By Dean Sprague
Club member Erik Jordan one of our devout Morgan lovers just replaced his older BMW Mini with a brand new 2019 Mini Cooper S. Of course, he kept his Morgan plus 8. He let me sit behind the wheel of his new Mini. I was just enjoying all the newness when something came over me. It was the smell, the smell of a brand new car. There is something magical about it. Suddenly I was transformed back to the 60’s attending the annual international auto show somewhere. It was usually in September or October and it was there we saw the very first viewing of a manufacturer’s new auto product line. It was the latest and greatest in new innovations, technologies and body styles. Remember when new cars looked different every year? Well most domestic cars did anyway. The European offerings focused more on improvements while style changes occurred every 2-3 years or so but when they did the change was usually quite dramatic.
The manufacturers had “teaser” campaigns on billboards and magazines prior to the shows. Cars were cloaked in secrecy, draped in cloth or sometimes only showing brief snippets until finally the weekend came for the auto show. Everyone planned on attending whether they were looking for a new car or not. It was a major thing. There was food; beautiful models standing on turnstiles describing the cars combined with lots of give a ways and drawings for something. It was much more than just a car show it was an event. You brought your girlfriend or if married your family and made it a night out. It was an opportunity to sit in, admire and collect information (brochures) about every offering in the marketplace. This was a wonderful time for the automotive industry and buyers alike. The fins on the 50s were gone replaced with crisper cleaner lines and the glory days of the muscle car were just emerging. It seemed every manufacturer had their loyal following. For example, my grandfather was always a Pontiac man so my mother followed in his footsteps. Her first new car was a Pontiac Lemans (GTO) convertible. My grandpa told me that Pontiac was the only car he would buy sight unseen because they never built an ugly car. Ford, Chrysler and General Motors also served America well by offering affordable reliable transportation in addition to their special hi-end and performance models.
I have always leaned toward the more progressive designs. I still remember seeing my first Jaguar E-type sitting up on the podium. A design so advanced from anything I had ever seen before there simply wasn’t a comparison or peer. It immediately became my first dream car.
A couple of auto shows later Chevrolet broke the mold with the arrival of the Corvette Stingray split window coupe another milestone car. Its design was the antithesis of the Jaguar the lines weren’t lean and sexy they were sharp and aggressive but both were really beautiful. This became another bucket list car for yours truly. Then as luck would have it about the same time Studebaker threw their hat in the ring with the new Avanti, which became another car I immediately always wanted.
This was the same period Ford was running a tease campaign for their new offering touted as Americas’ first affordable $2450 family sports car. However, its timing was unfortunate for me since their joint project with Carroll Shelby the AC Cobra debuted at the same time. I saw the Cobra first, remembered the term affordable and immediately put 2 and 2 together and came up with 3. I could do $2450 if I gave up additional options, eating and other stuff but when I saw the new Mustang (their affordable offering) it was a bit underwhelming when compared to the Cobra. However, the Mustang was on target for the American market and became the car that helped save Ford. I have since owned several Mustang GTs and found them to be great performance car values and a lot of fun to drive. Of course, the Mustang isn’t a Cobra. I had a friend with a real 427 Cobra back in the 60s. While out of my price range (way out) he let me drive it once, WOW-so not a mustang or like anything I had ever driven really!
The British and European offerings were not as popular over here but they were always at the larger urban auto shows. Since my family usually had a British car when I was growing up I developed a lifelong passion for them. I still remember the Miami International Auto Show I attended just before I went into the Navy. I currently had a TR4a and had previously owned several other Triumphs. I couldn’t wait to see the British Leyland exhibit because they were to debut of the all-new Triumph TR6. When I saw it and then sat in it I wanted to take it home on the spot. Of course, the timing was terrible. I couldn’t use it nor afford it while I was in the Navy. So the dream went on hold until my military days were over.
We still have International Auto Shows and the new cars are on display and pretty girls still stand next to them with microphones in their hands telling us all about the wonderful innovations and features but somehow it’s just not the same. Today the new cars, SUVs and trucks tend to look very similar to each other and their respective predecessors with a few exceptions. Vehicles that are truly unique are usually prohibitively expensive. The features for an average new car are also very similar. They all do about the same things and very well but short on individuality.
However, on a positive note the “new” car smell is still there and the stuff today is much more technically advanced, capable, safer and of higher quality. Somehow while creating all this progress we lost a little of the magic however. Maybe it’s because new model releases kept coming out earlier and earlier until they were here almost a year ahead of their birthdate. I guess this is to get a jump on the market. I also think the new information age deluges us with data and spy photos long before a vehicle can even get into production. There are few surprises and unveilings. The auto shows today seem have very limited if any factory representation anymore. We seem to just have the dealers bringing their cars from their lots to the convention centers.
I actually skipped the last couple of Charlotte International Auto Shows because I wasn’t looking for a new car and frankly why go otherwise… On second thought the new car smell is still there and it is a good way to look at all the new offerings in one place plus they generally have antique and exotic cars on display so we could pine over them. Hum, if I went with a couple of car buddies, we ate a pizza and had a beer or two it might not be too bad. OK, maybe next year, anyone want to go?