L.A. Auto Show - Part II

Onto Part II of the L.A. Auto Show! This section will cover some more concept cars, as well as some of the most highly anticipated vehicles of the year.  And later, a bit of the Aftermarket Alley.  Let's get to it!

I've been following the Toyota FT-86 for awhile, ever since I first heard of it from Speedhunters earlier in the year.  Toyota & Subaru joined forces to create it, and this is the end result. 

Subaru's version is called the BRZ, which sports an optional STi package.  When the car becomes available in May of next year that package will be called BRZ instead, hence the name of the car itself. It will have a rear wheel drive system rather than the expected all wheel drive.

For some reason Toyota decided to badge the FT-86 in the states under Scion, calling it the FR-S.  This form of the FT-86 will also be rear wheel drive like its counterpart.  The price between the two will likely be about the same, but which one would you choose?

Over at Jaguar I found the C-X16 Concept, which is another car that's constantly being talked about.  The design was done by the renowned Ian Callum who's also known for his work for Aston Martin.  When I look at this car I see an Aston in Jaguar clothing.  But in itself, the C-X16 is very well done.

Remember I said in Part I that there would be some yellow cars?  Land Rover's Defender concept wears it well. You'll be seeing another one in the Aftermarket Alley further down the page.

The Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster was absolutely gorgeous.  You'll notice right away the roadster doesn't have gull wing doors like the coupe, which was done as a tribute to the original 300SL, but it's still just as striking.

A new addition to the Black Series family, the C63 AMG.  I have to hand it to Mercedes, their in-house tuning establishment really knows how to get the most out their cars, the Black Series is a testament to that.

Cadillac has been working on the Ciel concept for awhile, but under tight wraps.  I had never even heard of it until only a month or two ago.  As of right now, it's purely a concept with no plans for production but the company's truly hit the mark.  They've managed to create something modern that still carries some of that old school swagger.

Seems the hot thing right now is take your most prized production or concept car and chop the top off. This is Audi's e-tron Spyder, the first convertible of the e-tron family, which are all new-age electric/hybrid cars.

Kia's been trying to reinvent itself as a more reliable and innovative brand, the GT takes it one step further.  While I give them points for trying, I can't help but look at this car and see borrowed ideas.  The sculpting on the front end seem to be from Aston Martin's One-77 and the sweeping body line seems to be from Lamborghini's Estoque concept.  I'd like to see where Kia goes with this. 

No car at L.A. was more talked about than the 2013 Shelbly GT500.  As the most powerful production Mustang ever built, the new snake badged pony car is bigger and badder than its ever been before.

See what I mean? I swear that front end looks meaner and meaner every year.  

Luckily the iconic cobra badge has stayed the same.

Now the Aftermarket Alley. I regret the fact I didn't have enough time to really look at everything but what I did see was enough to satisfy me. I wasn't expecting to find a Vanquish down there, these Astons are pretty rare now.  This one was customized in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Child Safety Network.  It was covered in signatures, which was pretty cool.

This SLR McLaren was another pleasant surprise.  If I remember correctly the SLR is still one of the fastest road going cars out there, despite being a bit outdated these days.

Last yellow car, the lovely 458 Italia.  It's been awhile since Ferrari has made a car that this aesthetically pleasing.  The 458 is the replacement for the F430, so if anyone bought that before this came out, I suggest you trade it in! 

I'll finish off with this white and silver Bugatti Veyron.  I already felt very fortunate for the opportunity to see my first one at the Petersen last month, but the fact I've seen two in such a short span of time is too wild!

That's it for the L.A. Auto Show, stay tuned for the S.F. Auto Show over the weekend!