Car Enthusiasts Rev It Up at Anaheim Auto Show

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another website, contact: surfwriter.girls@gmail.com

 

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel cruised by the Anaheim Convention Center this weekend to scope out the hottest cars at the International Auto Show. We wanted to see the best beach rides, energy-efficient models, concept cars and exotics.

There was a lot to see. More than 400 cars, crossovers and trucks were on display. There was even a Camp Jeep test track set up to give show attendees the thrill of navigating over an obstacle course. The course included logs and stumps and a Jeep Mountain with a 35 degree slope that tested the Jeep’s traction.

We brought Patti’s husband Greg along to get a male’s perspective on the cars…and help us check out the horsepower under the hoods.

Some of the cars were real head-turners like the Lamborghini Blancpain, a special edition car created by Lamborghini and the luxury Swiss watchmaker Blancpain, that’s been creating precision timepieces since 1735. The Lamborghini’s 700 horsepower engine reaches a top speed of over 200 mph.

The Lexus LFA, billed as its “First Supercar,” was showcased, too.

Plus an array of Maseratis, Porsches, and Ferraris.

The SurfWriter Girls thought this sky blue Porsche would look perfect parked out in front of Duke’s on the Huntington Beach Pier.

To emphasize its beach credentials Porsche was even sponsoring a swim suit contest.

This classic Corvette couldn’t be overlooked, either, and would be just as at home breezing along PCH. Sunny noticed that the guys gathered around the Vette couldn’t take their hands off it.

The Red Bull Infinity Formula One car caught Greg’s eye. And, proving that he knows his cars, on Sunday the same model went on to win the Singapore Grand Prix by 1.7 seconds.

This Grand Prix Toyota got Greg's attention, too. It looked fast even standing still.

While Greg was immersed in the race cars, we caught sight of a well-known racing figure at the show and managed to get in a photo op.

Then we stopped to take a look at the latest Mazdas – the RX8 and MX-5 Miata. Along with its sporty looks, the RX8 is distinguished by its 1.3 liter Wankel rotary engine.

The SurfWriter Girls felt right at home at the Hyundai display with its giant wave theme.

We already knew that Hyundai’s racy Genesis Coupe was a winner because Patti and Greg bought one just a few months ago.

Not to be upstaged by the sports cars, the pocket-size Mini-Coupe and Smart cars were getting a lot of attention, too.

The auto show was focused on more than flashy cars, though. Two of the main themes were the Environment and Technology.

Ford was highlighting its line-up of “Eco Cars” – cars powered with EcoBoost direct injection engines that deliver a fine mist of fuel directly to each cylinder – and its hybrids and electrics.

And Honda gave show visitors a chance to take its “Eco Assist Challenge” road test. Players, sitting at a simulator, were challenged to cross the finish line, not in the shortest time, but in the most fuel-efficient time.

Toyota's Prius – one of the pacesetters in environmentally–conscious automotive design – unveiled its latest technology.

As for the technology, drivers now have such options as: parking assist, built-in WiFi, smart phones, voice-controlled hands-free music, engine start-stop systems, and accident avoidance sensors. With all the new options and apps help or entertainment is just a click away – for navigation, email, music and gaming…or even to remotely start the car, James Bond-style, for a quick getaway.

To make sense of all the new innovations we turned to Ford’s robot car ambassador designed by ABB Robotics to get the latest scoop on the technology.