Wednesday, January 18, 2012

North American International Auto Show: Coverage and Photos

The North American International Auto Show is now in full swing, and yesterday I attended my first of two planned visits. Without a doubt, the industry as a whole is much healthier than it has been in years. Most all auto makers had new product as well as concepts on display. Some were promising, while others looked like epic fails. Overall though, this was a great year for the show! It wasn't until after I looked through my photos that I realized just how good things are for performance enthusiasts. There haven't been so many high powered rear wheel drive cars on the market in years. These ARE the new "good ol days."

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The current Bentleys aren't like the old ones. Gone is the brick faced front in, replaces with smooth flowing aerodynamics lines that go nicely with the swept back windshield. Truly a beauty that lives up to it's reputation.


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I had read about the Audi A3 ahead of time, and it was suppose to be a big deal now that it's heading to U.S. shores. I fail to see the big deal.

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This Audi on the other hand, this is a car to get excited about.

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The future of BMW? Well, perhaps at least ONE possible future option.

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This future option is more like it!

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The new BMW 3 series.

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Smashed Bug. I"ve never been a fan of the Bug, regardless of era. That said, this one is the best of the bunch. I think it's because it doesn't look so bubbly.

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A Porsche was never meant to have 4 doors.

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A West Coast Customs Kia. Perhaps this ends the old cliche, maybe you CAN occasionally polish a turd.

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The Dodge Challenger Yellow Jacket, live and in color.

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The Dodge Super Bee.

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I was very disappointed with the Dodge Dart. I was hoping for an aggressive little rice rocket, one that would change the face of compact cars. What I saw was just another average looking small car that does nothing to excite me.

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The Boss. Probably the best all around bang for the buck when it comes to throwing a car around corners.

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Though the nod goes to the Dodge Charger in my book, the 300 is still one of the best looking family cars on the market.

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Best looking Scion ever built in my opinion, which normally wouldn't be saying much. This car however, will bring the Scion to a whole new market. Rear wheel drive, sporty styling, 2,800 lbs, and initially a 200 hp engine. That's lighter and more powerful than my first car, a 1989 Pontiac Firebird with a 305 V8! With a rumored stripped down model and a possible turbo version, this car will be a hot seller. If this wasn't an import, this is the kind of small car I would actually consider....if it wasn't an import.

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Toyota Alfa Romeo?

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Reminds me of a Star Wars character. I believe he may have been a Jedi.

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The Lexus LFA. This is another damn good looking car! After years of bland cars (in my opinion), the imports seem to be onto something regarding their styling.

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The Lexus LF-LC is another ALMOST. The styling is so close, maybe 80%, but then they had to go and ruin the rear. The front needs a little tweaked as well. The side blended ground effects remind me all too much of the 1991-1992 Firebirds, which I thought were gaudy. That said, I love the overall shape of the body. With some cleaning up, this could be a styling hit.

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Cadillac's XTS, their new flag ship. Oddly, this will be Cadillac's only front wheel drive based model, though as with this model, all wheel drive is available.

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The Cadillac ATS, aka BMW 3 Series fighter.

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2013 Chevy Malibu. Not bad looking, but not my cup of tea.

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The Chevy Miray. Here is another very attractive small compact car that does it for me. The lower portion/ground effects are a bit too much for me, but with some cleaning up, this could be one sweet car as well. Sadly, concepts like this lose most of what makes them cool by the time they go to production.

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The rear of the Miray really does it for me! I would suspect that this styling will be included in the next Corvette, as you can't help but see the Vette's heritage. Sadly, that would likely mean such styling would NEVER be used on a small car like this, as it would be viewed as taking away from the Vette's noise.

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The 2013 ZL1 Convertible. Chevy's most powerful Camaro convertible ever built.

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Chevy Code 130R. Another good looking small car. This car has a lot of potential, as it looks as though it is production ready. This could fill the void left by the Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky.

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The rear of the Code 130R resembles the Chevy Camaro, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't like the placement/look of the tail pipes, but a nice tip or mesh screen exits while relocating them higher in the bumper is an easy fix.

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Chevy Tru 140S. I feel as though this car has been done, as it's a bit too Mitsubishi Eclipse-ish for me. Not that the round/bubbly Eclipse was a bad looking car, but it just makes the design dated about a decade.

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The Nissan GT-R. Another successful competitor in the performance market. I will say however, I've never been a fan of the front end styling.

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The Nissan Murano Crosscabriolet. A convertible? This is a first, and quite possibly the first in a new market. The styling itself is ugly as can be, but the idea of a convertible is almost enough to make up for it.

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The Nissan 370Z. Nothing over the top, nothing too gaudy, and worthy performance.

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The Lincoln MKZ is a very sharp looking car. Why Ford decided to base it on a front wheel drive platform is beyond me. By doing so, in my opinion, they took themselves out of the luxury car market. BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, Dodge and Chrysler have all come to realize that the luxury car market prefers rear wheel drive. I can't see Lincoln making it passed another decade, and Ford will in turn wave the white flag to the luxury segment. Such a shame, as this car has a lot of potential.

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Ford Mustang Cobra GT500 Convertible, strapped to a dyno and ready to flex it's muscles.

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The 2013 Ford Fusion...another "not my cup of tea car." It seems to be a good all around car, but like the Malibu, it simply is what it is. These cars just look bland to me, and blend in among the Camrys and Accords of the world, not unlike so many other cars on the road.

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The Acura NSX. I was always intrigued by the former NSX, but always thought the deck over the mid mounted engine looked unproportional to the rest of the car. In this concept, they have resolved that issue, while remaining a mid-engine sports car. In addition to being all wheel drive, it is also set to be a hybrid.

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Dodge Charger outfitted with a ton of stuff from the Mopar Parts bin. Most notably, the 426 ci modern hemi. If the recorded audible exhaust note was any indication of what this car sounds like, it has to be one beast of a car.

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Hyundai Genesis, a company I once would have never imagined would enter into the "modern muscle" market. From the reviews I've read over the past couple years, it seems to be a worthy competitor.

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The Falcon Motorsports F7. Hands down, the show stopper for me. This car was on display last year, tucked away in a low buck rope display in raw, unpainted form. It's light weight/high power showed enormous potential though. This year, the finished product exceeded my wildest dreams. This is the type of car I'd love to see it's mark in the super car segment. Designed and built right here in Michigan, it is as hot as they come.

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Simple, straight to the point, no frills interior. Just my style.

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Again, a simple, straight to the point, and classic look at the rear of the car. Perfect in every way. With 620 hp of Corvette power and a curb weight of 2,785 lbs, this car has to be a rocket, and deserving of a future entry of it's own. For more info: Falcon Motorsports F7


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