Well, it was only a matter of time before we got around to posting our people gallery from the auto show. Models were pretty scarce this year in Los Angeles, but they were definitely still worth the effort to stop and photograph. We also had a few celebrity sightings again, although none at the press conferences and only one got caught on camera. California's own Governator made it over for his annual tour, but we missed him. The lone celeb in our gallery was Jerry Seinfeld, who showed up at the Porsche news conference with gorgeous blue 550 Spyder in tow.


Live photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Although we've already seen the Audi Q5 in a variety of forms after its initial unveiling in Beijing this past July, the four-ringers decided to finally show off their cute 'ute in North America for the first time at the LA Auto Show. The compact(ish) CUV is packing the award-winning 2.0-liter TFSI gasoline engine putting out 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque through the seven-speed, dual-clutch S tronic transmission, and Audi is quick to point out that with a drag coefficient of just 0.33 and a turbocharged four, the Q5 will be one of the most fuel-efficient offerings in its class. Check the galleries below for more and see our previous post for all the details.

Click image at right for high-res gallery of some random sights from Los Angeles.

While we did a lot of coverage of the LA Auto Show this week, there are always some interesting things at the convention center that just don't make into a post of their own. We've collected a bunch of photos that we thought were worth sharing and decided to just dump them into a gallery so you could experience it for yourself. Click on the gallery and you'll see performers that helped Infiniti launch the new G37 Convertible (above), the Mazda3 designer's colorful choice of footwear, Tony Hawk's dream Jeep, a lemon chiffon Rolls-Royce, an unfortunate quality control issue at Maybach, Hell freezing over (for some) at Toyota, and just a bunch of random interesting cars that we've seen before perhaps, but that happened to catch our eyes in LA. We hope you enjoy our farewell to Los Angeles. We can hardly wait for Detroit in January.


Live photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

The BRABUS edition of smart's diminutive little fortwo is, as we like to say, officially official as of yesterday when the brand pulled the wraps off the new-for-USA model. Unlike the Europeans who have had access to BRABUS smarts for the last few years, we won't be getting the force-fed 112-horsepower three-cylinder engine here in the States, but that means we get to keep the 41 miles per gallon efficiency of the standard smart fortwo. You win some, you lose some, right? It's a nice package that definitely stands apart from other fortwo models thanks to its unique alloy wheels, monochromatic paint in either black or silver and numerous BRABUS emblems inside and out. Want one? It'll cost you $17,990 for the coupe or $20,990 for the cabriolet, which initially strikes us as a fairly steep sum considering it comes with the same 70 horsepower engine of the standard smart. As of right now, only those with fortwo reservations are eligible for the new BRABUS, but that seems likely to change in the near future if the model continues to prove as popular as smart claims it has.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sebastian Blanco and Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of these fun '70s Mitsubishis

We might have skipped the Mitsubishi booth altogether this year at the LA Auto Show if it hadn't been for this pair of eye-catching cars from the '70s. While checking out the neighboring Audi booth we spotted a toad-green FTO and then caught a glimpse of what looked like an old F1 car. The racecar turned out to be the last single-seat racer Mitsu ever made, the 1971 Colt F2000. It actually won the Japan Grand Prix that year. It was powered by a 4-valve dohc 1,994 cc R39B that put out 290 PS. It was also one of the first open-wheelers to use those side-mounted radiators that became the standard in many forms of single-seater racing.

The other car was a 1973 Galant FTO GS-R. Fittingly painted toad-green, this little beast had warts all over it. Built between 1971 and 1975 the FTO was a rear-drive coupe that could be had with a number of different Neptune and Saturn fours ranging from 86 hp up to 110 hp for the top option 1,597 cc mill found in the GS-R. A spiritual predecessor to the Evos of today, both are some fun finds here at an otherwise somber LA Auto Show.


Live photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a super high-res gallery of the 2008 L.A. Auto Show

When the press conferences have died down and most of the cars have made their debuts, we like to roam the halls of the convention center and simply enjoy the cars. This also gives us a chance to take photos of the cars away from the crowds of journalists, and we've put together the 25 best shots of the past few days in a super-high-res gallery meant specifically to adorn the background of your desktop. The photos are available at 1,920 pixels wide to accommodate even the largest of screens (they'll download at that size and can be viewed in the gallery at that size by clicking the "Hi-res" button). Enjoy!

Live photos copyright ©2008 Drew Phillips / Weblogs, Inc.

