It never gets old.
You walk in the Jacob Javits Center on the first day of the NY Auto show, and you can’t help it – you start walking faster like you’re trying to catch the 104 bus. Then you run. I do, anyway. That the cars aren’t going anywhere doesn’t make a difference. Having them all those rides there in one place is like going to a concert with Miles Davis, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra on the bill. You don’t know where to turn first and you simply wade into a sea of tires, fenders, hoods, leather, knobs, switches and price tags.
The cheap cars, no matter their polish, aren’t even given a perfunctory nod. You’re on a mission in search of the flash, the mod, the mighty, the innovative, the gawdy, the obscenely expensive. You’ll get to the economy cars after you see Elvis. The automakers hire models to pose and smile and accentuate the beauty of their machines. Models-schmodels.
Right now, there isn’t any such thing as insurance or potholes or snow or traffic or grease stains or circling around a block looking for a parking place. If it all could be this beautiful all the time, it would be a lovely world indeed.
Here are some highlights – more to come as the auto show continues.
2013 SRT Viper
Did I say it never gets old?
Dodge has jettisoned the “Dodge” from their Viper, but they’re still making an absolute monster with an 8.4 liter, 640 horsepower V-10 engine. The new model’s also gone through a celebrity makeover and emerged with 30 percent less weight than in previous models. In this case it works out to a svelte 3,354 pounds. It’s got an all-new frame that’s 50 percent stiffer and it rolls on 355MM Pirelli tires in front, 295MM in the rear. Two versions are available – a base model and a loaded GTS.
BMW i8 Spyder Concept
The BMW i8 Concept Spyder is a convertible with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that can power the front or rear wheels — or both. It’s got laser headlamps, a two-piece folding top, a pair of swing-up windowless doors and a transparent glass panel at the rear, under which are stowed two electric kickboards for the ultimate in personal mobility.
Take that, Fisker.
2014 Nissan NV200 Taxi
This taxi, said to be making its debut sometime in 2013 on NYC streets, is more fuel-efficient than any other cab, not surprising given its dinky 2.0 liter I-4 engine. Its passenger compartment also features separate climate controls, 12-volt electrical outlets, and two USB ports. Additionally, malodorous cabbies will become fragrant – in theory – due to an Carbon-lined headliner that neutralizes odors.
Now if we can get its drivers to signal and to quit stopping in the middle of the street when picking up a fare, we’ll be good.
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