The Auto Show - Intro

I'm going to the Auto Show later today with Alec. (Maybe I can persuade one of the other sons to go but they don't seem to have nearly as much fun at these as I do.)

I love cars. I've loved 'em since I was a little kid ... used to call out what make/model a car was before I could read. (My dad says he won several bets with friends who would drive with him that I was correct. I vaguely recall one friend who insisted that my dad must be tipping me off!)

When I was a kid, the new models came out each fall. I used to go down to our local Mercury dealer (dad always bought Mercuries back then) and try to sneak a peek under the window coverings to see the new models. Back then (mid 50's through early '60's) there really were changes from one model year to another so it was a big deal.

It shouldn't come as any great shock that I also love auto shows. I remember going to several auto shows when we lived in Chicago. I used to come home with all these manufacturer brochures and cut them out and put the pictures into scrapbooks. As I recall, you could also score a lot of swag like key chains, matchbooks, coasters, etc

Since moving to the Twin Cities, I've probably seen over 20 auto shows ... they're not the same as the Chicago show but where else can you go from one make to another and directly compare cars of the same market segment?

We never get new model intros but there's often some new models that are going to be in the showrooms shortly. I just want to see the new Miata and Passat but realize they won't be there. Maybe the new Jetta ... Solstice ... BMW 3-series? They've all been published in the car mags so I'm thinking that they may be available.