Cars, cars, and more cars!

I was out of pocket most of yesterday as K took the day off and we joined up with my friend Neil and attended the Dallas Auto Show.  We always like to go on a weekday as weekends are a freakin' zoo.  We met up in suburbia and rode the light rail train to the Convention Center in downtown Dallas....the best $5 I ever spent!

Compared to some of the large auto shows around the world....LA, NY, Geneva, Frankfurt, South Fargo ND, Bugtussle AL, etc, it isn't much.  No wild concept cars, no unveils, none of that.  But still this year's show was surprisingly good.

The bright overhead lights that made the cars stand out when seen directly created some awful photo glare, but here goes anyway:

K really liked the new 2015 Mini Cooper S.

I concur.  It was a winner.  I understand they want to keep the retro theme, but the changes from last year's model are too minor to the untrained eye, even though underneath it's completely new.  Still a definite keeper, though.

I specifically went to see the new Mazda 3.  The auto press has given it great reviews, and while I haven't yet driven one, I must say I was disappointed.  The interior just didn't measure up, for example.  

The styling was nice, but overall I gave it just a "Meh".

Aston Martin's really tick all my boxes, they're so beautiful.  

Even the big 4-door Aston Rapide S was stunning.  The price, though, was just plain shocking!

We were told this is the only Pagani Who Are Ya * currently in the US.  No wonder, at a million bucks plus!

* If you can pronounce it, you're a better person than me!

It was actually pretty gaudy.

Yet another McLaren MP4-12-C.  I see these things all over town.  Or maybe there's just this one and they keep driving it in circles.

A Rolls Royce Wraith.  A two-door Rolls?  Umm....no!

I did like the crystal (?) Spirit of Ecstasy, though.  :)

The Range Rover Evoque was especially impressive.  The little splash of mud behind the rear wheel was a nice touch, letting us know it's a serious off-roader.  *snicker*

For a mere $47K it can be yours.

Although the design is getting rather long in the tooth, I still like an Audi TT.  Overpriced, though.  :(

Same with the Audi R8.  

Here's Lexus' attempt to prove it isn't just an old man's car:  the LFA.  It's a $350K super car that took 10 years to design/build.  It's quite good they say, but for a lot less than that you could have....

 ....this Ferrari 458 Italia.  Game, set, match!

I have friends who have Jaguars, and frankly, they spend waaaay too much time in the shop to impress me.  Still, this new F-Type is absolutely gorgeous!

I made it a point to go check out the BMW's.  I really wanted to like them, but after looking them over I was even less impressed than when I got there.  They didn't have the nice thunk you like to hear when you close the door, and the seats didn't swallow me like I want them to. 

The new "baby" Maserati, the Ghibli.  Nice, but no cigar.

The latest iteration of the car that changes super premium fuel into tire smoke and noise, the Dodge Viper.

The Fiat 500 Abarth, because I always include one in my car show pics.

I did find my next car at the show, the upcoming (this summer), all new (although outwardly it's only slightly evolutionary looking), Volkswagen GTI:

They say it, like the previous gen GTI, has magnificent power, handling, comfort, and practicality....a daily driver you can thoroughly enjoy.  The interior quality will blow you away....I can't tell you how impressed I was with the fit and finish.  Kudos, VeeDub!  Seriously, when I'm ready to put my now-7-year-old Audi out to pasture, this is what I will be buying.  :)

And now just some random shots of select vintage cars on display:

Porsche 356

Buick ____

Early Corvette

The inspiration for "Pimp My Ride"?

Yeah....a purple Lincoln.  :0

Nice Jag

Rumble seat on a T-Bird?

That was the Dallas Auto Show 2014.  Next week....Cars and coffee.  :)

S

Cars and Coffee, January, 2014

But first, a conversation (soliloquy?) I had with K this morning:

K:  I only have two real hobbies....books, coffee, and chocolate.

ME:  Wha....What?  (She's like a female Yogi Berra!)

I suspected the January Cars and Coffee wouldn't be that great as the weather wasn't, either.  The temp was only in the 30's, but the wind was really kicking up making it pretty miserable.  I managed to stay warm enough, but I think my eyeballs are windburned.  Ouch!

I did manage to see well enough to appreciate this beautiful Morgan, though. It's even the right color (IMO) for an English sports car...British Racing Green.

While it wasn't cherry, and in fact looked to have been "well enjoyed", I still like this era Porsche 911.

A badge on the rear identified this car as a proud member of the "Porsche 356 Tub Club".  He/she also appears to do a lot of vintage racing.

This one is for you, Doug.  As I recall you liked the Porsche 968.

The agony and the ecstasy....those nasty 1970-ish government mandated bumpers on an otherwise very nice BMW 2002.

There seemed to be a lot of the "boy racer" types out today.

I'll at least give this Mazda owner some style points.

No points, though, for this VeeDub refugee from the frozen tundra, aka Canada. It must have been a slow trip south, what with those tires rubbing the inside of the fender wells like that.

This little egg-looking thing is winning a lot of praise from the automotive press these days.  It's a ST model Ford....umm...."egg-looking thing". 

A slick '56 Cheeeevy.

And a '57 from my yout, too.

'57 was a good year for Thunderbirds also.

I'm guessing this Lamborghini Murcielago owner, billing himself as "the Violin Guy", is writing off his car as a business expense.   That, or he's the ultimate narcissist.

There are always a lot of photographers at Cars and Coffee, for obvious reason.  This guy, however, had the coolest set up I've seen yet.  He could raise and lower his camera and still maintain the perfect  angle to view his subject.  A definite "Big Boy Toy".

You've heard of "chick cars"?  This lady wore her "chick-ness" loud and proud!

Which begs the question....why do some model cars, like this BMW Z3, get a reputation for being a "chick car"?  Another is a Mazda Miata.  Why?  What is it about a car that makes it a chick car?  Anybody....?

That's my take on Cars and Coffee for this month.  :)

S