The LA Auto Show 2011

The LA Auto Show's story begins over 100 years ago. It all began back in January of 1907 when 99 cars gathered at Morely's - a skating rink on Grand Avenue. Over 3,000 people - most dressed up for a night on the town - flowed through the doors. A young Henry Ford was in attendance that night as were all of the kings and titans of the auto industry.

At the time, Los Angeles had a population of around 250,000 people. But the automobile still dominated the roads. In fact, LA had one automobile for every 8 people. As the LA Times wrote back in 1907, "It is without exception the banner automobile city of the world."

Fast forward to the modern era of the automobile and LA is still a mecca for great cars. In the past 25 years the LA Auto Show has been at the forefront of showing off the automobile's progress. It has become famous for worldwide debuts, high-tech exhibits and a truly festive atmosphere.

This year was the first time in two that I have attended the show. I first attended back in 2006 when Bugatti debuted the Veyron. I attended again in 2007 and got a first look at the Ferrari Scuderia. In 2008 I had the pleasure of seeing the debut of Lamborghini's Reventon and the Mercedes SL65 AMG Black.

After a short hiatus I was back at the LA Auto Show this year and it was well worth the trip. Despite a 2.5 hour drive from Orange County - roughly 45 miles - we arrived excited to be there. Among the highlights we anticipated were the world debut of the Porsche Panamera GTS, an Aston-Martin One-77 and the Auti R8 GT Spyder.

I have always enjoyed the Sneak Preview Night. It is held Thursday before the show opens to the public on Friday. There is always a very manageable crowd and you get unfettered access to the cars. It is a bit expensive, but all proceeds from the night go to charity. So it is a good deal all around. We attended the Preview night again this year and were not disappointed.

Though the exhibits are always poorly lit - catering to atmosphere more than photographers - I tried to capture all of the excitement. Below are my pictures from the event, I hope that you enjoy them.

When you walked into the concourse area of the show - where the exotic cars are displayed - one car just jumped out at you - the Aston Martin One-77.









Also in the concourse was Rolls Royce who always brings a great lineup to the show.

Despite being some of the most valuable and bespoke cars at the show, RR always encourages spectators to get up-close and personal with their offerings. People were in out out of the matte white drop-head coupe like crazy!











My son Paul couldn't resist taking a shot in the driver's seat.



Rounding out the concourse were amazing examples from Bentley, Lotus, Morgan, Mastretta and the unique Doking.

















After the concourse we headed over to the Porsche exhibit. Porsche always pulls out all of the stops for the LA Auto Show and this year was no different.

My son Paul under the Porsche marque.



As we walked in we were greeted by this. It speaks for itself.





Next up was one of the most anticipated cars of the show - the new Panamera GTS making its world debut.







Next we decided to check out the Honda exhibit. It was rumored that an Indy car was on display. In fact, it was.







This incredible CBR was also on display.



Finally we hit the main hall. Fist up was Audi. The world debut of the R8 GT Spyder was of particular note.

 

After Audi came the BMWs. The new M5 really stole the show.







Snapped a few of this B7 Alpina for H20.





This thing was just crazy.



Close to the BMW area sat this incredible Corvette Le Mans car.









My daughter Angela took a liking to the ZR1. Too orange for a ginger though.



Now, I have given the LFA its share of grief myself, but this car is just stunning. I even forgave it for being in Ferrari red!









Once again, I am not a huge Jaguar fan, but they had some really impressive new cars.







Land Rover's Evoque looks like a lot of fun.





This concept car was interesting.





As usual, Mercedes made a strong showing.

I have a soft spot for this car....



It's funny. Both the Audi R8 GT Spyder and the Mercedes SLS Roadster had their tops up and they refused to put them down.





Impressive. Can you imagine a better daily driver?



After nearly 4 hours at the show we were all ready to hit the road. But there was one more surprise in store us.











At least my son Paul still knew what team to root for.



Well, that's it from the LA Auto Show 2011. It was a great time.

A gallery of these pics - and more like them - can be found here: LA Auto Show 2011 - Downforce Media

Thanks for checking out my post. I always love to share my car experiences with the TEAM.

 

Outstanding pics, Dana! You really outdid yourself this time! The colors are so rich without being oversaturated and the cars look great.

That grey/red Morgan looks great!

 

Great photos Dana. The C6.R caught me off guard. I was floored. Best in show? The race cars of course!

 

Excellent pics! thanks for sharing your experience with those who could not make it!

 

Thanks guys!! It means a lot.

Forgot one.

 

Did you see my photo of me next to Vettel's car? Thumbs WAY down!

 

Excellent pics and a great read, gold star for you. THANKS!

 

Ha Ha! And there was no engine in it!?

 

Great shots Dana. The LFA looks good in red. Why didn't Audi put the top down on the R8GT? Any shots of the 991?