The power of advertising

Somewhere outside Detroit, 1990:  "Hey Maury, we've got 500 acres out back filled with station wagons that we can't give away.  We need to move 'em or the boss is gonna have us inventorying radiator hoses in Fargo for the rest of our careers."

"I hear 'ya Ralph."  *long pause*  "OK, how 'bout we try this:  Why don't we pry off those little chrome stick-on things that say 'Vista Wagon Family Truckster' and re-badge them 'Sport Utility Vehicle'?  Sounds sexy, huh?  What....too long?  OK then, SUV." 

And thus was born the runaway bestseller Ford Explorer, the original SUV.

Never mind that Land Rover....

....and Jeep had them 40 years earlier.  The difference?  By the 1990's Ford was a master marketer and advertiser, while Jeep and Land Rover were still hawking theirs in Field and Stream and The Sheep Rancher's Gazette.

Yesterday I was sitting on my balcony watching the cars go by on Warren Parkway below me.  What I noticed was a few soccer mom's in their minivans with the little stick figure window decals....you know, dad and mom, some old guy in a wheelchair, two kids, and a couple of pets....along with the bumper sticker that says "My child is an honor student at Betty Sue Shnurtner Middle School".

Then there were a few pickup trucks, the beds still holding a bunch of empty beer cans and a turned over cooler from the weekend, with their bumper stickers proudly proclaiming "My kid won early release from the Texas Department of Corrections".

Then aside from a few sedans, all the rest were Sport Utility Vehicles, or as they like to call them today, "crossover" vehicles.  Seems like everyone wants a crossover, which I find odd as they're nothing more than old fashioned station wagons.

The car companies can't seem to make them fast enough.  The funny thing to me is these same car companies have been telling us for years that they can't bring their cool European "hatchbacks" to the US because Americans won't buy hatchbacks.  Oh really?  Lemme think....hatchbacks have doors at the back that open up.  Crossovers have doors at the back that open up.  Hmmmm... 

I think someone forgot to give Rolls Royce....

....and Bentley

....and even Lamborghini, the bad news.

You think maybe we could convince them to call them "station wagons" again?  Then the back pasture would fill up with them all over again and we could buy them at fire-sale prices.  *Interest free financing for 200 months!  But wait....there's more!  The first 50 callers will get absolutely free....*  

That's about the only way I could ever afford a Lambo.  No, probably not even then.  :(

Damn you Maury and Ralph!

S

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

More cars....Let the good times roll! With EDIT

Last Sunday I trekked to White Rock Lake Park in east Dallas for The All British and European Car Day show.  I had frankly forgotten about it until my friend Robert mentioned it the day before.  If it wasn't for his chance comment I would have missed it.  *Oh, the horror*

The weather was nice, the scenery beautiful.

As the event name implies, most of the cars on display were British. Austin Healey and Triumph both were very well represented:

The first car that caught my attention was this gorgeous 1959 Austin Healey 100.  

But alas, I had to two-time the 100 for this 1970 Austin Healey 3000.  Nice, huh?

The owner of this 1963 Triumph TR3 almost lost it....to ME!  (Yes, Grand Theft Auto briefly crossed my mind.)

I'm sure this little Triumph GT6 was quite a screamer back in its day.  I'd love to have it, although I really don't think the white shows it off to its fullest.

Nice Spitfire.  (OK, I hate to get picky, but see those two torpedoes sticking out front?  That's what happens when the government gets involved in car design.  Shame on them!  (Robert....think the owner will take the hint?  :)

My two favorite Jaguar's being shown were this XK150....

....and this XK140.  I think I prefer the older 140.

Lots of nice MG's present too, like this pre government-rubber-bumper-mandated MGB....

....and this fine MGA, complete with iguana hood ornament.  (A factory option?)

And of course, everyone loves Mini's.

A couple of nice ones, despite the non-stock wheels.

I had never seen an original Mini Countryman before this.  Interesting.

At the extreme other end of the spectrum were the Rolls Royce's.

Join me for a picnic?  I'll bring the bubbly.  ;)

I'm a fan of Morgan's.

This one in British Racing Green would look much nicer if my name was on the title.

And don't forget, the show title mentioned European cars, too.

I fully expected to see The Saint jump in this Volvo P1800 and fly away, Mrs. Peel at his side.  (Look it up.)

This was a show-stopper for me:  A 1938 Peugeot 402.  I've never seen one before, and probably never will again.

French cars are....how should I say this?....odd.  Example:  The headlight placement on the 402.

Of course, the British have had their eccentric moments, too, such as with this 3-wheel Reliant Rialto.

Car people do have a sense of humor!

This Nash Metropolitan was of interest to me only because it's the type car I learned to drive in. It was so small, at 9-years old I could still see over the steering wheel, reach the pedals, and shift the 3-on-the-tree.  *good times*

Oh, yes....Italian.  Alfa Romeo Spyder.  :)  And....

SURPRISE!

You knew I'd somehow slip in a Fiat 500, didn't you?  (Pay attention Joan Perry  :)

And finally, another in the obscure category:

A 40's era (?) Rover.

I'm hoping this was a "one-of-a-kind".

This is enough for now.  I'm burning daylight.  Hope you enjoyed.  :)

S

Late edit for JoeH:

There was an MG TF there, too.  (Oops...the license plate says TD.  My bad.)