It’s late in the afternoon of the first media day for the L.A. auto show and people are filtering into this photographer’s studio on Hope Street, a couple blocks from the convention center.
The Porsche 911 posed in the shooting cove suggests this is a typical introduction of a new car, but the people crowded into this space and the way they peer at the car from different perspectives makes this seem more like a gallery show of a particularly provocative bit of sculpture.
Part automobile, part art project — the Porsche 911 by Singer is that sort of car.
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Categories: Car Tech,Celebrities,LA Auto Show,Porsche,Sports Cars
Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser was interviewed by GM colleague John Nagare on the 2011 L.A. Auto Show floor. Although, he's here to talk about the Camaro ZL1 convertible specifically, it's apparent he still has Shelby GT500 on the brain... and quotes liberally from his letter to the Camaro faithful.
"[The ZL1] is not about horsepower alone," he observes. Later, he notes that the Camaro ZL convertible's various bits of tech (performance traction management, magnetic dampers and the like) "allow for the ultimate in cornering, braking and acceleration -- which is really what this segment is all about."
A 7:41.27 Nurburgring lap time comes up in conversation, but obviously that's in reference to the hardtop ZL1. Although, we certainly wouldn't mind watching the ZL1 convertible try to attack the Nordschleife, even if it's not as quick or composed.
But back to the larger point, is it OK for a car like the Camaro ZL1 -- hardtop or drop top -- to not be about horsepower (and torque and quarter-mile superiority) alone? Do solid braking and handling numbers (and Nurburgring lap times) really matter if a car is too heavy for the average car guy to feel confident tossing it around on a back road?
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Categories: Chevrolet,Convertibles,LA Auto Show
It's easy to forget how much fun auto shows can be when you're not rushing around taking pictures, asking questions, shooting video and jockeying for a good spot against Bob Whogivesacrap from TulsaLovesCars.net.
In this spirit, Mike Magrath and I took a tour of the 2011 L.A. Auto Show, checking out our favorite cars, the odds, the ends and all the other fun stuff you don't usually see in a car show's media coverage. We had a lot of fun.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Videos
If you were looking for the calories in Lincoln’s presentation at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show, you should look past the 2013 Lincoln MKS and 2013 Lincoln MKT. Not that you probably needed any special encouragement to look past these largely forgettable automotive enterprises.
The real message here can be found in the stage itself -- the massive widescreen video display, the tastefully coordinated décor, and the sharply dressed grey of the high-style female models on the show stand. And don’t forget the two corporate people that took the stage, who happen to be the biggest hitters in Ford product these days: Ford engineering supremo Derrick Kusak and Lincoln design magician Max Wolff.
Lincoln is back in business.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Lincoln
When it comes to the L.A. auto show, the Porsche stand has always been the place to go.
Set apart in a self-contained space near the main entrance, it has always been a kind of walk through Porsche’s cultural heritage, a mix of displays taken from design, engineering and motorsport. It added up to what always seemed like an especially good diorama from the Porsche Museum, only with a special urgency and cleverness, like the Jungle ride at Disneyland.
But this year we walked into what appeared to be the showroom of a Porsche dealership. A very nice dealership to be sure, perhaps in Hamburg.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Porsche
The redesigned 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG is one of two new V8-powered M-Class models that will reach U.S. dealers next year. Powered by a twin-turbo AMG 5.5-liter V8 rated at 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, the ML63 AMG was formally unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show and goes on sale in February.
After the jump, find out who Manuel Huber is as Alistair Weaver occupies the Mercedes-Benz stand.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Mercedes-Benz,Videos
One of the new faces (get it) at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show was the newly redesigned 2013 Ford Flex. Ford says that 1 in 5 Flexes is sold in Southern California and that Flex buyers are the most loyal repeat customers of Ford they have. This update shouldn't hurt that. It looks kind of odd in pictures -- even the masterful ones I took while trying to shoo other journos out of the way -- but in person it just works. It will never be as widely accepted as some of the more traditional crossovers, but that's half the point.
Beyond the new look the 2013 Ford Flex gets 20 more horsepower from the 3.5-liter V6 and 1 MPG better on the EPA cycle.
Yay or nay?
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Categories: Crossovers,Ford,LA Auto Show
It doesn't look much different from the car that debuted three and a half years ago in Europe, but the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth finally makes its first stateside appearance at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Give the video a look after the jump and hear Alistair Weaver's British-y colloquialisms.
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Categories: Fiat,LA Auto Show,Videos
The 2013 Lincoln MKS sedan gets a thorough makeover, from a more powerful standard engine to some sophisticated new safety systems.
See the video after the jump to find out if James can remember what that third thing he was going to mention about the MKS.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Lincoln,Videos
Honda joins the growing number of electric-vehicle manufacturers, after rolling out the 2013 Honda Fit EV at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Check out the video after the jump to see how the all-electric Fit stacks up against Nissan's Leaf.
