car shows

the stingray concept car

for the last several years (we think it's been about 5 and counting), my dad and i have gone to the dallas auto show every spring. it has become sort-of a father-daughter tradition for us, a "standing date" in our calendars. and since we started going, we've been every year despite crazy schedules. last year we made it even though i was living in ohio. this year we went the day after dad had been out of the country for two weeks. luckily, he got back just in time for us to go on the last day so we could enjoy all the beauty, ingenuity, and fun that is the dallas auto show. our usual trip lasts several hours, anywhere from 3 - 5, depending on how much time we are willing to spend comparing models (to other models and to the previous year) and how long we are willing to look on fondly at the cars that are outside our price range (read: aston martin, maserati, bugatti, etc) before we ultimately agree that, while nice, we could never justify spending that much money on a vehicle.

we enjoy trash-talking some brands and certain cars, and exploring every switch, button and gizmo added to others. there are always a few surprises and this year it was the hyundai equus -- the nicest car we were allowed to sit in and, quite possibly, one of the nicest cars at the show. it has a reclining, massaging, heated and cooled *back* seat, and some models come with a mini fridge, too. absolutely crazy. we also got to see the famed bugatti veyron, which boasts a 16 - cylinder engine, 1001 horsepower and has a top speed around 250 mph. it's price tag is somewhere around $2.5 million. we did *not* get to sit in that car...

other cars of note: the stretched out sienna van (it was no longer "mini") known as the SWS, that's "swagger wagon supreme." don't believe me? see it here. and we also took note of the nissan murano cross cabriolet.

and after crawling in and out of dozens of cars and scrutinizing every price, detail and design flaw on numerous models, it was all over again for another year. and now the only question is...does noah get to go with us next year? :)

dallas auto show 2011