Steve Parker Motoring / The Car Nut: LA AUTO SHOW COVERAGE

EXCLUSIVE PHOTO ALBUM! 2009 GUMBALL RALLY 3000

See Steve's exclusive Gumball Rally video from NBC-TV's Whipnotic website (copy and paste): http://www.whipnotic.com/videos/viewvideo-558.html Over 120 gas-guzzling super-exotic sports cars, Hummers, Cadillac Escalade SUVs and an occasional interesting older car roared on May 2, 2009, from a California beach-side parking lot directly onto I-10, the Santa Monica Freeway, also known as the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway, for the start of this year's Gumball Rally. The world's most politically-incorrect automotive street event, the Gumball Rally 3000, left Santa Monica (CA) Pier on Saturday, May 2, 2009 and headed toward its ultimate destination of Miami, FL eight days later. Participants reportedly paid $44,000 per car/team to enter the event. Though the Gumball stresses the skills of its drivers (and their cars) there are only two race track "special section" stops scheduled for the 3,000-mile long event, which will be run on public roads with all entrants subject to all highway rules and regulations. All photos (c) 2009 by www.SteveParker.com

November 30, 2006

LA AUTO SHOW COVERAGE

We just got back from two full days covering the MEDIA DAYS at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. Moving the show to December, a month earlier than usual, so it doesn't conflict with the Detroit Auto Show, was a tremendous move for the show.

(Photo --- An LA AUTO SHOW from the '50s ... And that's not the real Groucho Marx ... Just a cut-out ... But he's telling show-goers about a new TV and DeSoto cars ... And note that this show exhibitor is using a TV-like display to get attention! Like I always say, "There's nothing new in the world of cars ... Just new ways of selling it!" ... Click photos to see more detail.) ...

There were nearly ten times as many journos in attendance as in past years (who dreamed that there are that many automotive websites?); and, importantly, many, many more concepts, intros, prototypes and NEWS. GM CEO Rick Wagoner opened the floodgates of news with his first day announcement that GM may be building a plug-in hybrid version of the Saturn VUE (Photo - Custom concept Toyota Tundra ... 2007 version ... With TRD supercharged 5.7 Liter V8 ... Power? About 430 hp).

And there's plenty more, including me on a radio interview, finding myself debating GM's top PR guy for their environmental efforts, and basically, well, ripping him a new one. I actually surprised myself with how angry I got, listening to this guy feed the public the same GM CRAP I've been hearing for over 30 years ... "You know, we're almost there! And I was more upset about the EV1 being repo'd than anyone else!" ... Enough already! BUILD THE DAMN CAR AND STOP MAKING PROMISES! I also explained to the listening audience that Andrew Card, Bush's Chief of Staff for 6 years, was formerly the lobbyist for the domestic car manufacturers and a GM PR guy. We'll try and get that NPR interview posted ASAP.

(Photo - Mark Rechtin of the industry's "bible", AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, checks his copy in the huge press room which the LA show promoters provided accredited media).