San Diego Auto Show 20140102

At some level, all auto shows are the same. Kathleen and have been to a number of them including the NYC auto show when we were living in Manhattan. But, odd as it may seem, we never went to the San Diego Auto Show. Since we were back from the desert and we had the time, we headed to the San Diego Convention Center to see the show.

There were more than the normal number of older muscle cars at the show. This is a 1964 Ford Fairlane that is owned by a private party.

There were a large number of Ford Mustangs, mostly late model and pumped up. This Mustang has a huge supercharger which I doubt is a stock accessory.

Both Kathleen and I commented that the copper color was somewhat odd, but likely a stock color. But, when matched with the upholstery the combination worked well in a retro-sort-of-way.

The premium cars were stuck at one end of the hall. This lambo looked good, but I question the paint job.

The lifting doors are cool and would work well in tight parking spots, which is somewhat ironic. My experience is that nice cars are never parked in tight spots, but rather in the outer portions of the parking lot.

This Mustang had a custom belt-driven supercharger. I am sure it runs like a raped ape.

No auto show would be complete without a clone of the "General Lee" from the Dukes of Hazard. It is for sale, but would YOU be caught dead in this car without Catherine Bach in the co-pilot's seat in her Daisy Duke shorts?

There were a number of very nice Porches at the show. But, the BMW area was the busiest of any area we saw.

This Formula 1 car was made out of carbon fiber sheets. Even the front wheel struts are molded carbon fiber.

The Viper was a big favorite of the crowd right up to the time they look at the sticker price.

Here was something a little different. This is an electric Baja racer.

The power plant for this rig is a AC bus motor. The box with the orange cables is the DC-AC inverter to drive the motor.

Note the custom TIG-welded A-frame front suspension.

The steering was controlled by the hydraulic piston at the center of the photo.

Another very nice Aston Martin.

While not that surprising, I did not realize that Aston Martin produced a convertible.

Every house should have their very own zombie apocalypse escape vehicle.

The show was interesting, but truth be told these days most cars look the same. But, as we all know, they are not the same inside. The BMW area had the highest traffic followed by the Mercedes area, so one could assume that brand cache is real.

San Diego Auto Show 2014

An interesting look at the auto industry

The Experience