I’m sure most of you celebrated, but if you forgot (or didn’t know), Friday, the Ford Mustang turned 45.  What’s crazy (to me at least) is that there was a 4 day celebration for this ”big event.”  It ran from Thursday through today in Birmingham, AL.  It was expected that approximately 2500 Mustangs, their owners, and thousands of spectators would be in attendance according to G. Chambers Williams III of the San Antonio Express-News.  Specifically, 500 Mustangs left Las Vegas over a week ago to drive to Birmingham for the Mustang birthday bash.  In case you also missed it, Ford has introduced a new Mustang model, the 2010 Ford Mustang.  I’m sure there were all different models of the Mustang at the party this weekend.  There were some activities as well.  The Ford Racing Mustang Challenge was scheduled for yesterday and today.  Supposedly about 25 cars were going to compete each day.  Ford Racing also was offering performance upgrades - including installation - for newer models in the “Mustang Garage.”  There were all kinds of souvenirs to buy and new and used Mustang parts available.  There were also going to be Mustangs on sale as well.  I bet that some Ford Mustang enthusiasts were looking to buy themselves a “pony car” as Mustangs are referred to.  Happy Birthday Mustang!         

I found an article from The Associated Press about the Geneva Auto Show that is currently going on right now has a business called Rinspeedthat specializes in customizing cars.  What’s interesting is the story behind the Rinspeed company.   Frank M. Rinderknecht, the owner of Rinspeed, was 18 years old and just wanted a car that nobody else had, so he fixed one up himself.  Then, in 1975, he came to America, bought a sunroof, that was a novelty at the time in Switzerland, and installed it into his car. People thought he was nuts cutting a hole in the roof of his car!  Thirty-five years later, Rinspeed is making more outlandish concept cars as the years go on. 

In 2007, Rinspeed introduced the eXasis, which is a ”glass” car with a completely transparent body and floor.  In 2008, Rinspeed introduced the sQuba, which could swim under water.  Crazy cars!  This year at the Geneva Auto Show, they are showing off their newest concept called iChange.  To me, this is by far the most unique car that Rinspeed has created. This futuristic sports car adapts to the number of people that are on board.  Also, many of the features of the car can be controlled by using an Apple iPod, such as the moonroof, ignition, and the onboard entertainment system.  These concept cars are not cheap to make.  Rinspeed spent about 1 million euro ($1,265,000) to build the iChange.  Rinderknecht says that this is his advertising expense to show off Rinspeed’s designing skills.  I guess creating a new outlandish concept car each year is a beneficial way to advertise.  So, if you are looking to buy a car that no one else has, go no further than the Rinspeed.      

If many of you are like me, you have never heard of the Murray’s/O’Reilly’s Autorama that will be hitting Detroit this weekend.  It’s a auto show, but a different kind of one. The Autorama is a hot rod show.  The most popular auto show, the North American International Auto Show, was held in Detroit in January, but anyone that is involved with the Autorama is excited and ready for this auto show starting tomorrow. 

What’s different about this show that is expected to have about 100,000 attend, is that there will be cars that no one has ever seen before.  The cars are customized by the owners. Unique, crazy, bizarre, that’s what will be expected this weekend.  There will be fancy cars, and then there will be dumps that have been customized and supped up.  It should be fun, that’s for sure. You will definitely see cars that you will talk about afterwards.  There is a prize for the best vehicle to be shown for the first time at the Autorama.  The winner will get $10,000 and a new GM Performance Parts engine. 

There will be some ”famous” vehicles at the Autorama this weekend as well.  For instance, the Mach 5, which was the car in the movie “Speed Racer.”  Also, the 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, which played the role of KITT on the television show, Knight Rider, will also be there.   

So, if you are going to be in the Detroit area this weekend, go and check out the Autorama.  The admission is only $18 for adults and $5.00 for children.  It sounds like it will be worth the money for some good fun!

Nissan has decided to not attend many of the auto shows in the next year to try to save money.  The Detroit Auto Show is the biggest auto show that Nissan has opted out of for next year.  They did not attend the Chicago Auto Show last month and will not be going to the Los Angeles show in November. 

The chairs of the Detroit Auto Show are not overly concerned that other automakers will follow suit and start dropping out of their show. The Geneva Motor Show starts this week and Doug Fox, the co-chair of the Detroit Auto Show will be there to meet with other automakers this week to discuss auto show plans, as well as other things.  Fox says that if others are planning on not attending the Detroit show next year, it will come out this week. Though he is pretty confident that this will not be the case. 

The only show that Nissan plans on attending is the New York City Auto Show  in April.  Hopefully, more automakers will not follow Nissan’s lead and start backing out of auto shows. That’s revenue for a great deal of people. We can’t afford more economic problems.  

It’s amazing how many big auto shows have happened already this year; the Detroit Auto Show (last month), the Washington DC Auto Show (last week). We have another one coming up this weekend- the Chicago Auto Show.  I’m wondering what makes this show different than the others that have already happened this year.  Well according to Scott Burgess of detnews.com, the difference is the audience.  At the Detroit Auto Show, the carmakers were trying to sell the automotive future to Congress, and they were doing that in Washington DC last week as well.  The automakers were showing electric cars, hybrids, and the most fuel-efficient vehicles that they had.  According to Burgess, the Chicago Auto Show is the “biggest auto show in North America.”  He says that there will be a “smorgasbord of potential customers.  You can chew on a concept (at the Chicago Auto Show), but it’s not nearly as filling as meat and potatoes.” 