It wasn't the number one pick of our readers (earning the silver medal in your voting), but Mazda managed to take the top honors at the LA Design Challenge with its KAAN concept. The design itself is a fanciful look into a future where all the roads in California are paved with... um, sub-level electro-conductive polymer (m'kay), which provides juice to the electronic tires that allow the KAAN to reach speeds of up to 250 mph. Up to 30 KAANs would travel together in formations that would cheat the wind, so MAZDA designed the vehicles so that they could fit tightly together in the peloton.

The theme of the competition was to depict what motorsports would be like in 2025. Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles, said that the choice was made because Mazda's entry was "the most innovative and artistic design," and that the KAAN "ultimately brought unique styling back to motorsports." Unique? That seems like a major understatement to us. See all of the contenders after the break


[Source: LA Auto Show]

Click above for high-res image gallery of the American Modular Tooling by PWM

While heading out to our first press conference of the morning here at the LA Auto Show, we spotted this... this... thing. It sort of looks like a car, but is actually an adult Erector Set of sorts. Paul W. Marino Gages (PWM) offers this line of customizable shop benches and tools known as American Modular Tooling. The pieces can be put together in virtually any configuration allowing workers to hold any part in just about any position. It's a pretty cool line and allows shops to build the bench they need for the job, then tear it down and build something different for the next one. It should also help businesses cut down on space and expenses by giving workers a sizable bag of building blocks to work from rather than requiring they buy a new bench or holder for each task. To show off their goods at this year's auto show, they did the natural thing and built what looked like a car out of their parts. If you're interested in this type of equipment (and frankly who isn't?), check out their website and our gallery of high-res images that show their demonstration "car" from different angles.


Live photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Saab 9-3 Cabrio 25th Anniversary Edition

A couple of days ago we told you about this special edition 25th Anniversary Saab 9-3 Cabrio. It's a sure sign that there's not much happening when automakers launch these specials in lieu of any real new models. Saab is guilty of this right now. This is the second limited edition of the 9-3 convertible alone this year. At least this one isn't as colorful as the Yellow edition that came out this summer. This latest special edition 9-3 Convertible is meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the very first Saab convertible. Believe it or not that was way back in 1983.

To celebrate the model, this special edition takes some cues from the Turbo X, like the design of the front bumper and steering wheel plus carbon fiber interior finishes and black floor mats with special piping. Also, like the Aero, it sports dual exhaust pipes and an anthracite gray bumper insert out back. Five-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheels will be standard and you can choose Jet Black, Carbon Grey and the new Bright Champagne (above) for the exterior. The standard Saab 2.0L turbo with 210 hp is the only engine. All of that for "just" $46,725. Oh, and those big BioPower stickers on the sides? It apparently can run on E85.


Live photos copyright ©2008 Frank Filipponio / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Lotus Evora live

The "mostly" U.S. version of the "midsize" Lotus Evora was shown today at the LA Auto Show and it looks exactly like the one that debuted at the 2008 British Motor Show back in June. It's just missing its side marker lights. The Evora follows the '70s Lamborghini Urraco, Maserati Merak, Ferrari 308GT4 and its follow-up the Ferrari Mondial in being a mid-engine 2+2 sports car. It's arguably the best looking of that quintet, though.

Two adult American males fit up front and there's still room in back for a couple of kids, while power comes from a Toyota-sourced 3.5L V6 producing 276 hp. With a curb weight of just 2,976 lbs., that should be plenty to scoot this puppy along. Expect 0-60 in 5 seconds, a top speed of 160+ and 30 mpg.

As cool as all of that is, the interior is what will blow you away, especially if you've ever served time in an Elise or Exige. There's leather all around, a proper nav system, an advanced touch-screen multi-media system and, get this, actual human beings can get in and out of it without requiring ridiculous flexibility. The Evora will be built on a new assembly line in Hethel at the rate of 2,000 annually for worldwide consumption. To Lotus's credit, they designed it from the get-go to meet safety and emissions requirements around the world so all they have to do is put the steering wheel on the proper side.

Talk of a supercharged S model and an even larger Esprit-successor is likely true. And Lotus executives have confirmed that a convertible variant with a power-retractable roof is in the works. Production of the standard Evora will begin in October of 2009, with sales in the U.S. beginning in late November or early December. Six-speed manual-equipped models will be available in the beginning, with an automatic (with paddle shifters) coming to market in April of 2010. But for now, we're happy with just the Evora. Twice as stiff as an Elise and a little extra room for passengers and cargo sounds just about perfect. One additional note: Although this upsized Elise went by the codename Eagle during development, there's apparently no truth to the rumors that the upcoming convertible version will be called the Bald Eagle.



[Source: Lotus]