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Categories: Honda,LA Auto Show,Videos
The 2013 Ford Flex, which debuted at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, gets a rounder look to "modernize the design" and goes on sale in the spring.
Find out what that James' cryptic facial expression is all about after the jump.
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Categories: Ford,LA Auto Show,Videos
Want a better-than-stock Ford hatchback but feel that the 250-horsepower Ford Focus ST is simply too much car? Good news! This Ford Fiesta ST is for you. Trouble is, it's just a concept.
See the video with Alistair Weaver and his invisible teacup after the jump.
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Categories: Ford,LA Auto Show,Videos
Auto shows are a strange deal, really. Car companies spend millions to set up booths, prepare presentations, make cutaways and travel all over the world to deliver their message face-to-face with consumers. And then car guys like us ignore half the cars and bounce all giddy from the ZR1 to the GT500 to the SLS and then back to that ZR1. (Seriously, if you're going to the L.A. Show, check out the ZR1. We know the new tires are super-slick and super sticky, but wait until you see how very barely DOT these tires are.)
There are people, though who are at the auto show to shop for a new car and not just arm themselves for the next forum war. As Consumer Advice man Ron Montoya puts it, "An auto show is a great place to do your car buying research. You can cover all the automakers in a short distance and best of all there aren't any salespeople."
Fair point. To read more about how to effectively and efficiently look for a car at an auto show, read A Car Shopper's Guide to Auto Shows on Edmunds.
Do you use auto shows to look at toys, or to help with purchase decisions?
Categories: Auto Industry,LA Auto Show
Subaru formally unveiled the BRZ Concept STI, a near-production-ready version of its new rear-wheel-drive, boxer-engined sport coupe, here at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Find out why Alistair is our very own David Attenborough of the automotive kingdom after the jump.
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Categories: LA Auto Show,Subaru,Videos
Ford picked my favorite color combo for the GT500 display car at the L.A. Auto Show: Grabber Blue with black stripes.
The whole 650-horsepower 5.8-liter V8 moving 3,800 pounds doesn't hurt either. When we tested the 2011 GT500 against the 2012 Boss, 2011 GT and a 2011 V6, our driver said that "driving the Shelby quickly is work. It's fast and it's fun and it doesn't truly make any missteps, but it's the most work in the group. And with a 1:25.6 lap time, it's also the quickest." 100 more horsepower should make it more work, more fun, and more fast.
I believe "WANT!" applies here.
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Categories: Coupes,Ford,LA Auto Show,Sports Cars
Fiat released the 500 Abarth at this year's L.A. Auto Show. They brought out Olivier Francois, global head of Fiat, for the event. He was bright and charming as always and then made a Viagra joke which was hilarious. He said that the 500 Abarth "arouses withOUT a need for a prescription." It's not as funny when we type it, but with the accent and the power of a show floor, it worked.
He should've just shown this ad for the Fiat 500 Abarth starring Romanian model Catrinel Menghia and then walked off stage.
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Categories: Fiat,LA Auto Show,Tuners and Modifications
Ford showed off a trio of updated mustangs at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show: the GT 5.0, Boss 302 and Shelby GT500.
Watch James Riswick show off his mad math skills after the jump.
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Categories: Ford,LA Auto Show,Videos
The base 2013 Infiniti JX FWD, which was unveiled at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, starts at $41,400, including a $950 shipping charge. Infiniti said the luxury crossover goes on sale in the spring.
Check out the video after the jump to view our other unusually tall presenter and the JX.
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Categories: Infiniti,LA Auto Show,Videos
Inside Line's James Riswick attends a special Chevy event in advance of the 2011 L.A. Auto Show to check out the 2013 Chevrolet Spark. Already on sale in most other global markets, Chevrolet's new minicar reaches U.S. and Canadian dealers in mid-2012.
Click on through to see what James and his sweater vest have to say.
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Categories: Chevrolet,LA Auto Show,Videos
Any reasonable person would have seen this coming: Honda and Mazda created the B-spec race class when they built racecars based on the Fit and 2, respectively, while Ford and Kia showed B-spec versions of the Fiesta and Rio at SEMA earlier this month. Now Mini has announced it will enter B-spec competition in 2012.
Per class rules, the starting point is a base Mini Cooper hardtop -- no turbo -- making the factory-tuned 121 horsepower. This particular B-spec Mini will be part of a "factory team" and driven by Brad and Robbie Davis.
You can buy a conversion kit with the requisite coil-overs, cage, braided steel brake lines and 15-inch Kosei K1 wheels and lack of seating/carpeting for any 2007-'12 Mini Cooper hatch. Or, you can pay quite a bit more and Mini will build a whole racecar for you. And if you're any good, a contingency program might help you recoup some of the initial cost.
Inside Line: Testing the 2011 Mazda 2 and 2010 Honda Fit B-Spec Racecars
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Categories: Hatchbacks,LA Auto Show,MINI,Motorsports
