LOS ANGELES AUTO SHOW

Trains, boats, and planes. I’ll take cars over any of them. My love affair with automobiles dates back to the 1960s, when I was a kid. Dad’s work at the Boxwood Road General Motors plant, my uncles' passion for souped-up Mercurys and Fords, and my fascination with anything gently personalized - using fender skirts and a continental kit, stoked my love for rumbling motors with finely tuned exhausts. Cadillac fins, Lincoln suicide doors, the Corvette split window, and any classically styled Buick Riviera from the 1960s may be the reason I live with an irregular heartbeat to this day.

That was my life growing up on the east coast. Life in metropolitan Los Angeles in the 2000’s afforded me annual opportunities to see and experience some of the best production vehicles sold in the United States, at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Some years, it was held in January, but most of the time it’s held in late November, coinciding with the Thanksgiving holiday. Big crowds representing every demographic gather to feast their eyes on the gleaming new models and concept vehicles, fresh from designer studios worldwide.

The anticipation that comes with knowing all that shiny chrome and rubber will be assembled under one roof for two-weeks has always been one of the highlights of the year. The LA show, compared to others around the country, is a car lover’s dream. Only Detroit offers more new car unveilings than Los Angeles. Given the number of vehicles and special events related to the show, my regular routine – in preparation for the creation of an annual photo calendar, was to attend three times during the two-week exhibit. Typically, I would pay a premium to gain access to the show’s preview before the general public was admitted. Then, I would attend two more times to fine tune my photographic effort. Obviously, the more people in attendance, the less of an opportunity there was to achieve the perfect shot. So, I always arrived when the doors were being unlocked. Early.

The photo calendar I created each year for family and friends was something we all looked forward to. The calendars made excellent holiday gifts.

Since the exhibit is held at the LA Convention Center, media personnel are often in attendance. I’ll always remember my conversation with KTLA’s Gail Anderson. She is a certified car nut from New Jersey and as much fun in-person as she is on television. KCAL-9 news anchor, Chris Holstrom, was also super engaging, professional and fun when I met him. Neither interaction with the personalities resulted in a television appearance for me, but that was okay, I was there for the cars.

Each year, there was always some measure of excitement at the Porsche exhibit. The lighting they achieved in their display space was nothing short of spectacular. Sometimes stark and sometimes extremely bright using carefully placed dramatic white spotlights, the result was the creation of some of my best photos. The Porsche exhibit space was truly one of a kind.

Ford, Chevrolet, Subaru, and Toyota often featured exhibits which engaged their audiences in unique ways. Everything from virtual reality games to recorded television commercials have been offered. One year, I participated in the making of a Toyota Yaris commercial. I wasn’t nervous, I just wasn’t particularly good. I read the teleprompter too fast and moved my hands in a strange circular motion the video revealed. I was anxious about doing a respectable job. My focus was on completing the video within the 30-second time limit. In the end, it was mission accomplished, busy hands and all.

Life in the nation’s second largest city offers so much to do, especially if you love automobiles. I rank the Los Angeles Auto Show near the top of my must see/must do list.

Since relocating to Southern Arizona, I’ve discovered that we have an auto show in this region as well. The Phoenix event, located just two-hours to the northwest, is billed as the annual Arizona International Auto Show. Curiosity will drive me there in November, camera in hand.