{"id":646,"date":"2007-02-11T23:51:00","date_gmt":"2007-02-11T23:51:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-01-31T09:30:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T15:30:45","slug":"title_11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/benlevy.com\/blog\/title_11\/","title":{"rendered":"2007 Chicago Auto Show pictures are up"},"content":{"rendered":"

I went to the Chicago Auto Show yesterday and now I have 200 pictures up from the show. I’ve tried to summarize what I saw below, but you can see all of the pics yourself here: Pictures from the 2007 Chicago Auto Show<\/a><\/p>\n

The Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG<\/a> was the most amazing production car that I saw at the auto show. Every corner of the CL63<\/a> looks like it has been thoroughly reviewed and perfected. The Audi R8<\/a> was one of the great cars on display at the auto show. I know the R8 is really just a redone Gallardo<\/a>, but it still looks amazing in person. The BMW B7 Alpina<\/a> was very nice, but to me it was still no “M.” The 21 inch wheels on the Alpina<\/a> were especially nice.<\/p>\n

The Chrysler Nassau<\/a> was one of the best surprises of the show. The Nassau just whispered class and quality. I hope Chrysler makes the car and moves toward being a real Luxury brand.<\/p>\n

The Lexus IS-F<\/a> was one of the cars I most looked forward to seeing and the only disappointment was the tailpipes. The wheels on the IS-F<\/a> were very nice. Toyota had their FT-HS hybrid sports car concept<\/a> on display, but I really just wondered it was really just a hybrid version of the Lexus LF-AF<\/a>. It looks like Toyota has only strengthened its Scion brand with the new xB<\/a> and xD<\/a>. The xB gets bigger and a more powerful engine, giving Scion customers a broader range of cars to choose from.<\/p>\n

Honda did not have much to show, but the Accord Coupe Concept<\/a> was very nice. I look forward to the new Accord, but I really wonder if the styling of the coupe concept will find its way to the new sedan.<\/p>\n

I have been looking forward to an Altima coupe since I got mine, but the Altima Coupe Nissan<\/a> had on display wasn’t as wild and sporty as what I had imagined it would be. The design on the Marc Ecko Nissan Pathfinder<\/a> was nice, but I don’t see the point of making one-offs if they never use anything from the custom cars in production. I really only need one word to describe the new Nissan Sentra SE-R<\/a>, and it is lame.<\/p>\n

Chevrolet’s Camaro Convertible Concept<\/a> drew a lot of attention at the show. The Camaro’s interior<\/a> has a stylish, futuristic design to match the exterior. I hope a lot of this car makes it to production. The Corvette C6R<\/a> was the best race car that I saw that day. The C6R costs as much as some homes, but it’s still nice to see such an amazing car that still looks so much like a regular Corvette<\/a>. I thought the Chevys on display were rather bland with the exception of the HHR Panel<\/a>. The custom 2-door HHR<\/a> that they brought out was rather nice too.<\/p>\n

The Dodge Charger SRT-8<\/a> looked aggressive, as usual, but it still couldn’t compare to the sharp lines of the Dodge Viper SRT-10<\/a>. Dodge also had a Dodge Charger SRT-8 Super Bee<\/a> on display, but its styling comes off as cheap and generic. The Dodge Viper SRT-10 Mopar Concept<\/a> was also on display and probably one of the best production-based racecars at the show.<\/p>\n

The Ford Interceptor<\/a> embodied all of the boldness that Ford has promised. Ford plans to carry over some elements of the Interceptor to the Crown Victoria. The Ford Airstream<\/a>, on the other hand, doesn’t look like it will see any of its elements in an actual production vehicle. Ford also had a full race-spec Mustang FR500GT<\/a> on display. Ford’s boldest move was probably having Funkmaster Flex<\/a> DJ at the Ford booth next to Ford Expedition Funkmaster Flex Concept<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I had the opportunity to see a Jaguar XKR<\/a> in person for the first time at the Chicago Auto Show. People were more interested in the silver XK8<\/a> that was next to it, but that was probably because they could sit in that car.<\/p>\n

The Mazda Ryuga<\/a> was said to be the basis of future Mazda designs. The design of the car is best described as wild and supposed to be based on “natural” lines.<\/p>\n

The Pontiac Solstice Weekend Racer Concept<\/a> makes me an official Solstice fan. The hardtop, 325HP turbo engine, and ground effects make a huge difference in this car and we can only hope that it makes it to production.<\/p>\n

I finally got to see the Thunder Bunny Concept<\/a> and it looked amazing. It’s a cool car, but with Rabbits and GTIs coming in 2 and 4 door models it would be hard and almost pointless to differentiate between the cars. The VW R GTI<\/a> was also a looker, but I tend to appreciate cars that are more practical and likely to reach production. I would like a set of the wheels from the R GTI<\/a> though.<\/p>\n

The new Volvo XC60<\/a> concept was nice, but the trendy of heavy use of chrome is disturbing. I hope that annoying trends like that are toned down next year.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Lexus<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chevrolet<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Jeep<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Chevrolet<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Honda<\/a><\/p>\n

\"VW<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Scion<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I went to the Chicago Auto Show yesterday and now I have 200 pictures up from the show. I’ve tried to summarize what I saw below, but you can see all of the pics yourself here: Pictures from the 2007 Chicago Auto Show
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