I made my annual pilgrimage to the Cleveland Auto Show on March 3 this year. Here's some of what I saw.
Once again, there were no flashy concept cars; the closest we got to that were a few prototypes and previews of coming attractions. Chevy had the Spark,...
...and Ford had the 2013 Focus Fusion...
...and a new hybrid called the C-Max... 
...and an electric version of the Focus...
...and Dodge had a Dart (well, parts of one, anyway)...
...and Mitsubishi brought along this little electric easter egg:
Speaking of electric cars... 
...there was a $100,000 Fisker Karma hybrid on display.
Also on display in the Department of Stuff You Can't Afford: a Spyker roadster...
...a Maserati...
...and a Lexus LFA.
Another trend: motorsports. Toyota had a display devoted to its NASCAR team.
Mazda had one of its race cars...
...and so did Kia, sort of.
Honda brought two: this F1 car...
...and this terror-of-the-dragstrip Civic:
There were a few cars there that just made you wonder, "What were they thinking?" Example #1: the ragtop Murano, the answer to a question nobody was asking.
Example #2: the MINI Cooper Coupe. This is just so WRONG....
Example #3: I know the First Amendment protects artistic expression, but can't we make an exception, just this once?
Fiat was there with several 500s, including this gray Abarth.
Not sure how I feel about the instrument panel, with the speedo and the tach in concentric circles. It would definitely take some getting used to.
TTAC and some of the other reviewers were down on the new made-in-Tennessee Passat, but it made a favorable impression on me, and pretty much everyone else that was looking at it.
I also liked the Beetle...
...especially the interior. The body color on the dash really sets it off.
The old-school gallery was a little thin compared to previous years, but there were some pleasant surprises.
This 1936 Buick Opera Coupe was gorgeous enough to make the proverbial fat lady burst into song.
Ron and Betty, who exhibited their 1950 DeSoto "Honeymoon Car" the last two years, were back with their 1961 Corvette.
We'll close with this year's winner of the Car Lust Trophy. The competition was tough this year; this pristine Dodge Magnum XE was a strong contender,...
...but it couldn't hold a candle to this 1980 "bustle-back" Seville, Cadillac's answer to the AMC Gremlin.
--Cookie the Dog's Owner
toronado on March 07, 2012 at 02:44 AM
Wow! Awesome post!
That Dodge Magnum has got to be one VERY RARE car, and a favorite of mine.
Original Honda Prelude had a similar speedo/tach arrangement as that Fiat 500. I think it's cool.
toronado on March 07, 2012 at 02:50 AM
I think that's a picture of the 2013 Fusion, but it's ok, we know what you meant. :-)
toronado on March 07, 2012 at 03:17 AM
Sorry to post a third comment in a row but...
That 1980 Seville... I wonder if anyone's ever done a "what if" photoshop on it with a real trunk. Might be an interesting experiment.
Appears to be a '66 Pontiac 2-door Bonneville in a beautiful color right next to the Seville.
The New Beetle... I dig the retro styled rims. Looks just like steel rims with hubcaps but really isn't. Very cool.
And the interior looks good. I'm curious about the faux-leather upholstery. I might need to go take a look at one in person.
frisco557 on March 07, 2012 at 05:51 AM
Cool Pictures. I never did make it out to the show this year.
Slight correction though. That's a Honda Indy car, not F1.
SquirrelFarts McAwesome on March 07, 2012 at 07:40 AM
I agree with frisco... that appears to be a Honda Indy Car, not F1. F1 cars are MUCH more expensive, in part because the chassis is built from scratch. Indy also has a spending cap whereas F1 allows unlimited spending.
Big Chris on March 07, 2012 at 12:47 PM
That model of Seville is among my most hated (aesthetically) cars ever built. It looks like a dog wiping its butt on the carpet after a bath.
The Abarth are a nifty car, but they're going sell about 6 in the USA I'm guessing. Other than a sexy commercial they've done nothing to create that market. Too soon Fiat, too soon.
Anthony Cagle on March 07, 2012 at 02:08 PM
"Other than a sexy commercial"
I think the entire enterprise is worth it just *for* that commercial. . . .
That Car Guy on March 07, 2012 at 02:59 PM
I have to admire Cadillac for the guts to design the rear like that, but when they came out, I wished that they had made the front unique as well, rather than just pasting on what they already had. The design is half-baked like it is, IMO.
Of course Lincoln followed soon: http://www.motorbase.com/pictures/contributions/991017/std_1982_lincoln_continental_sedan.jpg
And so did Chrysler: http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1440&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=azGwX3_zOyKevM:&imgrefurl=http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1983/Jeremy/index.htm&docid=VwjZ0Uqz_ic7TM&imgurl=http://www.imperialclub.com/Yr/1983/Jeremy/back.jpg&w=640&h=480&ei=GehXT7f_NMSTtwekot3nDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=178&vpy=373&dur=2074&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=196&ty=97&sig=106984515420835746894&page=2&tbnh=147&tbnw=175&start=18&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:18
Big Chris on March 07, 2012 at 07:18 PM
They're all horrific looking Chuck. The 9th Gen Ford Thunderbird did a better job of it (83-88) going not as extreme but keeping that big honking nose. Don't read that as an endorsement of the Thunderbird though, I hate them too! :-)
M. Thompson on March 07, 2012 at 08:47 PM
In honor of Joe Walsh, does the Maserati do 185?
Bill Thompson on March 09, 2012 at 09:37 AM
I LOOOVE the Abarth tach/speedo combination gauge, both the function and the aesthetics. I'm guessing in top gear the two needles are in synch?
And unlike some, I adore the '80 Seville. I totally get what Cadillac was going for: a contemporary interpretation of the D-back Rolls/Bentley sports saloons. I love the muscular yet elegant stance, the proud prow, and the rakish rear. It wasn't perfect: the stainless side spear clutters the otherwise clean lines, and it really needed 2-3 more inches in the rear compartment. I believe its engine choices killed it more than its looks: the standard diesel 350 was truly horrid, and the V8-6-4 was a brilliant idea that was too far ahead of its time. (And then there was the HT4100. Shudder.)