[s-cars] Preview of Detroit Auto Show

[QSHIPQ at aol.com]

Family member does lighting, I became an official "assistant" during setup
last week.   Detroit makes the biggest splash stateside, cuz they get 2 full
months for setup.  To put it in perspective, Chicago gets a few days setup,
and less for teardown.
Top Ten:

*  Coolest car covers:  AUDI.  All cars on the floor came in custom model
fitted armani classy soft suits, including sewn in windows, zippered openings
for doors and gas cap, and all had open front windshields.  25+ years of auto
shows, that was downright cool.

*  Best presentation:  Ford had a huge oval above their 90,000 sq feet
(second in sq/ft only to GM) of the various marques under the umbrella.

*  Biggest surprise:  300hp 4.2 v8 on display next to a black VW 'taurus'
(the forrester job) so equipped.  You could live with the quirky looking
front end for 300ponies.  This should steal some sales from the lexus RX.300

*  Best in person:  VW cab, even in putty, not bad.  turbo too.

*  Best display:  Mini cooper in rally colors/trim with vintage rally
background scene, a great flashback to the old rally days.  Their emailable
portrait ("let's mini") with you behind the wheel of an S, a nice touch.

*  Big splash:  The "don't touch" nazis around the Hummer1/2's was...
oxmoronic?  That said, the ditch display with the H1 right front tire
suspended 5 feet off the ground was very creative.

*  Best looker:  The D-chrysler 2 door coupe, just the right machine at a
time when the Z4 takes a step in the wrong direction (IMO)

*  Best dressed:  The fully chromed and cutaway DOHC v8 in the ford booth,
even the bolts were anodized, and the cam chain chromed.  The detail was
awesome to those into what it took to make (I see Tom Nas drooling for this
toy).  My host informed me that it ran in the 70k range....

*  Quote of the day:  Spin those babies.  More rotating platforms than I've
ever seen.  Even Saturn had no less that 5, including the center kiosk.  Got
dizzy, went back to the cooper S display.

*  Best hope:  RS6 at the front of the audi booth, sitting on tongue and
groove oak flooring:  the former a realized pipe dream from audi, the latter
in sitsu yet to be realized pipe dream (permission on either will be a tough
sell to our wive's).

That's ten, including audi content, yes the R8 was well placed against the
wall 2.5 stories above the floor.  Big money spent this year, lot's of
debut's, should be well worth the visit.

Scott Justusson
luminary assistant, emeritus