The buzz at the Chicago Auto Show is the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO (super high output).  Taurus lovers have been waiting for this car for years.  It will be available this summer for $37,995.  It will have 365-horsepower V-6 engine that gets 25 miles per gallon on the highway. 

The GM Camaro will be taking center stage at the auto show when it rolls out the Bumblebee Camaro, that will star in the film “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”  The Camaro will be available for sale in a few months and there are already 20,000 pre-orders. 

The cars at the Chicago Auto Show are “real cars for real people to buy.”  The is the main difference between this show and the others. So, if you can, go check out the Chicago Auto Show that runs for the next week. 

If you haven’t gone yet, check out the Washington Auto Show this weekend.  It started on February 4 and ends this Sunday, the 8th.  There are all kinds of events scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.  The importance of this auto show is for the automakers, such as General Motors and Chrysler, to show politicians specifically that they are making cars that people want to buys.  There have been several politicians, such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell,  that have gone to the auto show already this week to check out the latest models. The automakers are hoping to lobby to preserve and extend the federal aid for them.  Automakers are bringing 700 new cars and trucks to the Washington Auto Show.  Many will try to show their fuel-efficient vehicles and battery-operated ones as well. 

According to an article in The Washington Post by Kendra Marr, Chrysler ”is determined to prove itself viable with a display of several of its advanced technology vehicles.  Its concept car, the Chrysler 200c EV, is a battery-powered sedan that has a giant touch screen that controls the temperature and navigation, as well as connects to the Internet.  Hopefully, Chrysler and others can prove themselves to the politicians and DC to help the auto industry to turn around.     

I found an article on MSNBC.com that says that there is more than just the Detroit Auto Show going on in the upcoming weekend. For you motorcycle lovers, there is a motorcycle show going on in New York City next weekend. It’s called the International Motorcycle Show.  What’s interesting is that those interested in motorcycles and the motorcycle makers have the same concerns as the auto industry.  Sales are down and more fuel-efficient models will be showcased in order to try to draw in customers.  Tighter credit and “crippled consumer confidence” are also hurting the motorcycle industry.

Manufacturers are taking advantage of showing off their smaller models that normally in good economic times do not get any attention.  “We’re seeing motorcycles coming in that were originally designed for other markets that, because of people’s consciousness for fuel economy and ease of getting around, are all of a sudden finding a home in the U.S.” says Robert Pandya, the show’s spokesperson.

Scooter-maker Vectix Corp. unveiled two electric models; the VX-2, which will have a base price of just over $5000and will go 40 to 50 miles on a charge, with a top speed of 30 mph.  The VX-1E will cost about $3500 more but will have a top speed of 62 mph with a range of 55 miles.  Italy’s Piaggio & C. SpA introduced its new Vespa GTS 300, which can reach 80 mph with a 278-cubic-centimeter engine.  Honda Motor Co.,  Ducati, and Kawasaki also introduced new bikes.     

So, for those of you that are more interested in motorcycles than car/trucks, check out the International Motorcycle Show in NYC this weekend.     

On the front page of the auto section of my local paper today, there were several pictures showing the different new cars introduced at the North American International Show (Detroit Auto Show).  Some awesome new cars are going to be introduced in the next few years.  Of course you all know about the new 2010 Toyota Prius, but it has some stiffer competition now that Honda and Ford are introducing more hybrid vehicles. 

Another car is the new Mini Cooper S convertible. This is an electric car that will be leased  to 500 drivers in Los Angeles and New York and has a range of 120 miles.  The Mercedes-Benz Concept Blue Zero E-cell runs on lithium-ion batteries with 124 miles on a charge.  This car can run 373 miles with a combined batter and fuel tank.   

Chevrolet says its Beat concept car, to be called the Spark when it comes to the U.S. in 2011, will get 40 miles per gallon.  It is about the size of the Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris.

Possibly the fan favorite will be the Audi R8 5.2 FSI .  It has a top speed of 195 mph with 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds. That’s fast!

I hope the public gets excited about the show that opened to them on Saturday. Hopefully the economy gets better quickly and people start buying these new cars when they become available.   

According to an article on detnews.com, there were many awards given out at the Detroit Economic Club’s 2009 North American International Auto Show luncheon.  The awards were the Detroit News Readers’ Choice Awards.  Most awards given out at the auto show are voted by the journalists and professionals, but the Readers’ Choice Awards are intended to “gauge the sentiments of the consumers.”  There were 100 reader-judges that toured the show on Thursday and chose the winners.  Here they are:

Best of Show - 2010 Ford Taurus                              

Future Fantasy - Cadillac Converj

Family Hauler - Chrysler Town and Country              

Best Curves - Chevrolet Camaro

Plushest Interior - Lincoln MKS                                 

Most Innovative - Smart Car

Most Earth Friendly - Toyota Prius                            

Most Luxurious - Maybach 625

Grooviest - Ford Mustang Shelby                              

Off Road - Ford F150

Best Value - Ford Fusion        

So, here are the Readers’ Choices!  Take the information and run!

The next few weeks, I will be writing a few different blogs about the biggest auto show in the world, the Detroit Auto Show.  The show opened yesterday and a few rewards were already handed out by the media.  The first honor went to the Hyundai Genesis as the North American Car of the Year award. It narrowly beat out the Ford Flex.  Another finalist was the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. 

The other honor went to the Ford F-150, as the best truck of the year.  This truck beat out the Dodge Ram pickup and the Mercedes-Benz ML 320 Bluetec.  The good news is that Ford won an award and was competitive in the other one. That’s great news for the Ford company during these tough times!

There were 14 cars and 11 trucks that were considered for these honors.  Congrats to Hyundai and Ford!