW more power than the most recent design. The styling is modern yet realistic in that it looks like perhaps what the next generation Civic might look like.
Can you picture yourself driving this vehicle? Honda already has and they like the performance.
The Step Bus utilizes the traditional Honda theme of “man maximum, machine minimum.” They wanted to “create the largest possible interior with the smallest possible exterior” according to John Mendel, senior vice president. The mid-engine rear drive platform is not only cool to look at but is quite functional on the inside with front seats that will recline all the way to make two beds! The front doors are designed to slide open and closed – just like the side doors on a minivan.
If Scion can have a toaster on wheels, why not Honda?
The REMIX is an exercise in exploring the next generation of front wheel drive platform sports cars that are not only fun to drive but also quite practical as a daily driver. One way to accomplish that is with large cargo areas. Ben Davidson is the young lead designer on this concept and utilized traditional long hood short rear deck styling cues yet shaped the cockpit like a modern jet fighter. The aluminum color exterior reinforced the high tech and futuristic look.
Despite the signs in the background, designer Ben Davidson extols the virtues of his Honda REMIX concept.
Acura revealed their “Advanced Sedan Concept” to a receptive audience. This luxury flagship design was focused solely on the future – in Honda’s eyes, the year 2020. The car was striking in shape, size, and color and although it may never be built, it’s nice to have a peek into the future. According to the head of Acura’s new Advanced Design Studio Dave Marek, “We just wanted to build the biggest and baddest luxury/performance sedan we possibly could.” They certainly achieved that, but apart from the grille, appears more like a hot rod Lincoln of the future.
Some five-year old today may be pulling up to the red carpet awards in this Acura in the year 2020.
So many press conferences and so little time! I found myself wandering a bit to see some of the manufacturers that didn’t hold a press conference just to see some cool cars. Lotus was supposed to hold a press conference but just invited the media to come in and take a look at their newest Exige S sportscar. Spyker not only had their Formula One car there, but a “Porsche Cayenne-esque” look alike SUV. Bentley of course had their Continental GT convertible on display which made me think of nothing but the good life. Ferrari had debuted the all-new 599 GTB and also had Michael Schumacher’s F1 masterpiece on display, resplendent in Italian racing red and carbon fiber everything!
The car that almost took Michael Schumacher to his 8th world title.
Speaking of carbon fiber, Callaway had their latest creation C16 on display in guess what color? Orange! I suppose that it was the color of choice this year. Even though it boasts 616 horsepower and a top speed of 206 mph, what really caught my eye on this hot rod were the all-new Dymag hybrid carbon fiber and forged magnesium wheels!
The future of road wheels has already arrived!
Subaru announced that they had signed X Games and motocross champ Travis Pastrana to a three-year contract. They had his rally car there along with the No Fear car that he beat at the X Games last summer. He was excited to be going back to the Race of Champions in France with his teammate (NASCAR Champion) Jimmie Johnson but knew that they would be underdogs compared to the rest of the field. As it turned out, he competed solo after Johnson was injured and an American replacement could not be found in time. It didn’t seem to slow him down any as he scored a second place finish for Team USA in the Nation’s Cup.
The LA Auto Show grew by leaps and bounds this year as the crush of media and number of launches can attest. It certainly had a more international feel and more excitement from the number of debuts, but for now, it’s still playing second fiddle to the motor city version. Will that ever change? Time will tell.
Photos: All photos by Larry Mason
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