Supercars to the rescue at Chicago Auto Show
Since we're living in a fantasy land of $2.30-a-gallon gas prices, why not indulge your inner Warren Buffett at the Chicago Auto Show this month?
Go ahead, kick the tires on the new Ford GT because, really, $200,000 or so isn't that much for 600 horsepower.
Or compare the Porsche 918 Spyder with Lamborghini's Huracan. The Huracan's a steal at $237,250 while the Spyder is $845,000 — but it's a hybrid, so you'll save on gas.
“It's the biggest assemblage of supercars in the show's history,” Chicago Auto Show Chairman John Webb said. The annual event vrooms into McCormick Place Saturday and runs through Feb. 22.
You can't afford a supercar? No worries. There's enough free hyperbole circulating to make the most budget-conscious consumer feel like a big spender.
How about the sexy, sporty, roomy, iconic 2016 Toyota Corolla with “more driving excitement?”
Or the sleek, sophisticated Mazda CX-3 that creates “a comforting sense of snugness and openness.”
Even minivans such as the economical Kia Sedona featuring a “muscular cab-forward design with smooth features” sound hip.
“If you're in the buying mode, you can see every car you're interested in with no pressure, no pushy salesman ... in a climate-controlled 70 degrees,” said Webb, the owner of Packey Webb Ford in Downers Grove.
His must-see car is the Ford GT. “It's radical,” he said. “The cool thing is how Ford developed it under wraps for 16 months and no one heard about it.”
But Webb's also excited about the 2016 Bugatti Veyron 16.4, billed as a “super sports car that generates a whopping 1,001 horsepower.” The Veyron's 8-liter, W16-cylinder engine has a “scorching” performance and a scorching price — $2 million.
Don Hillebrand, an engineering Ph.D. and self-confessed car fanatic, thinks the emphasis on gas-guzzling supercars shows the strong position auto manufacturers occupy now compared to the no-frills shows of the recession.
“It's a good thing for society ... maybe not a good thing for the environment but it certainly says something about optimism,” said Hillebrand, director of Argonne National Laboratory's Center for Transportation Research in Darien.
Manufacturers “are making a lot of money now and a lot of people need cars,” he said, adding that there's pent-up demand since frugal consumers have been holding onto their cars longer.
Hillebrand's can't-miss picks include the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, the Ford GT and the electric hybrid Chevrolet Volt, with a newly extended range.
The 2016 Volt's extended range allows it to run for 50 miles instead of 38 miles before a conventional gas engine kicks in. But with gas around $50 a barrel and EPA regulations requiring the new cars to reach 54.5 mpg on average by 2025, “cars that are fuel-efficient will give the electrics a run for their money,” Hillebrand said.
One more thing
Outdoors, auto show visitors can test-drive selected Chevrolet/GMC, Ford, Kia, Scion, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen vehicles.
Indoors, there's Jeep's vertically challenging obstacle course, a Toyota test track with a frozen treat at the finish, a Buick latte art exhibit (don't ask me), race driving simulators, a Hyundai zombie survival photo booth and — wait there's more — beanie and comic book giveaways from Jaguar and Chevrolet, respectively.
What car do you want to see at the auto show? Drop me an email at mpyke@dailyherald.com today and you could win two tickets.
Your voice
Butch Ehrke of Elk Grove Village responded to a column on winter cyclists, noting “bike enthusiasts need to be aware that the reflective clothing is great when light hits the reflective strips, however, light colors would also be something to consider.”
“One thing that I take note of when sharing the roads with bicyclists is that they seem to forget the rules of the road. One incident that stands out was when I was a passenger in a vehicle and we had passed a group of bicyclists before a four-way, stop-signed intersection. After stopping and allowing other traffic through the intersection, with turn signal on and as the driver started to make the right-hand turn, we had to stop abruptly to allow the bicyclists who were passing our vehicle on the right without stopping to go through the intersection.”
Chicago Auto Show 411
• The show runs 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday through Feb. 21 and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 22.
• Admission is $12, $6 for seniors 62 and older, $6 for children ages 7 to 12 and free for children 6 and under. For info on discount days, go to <a href="http://www.chicagoautoshow.com/about-the-show/">www.chicagoautoshow.com/about-the-show/</a>.
• The show is at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago.