2011 LA Auto Show One-Post Wrap-Up

The 2011 LA Auto Show has come and gone, well, at least the press portion has. If you live in the area, you should make the trip out to see all the latest wares the automakers have to offer. Want us to come along with you? Too bad. Our feet hurt from slogging between the various halls, and our brains are destroyed from engaging in so many PR-centric conversations. Sorry… it’s not you, it’s us. Also, LA traffic sucks.

Still, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give you a taste of the auto show experience. We felt that running a gaggle of posts and pics wasn’t in the cards, and is best left to larger outlets that do the job quite well (Go to Autoblog for the full monty).

Instead, we invite you to hop past the break and enjoy our Hooniverse-style one-post LA Auto Show Wrap Up. Also, those girls are not laughing at us in that photo above… they’re laughing with us. Right?

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Photoshop Contest – We’re kind of a big deal… even when we’re not

I am on my way back up the 405 for another round of LA Auto Show walkapalooza and free beer-athon. Yesterday, however, yours truly was invited to go on the air LIVE! with NBC-LA. That’s a fairly large market for those of you keeping score at home, and I wasn’t invited to represent Whatchmablog or AutosAwesome90001.org. Nope, they wanted Hooniverse, Charles and gentlemen.

The spot went off without a hitch, and you can watch it here: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/the-scene/cars/Hooniverse-Auto-Blog-LA-Auto-Show-133937293.html

My favorite part? That they listed me as a Blooger. Feel free to look that one up on Urban Dictionary.

Have fun with this screengrab. Please Photoshop the hell out of it. The best ‘chop (as judged by votes in the comments) will snag a bit of Jeep swag. We have a hat and a set of gloves that Kamil thought he was stealing from the Jeep event he attended. They were actually free but we didn’t have the heart to tell him after he went on and on about his daring heist.

Have fun. We’ll have another LA Auto Show update for you later in the day, but we promise to keep things light with regards to LAAS coverage. Hell, the only thing we showed you yesterday was a rather cozy Sprinter, which is where me met the Lava Girls. Not porn starts as it turns out…

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This is what we’re driving to the 2011 LA Auto Show

Hotchkis was kind enough to flip us the keys to their 1970 Dodge Challenger. Under the hood sits a 340 six-pack (5.6-liter) V8 engine, which is paired with a five-speed manual transmission. The power goes to the rear wheels, the black and yellow paint scheme goes directly to your eyes, and the noises plunge themselves into the deepest corners of your soul.

This is modified American muscle that’s been given the full Hotchkis treatment. The Hotchkis crew built this car with autocrossing in mind, which means it can handle twists and turns better than most modern vehicles… nevermind one that’s over 40 years old.

We’ll snap some pictures, grab a bit of video, and write up what it’s like to drive this yellow rockstar after we get back from the LA Auto Show. Until then, we’re going to use it to shuttle ourselves to and from the auto show with a bit more style than the rest of the folks making the trek to the West Coast.

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What do you think Hooniverse should drive to the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show?

We’re going to the Los Angeles Auto Show tomorrow. The convention center parking lot will be filled with brand-new cars wearing manufacturer tags, as automotive journalists from around the world arrive to get a close look at the newest wares of this world. We don’t want to park another similarly-plated, everyday vehicle in the lot… this is HOONIVERSE we’re talking about, so we want to represent the H in style.

We’ve already got a car lined up that we think does just that (and if you know what it is, please don’t spoil the fun), but we want to see what vehicle you think we should be driving.

Sound off in the comments, and the actual vehicle we’ll be driving will be revealed in today’s Last Call post.

Also, click past the jump to see our ultimate Auto Show dream car that we couldn’t line up…

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LA Auto Show Coupe d’Etat

Just because it’s so unexpectedly pretty, here’s some more shots of BMW’s 6 Series Coupe Concept from the Los Angeles Auto Show.

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The Toyota “Swagger Wagon:” Like Watching Grandpa Do the Macarena

Cool kids go to the prom in limos. Cooler kids go in their mom's Toyota Sienna.

The minivan will someday be cool again. But until then, Toyota isn’t helping, even despite their efforts.

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Unleash your Inner Man-Child (or Lady-Child) with Ford’s Laguna Seca Slot Track

Capturing the award for “Most Significant Display for Overgrown Man-Children,” Ford trotted out this slot car track that was an accurate representation of Laguna Seca—complete with elevation changes, overpasses, and the Corkscrew. Unsurprisingly, the royal we were duly impressed.

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The Relentless March of Progress Stomps Over Historical Irony

Those who forget history are doomed to break down.

Given the historical associations—and modern ones, worryingly enough—with British products and electrical components, maybe an all-digital LCD dash screen in the Jaguar XJ isn’t such a good idea.

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Last Call – Jenny Craig Edition

Ford’s new uni-body Explorer is claimed to be significantly lighter than its body-on-frame predecessor, however the sacrifices made in the name of weight loss seem to be onerous.

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Ford Wants to Focus All

The original, Escort-replacing Focus was a styling rebel that was rewarded for its daring with excellent sales. The last refresh of the Focus left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, and laid open the question of whether or not Ford was serious about the small-mid size class. Well, have no worries, because the 2012 Focus is bringing sexy back.

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