MUSCLE CARS RETRO STYLES APPEAL TO BABY BOOMERS.Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer On opening day of the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Auto Show An auto show, or motor show, is a public exhibition of current automobile models, debuts, concept cars, or out-of-production classics. It is commonly attended by automobile manufacturers. Most auto shows occur once or twice a year. , 1,000 sparkling vehicles lured passers-by with cutting-edge hybrid engines, swank Italian designs and creature comforts for the entire family. But what got the most attention were high-performance cars that tipped their hat to Corvettes, Camaros and Challengers from the 1960s and '70s. Across the cavernous exhibit halls, mostly male crowds flocked to spinning car displays where buxom babes rattled off statistics about engines. ``It's all the old muscle cars that they are bringing back,'' said Lee Ostrander, 45, of Orange County as he eyed a blistering orange Corvette corvette, small warship, classed between a frigate and a sloop-of-war. Corvettes usually were flush-decked and carried fewer than 28 guns. They were widely employed in escorting convoys and attacking merchant ships during the great naval wars of the late 18th and Z06. ``Maybe the baby boomers See generation X. are getting their midlife mid·life n. See middle age. adj. Of, relating to, or characteristic of middle age. crises.'' Or maybe boomers can finally afford the dream cars of their youth. Many, who are roughly between 42 and 60, have incomes that now leave plenty of room for toys. Nearby, a steady flow of people were getting their picture taken inside a cherry red 2007 Corvette convertible. Another crowd gathered around a sizzling siz·zle intr.v. siz·zled, siz·zling, siz·zles 1. To make the hissing sound characteristic of frying fat. 2. To seethe with anger or indignation. 3. silver Camero concept car. Tim Watson Timothy Michael Watson (born July 13 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer with the Essendon Football Club, a coach of the St Kilda Football Club, and now a media personality. He was the second youngest player ever to play in the VFL/AFL competition. plans to buy the Camaro when it hits the road in 2009. The car packs 400 horsepower and has a six-speed manual transmission. ``It's like an older style, it's retro,'' he said. ``They're very hard to come by. A lot of people build them from scratch. Why build it when you can buy it?'' But not everybody was at the show to ogle o·gle v. o·gled, o·gling, o·gles v.tr. 1. To stare at. 2. To stare at impertinently, flirtatiously, or amorously. v.intr. brawny brawn·y adj. 1. Strong and muscular. 2. Hardened; calloused. autos. Josh Miles, 27, was inspecting the interior of the Acura RDX, a small SUV, with his wife, Lauren, as two of their children tumbled around the back seat. ``It's nice to come to these things and not have the salespeople all over you,'' he said. ``You can just enjoy the car.'' More than 1 million people are expected to attend the 10-day show at the Los Angeles Convention Center The Los Angeles Convention Center (abbreviated LACC) is a convention center in downtown Los Angeles. The LACC hosts annual events such as the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, and was best known to video games fans as host to E3 until its cessation in 2006. , four blocks from where the first show was held 100 years ago. Back then, exhibitors covered the floor of Morley's Skating Rink on Grand Avenue with canvas and displayed 99 cars, a fair chunk of the 3,500 cars that existed in L.A. at the time. On display was the rugged Christman, designed for off-roading, two electric cars and the Durocar, which boasted an easy-to-use crank so women could start the car without a man's help. A century later the show is much more varied. ``There are vehicles for every type of lifestyle and need,'' auto show spokesman Barry Toepke said minutes before doors opened to the public. ``The advances, technology, the design are much more cutting edge and forward thinking.'' One automaker pushed the envelope by drawing potential buyers in with a shot at a free car. Chrysler partnered with Callaway Golf to offer players three chances to hit a golf ball on a simulated fairway. Landing the ball within 10 feet of the hole earned you a free pair of socks or a visor. A hole-in-one took home a new set of Callaway clubs and a second hole-in-one means a new car. By Friday afternoon they had already given out a half-dozen visors and socks, but no clubs. ``It'll happen,'' said Matt Anderson, who was registering duffers. ``It happens at almost every show.'' julia.scott(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 L.A. Auto Show When: Today - Dec. 10 Where: Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St. Hours: Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Sundays, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. Admission: Adults - $10; children - 12 and under free; seniors (65 and older) - $7 on weekdays. CAPTION(S): 3 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Los Angeles Auto Show opening-day crowds look at a Chevrolet Camaro preproduction pre·pro·duc·tion adj. 1. Taking place or existing before production: preproduction planning. 2. car -- equipped with a 400-horsepower engine and six-speed manual transmission -- at the L.A. Convention Center on Friday. (2 -- color) A Chevrolet Corvette convertible Z06, with a 505-horsepower, 7.0-liter engine, shines Friday on the opening day of the Los Angeles Auto Show at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The show runs through Dec. 10. (3) Visitors to the Los Angeles Auto Show view cars on display on the opening day of the event. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer Box: L.A. Auto Show (see text) |
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