A couple of weeks ago, Connie and I made our annual trek to the Houston Auto Show. Normally we go on our own, giving us plenty of time to thoroughly investigate the particular cars that interest us, time for us to talk to company/dealer reps and time for me to photograph cars of interest as well as those I don't see every day. This year, however, we went with a group (never again), with which we spent half our time either accounting for everyone or looking at cars that - for me - personified boredom. So the pics below are - quite literally - snapshots taken "on the run." As I mention every year, white balance is a &^%$(*.

Jer


2017 Porsche 911 Carrera: this car sports the upcoming 3-liter, turbocharged flat six that makes 370 HP; the S version will produce 420 HP, and both engines have considerably more low-end torque than the current cars. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on these guys as time goes on.




A Lambo Aventador and Huracan Spyder:






BMW i8:








The new BMW M2; lots of folks are looking forward to this latest M car, which is powered by a 365 HP version of the terrific N55 3.0-liter straight six that I enjoyed so much in my 135i before trading it for my current M4 coupe. Definitely a 2 + 2 and notably smaller than the M4, the M2 should be balanced and agile, although I was surprised to see on BMW's European website that at 1595 kg (with DCT) or a little over 3500 lb, the M2 is only about 70 lb lighter than an M4.

[/URL]


My wife shamelessly flirting with a young BMW rep:




2017 Audi TTS; to my eye, with the exception of a couple of Porsche's models, Audi is producing the most elegant, cleanly styled cars on the planet, and that crisp minimalist look shows up nicely in the TTS:




The antithesis of minimalist is the new generation Camaro - lots of humps, bumps, creases and scoops to take to the fight with the Ford Mustang. Back in the day, I owned both Mustangs and Camaros over the years, but I've no longer got a dog in this fight - so may the best pony car win!!




A C-7 Corvette with the full boy-racer regalia:

[/URL]

[wtlwdwgn]

Thanks for sharing your shots of the show!

[SpecialK]

Aventador! I'm a sucker for Lambos.

[LeDave]

911

[volley]

That's a great collection, Jer!
And if I could pick one (a very theoretical option, I know) I'd take the 911!

[Tom Gotzy]

Definitely some sweet rides!
Nice shots there, Jer... have you ever been to the Philadelphia car show?

[eaglem]

Agree with Tom, some very nice rides in this series.

[dick897]

If these were as you say snapshots, I can only imagine what you would produce given the time to work out your angles and perspectives.
Cracking set. We don't get shows like that over here so I'm green with envy
That BMW I8 is savage.

Derek

[monochrome]

As usual Jer I love all your shots. I have to confess if I had a spare Buck and a Quarter to drop on a car right now it would be a Z06, Corvette Racing yellow with black hood inset. I don't need all that racer-boy carbon graphite HooHaw or the Z07 kit or the (rumored) Z-51.

If money was meaningless, Aston-Martin DB-7.

Real Life? Last of the front engine Vette's? Ya, gotta do it.

[Sailor]

Thanks for sharing your shots of the show!

Hey Steve - thanks for looking.

Jer

Aventador! I'm a sucker for Lambos.

It's no wonder, Kyle - Lambos are bigger than life!

Jer

911

I agree . . . . . I think.

Jer

That's a great collection, Jer!
And if I could pick one (a very theoretical option, I know) I'd take the 911!

Me too, buddy!

Jer

Definitely some sweet rides!
Nice shots there, Jer... have you ever been to the Philadelphia car show?

Thanks much Tom. You know, I've damn near been everywhere else in this country, including Pittsburg, State College and - of course - Gettysburg, but I've never been to Philadelphia. My loss; maybe I'll find myself there one of these days.

Jer

Agree with Tom, some very nice rides in this series.

I'm glad you like 'em, EM.

Jer

If these were as you say snapshots, I can only imagine what you would produce given the time to work out your angles and perspectives.
Cracking set. We don't get shows like that over here so I'm green with envy
That BMW I8 is savage.

Derek

I really appreciate the kind words, Derek. And - yeah - the i8 is one cool tool. I've sat in one, but that's all - I'd sure like to take one for a spin.

Jer

As usual Jer I love all your shots. I have to confess if I had a spare Buck and a Quarter to drop on a car right now it would be a Z06, Corvette Racing yellow with black hood inset. I don't need all that racer-boy carbon graphite HooHaw or the Z07 kit or the (rumored) Z-51.

If money was meaningless, Aston-Martin DB-7.

Real Life? Last of the front engine Vette's? Ya, gotta do it.

Thank you! Here's one for you - not yellow I'm afraid and a little over decorated, but the best I can do.

Jer

[wtlwdwgn]

Hey Jer, there's a good looking 2006 911 Cabriolet in Guards Red up here for $45K and no sales tax in MT.

[8540tomg]

As ever great car shots Jer.

I'm still a sucker for Italian automotive designs from Bertone on down. The Lamborghini is one awesome looking car.

I'd love to go for a ride in that one although at my age I'd probably need help getting in and out.

Tom G

[Sailor]

Hey Jer, there's a good looking 2006 911 Cabriolet in Guards Red up here for $45K and no sales tax in MT.

Sounds great, Steve. My problem (if I should even call it that) is that after three years of ownership, I still love my 2013 Boxster S, which has only 9200 miles on the clock. The chassis dynamics of this mid-engine car are sublime, and I adore the combination of the 3.4-l flat six with Porsche's excellent 6-spd manual tranny.

A 911 is on my radar screen for sure, but right now I just want to get my BMW M4 back from the body shop - I'm amazed what it takes in this age of clear coat to fix 6 or 7 square inches of scratches!!

Jer

As ever great car shots Jer.

I'm still a sucker for Italian automotive designs from Bertone on down. The Lamborghini is one awesome looking car.

I'd love to go for a ride in that one although at my age I'd probably need help getting in and out.

Tom G

Thanks Tom. Lambos are truly striking automobiles - over the top in a good way. I can testify that ingress and egress is challenging for "mature" passengers. Three years ago, I rode shotgun with a race driver in a Gallardo - a Christmas gift from my younger daughter (the ride, not the car). Amazing - Super cars aren't called "super" for nothing. However, after my ride, I told my wife that we might have to buy the car, because I was uncertain whether I could actually climb out of thing!

A shot from that day with the Gallardo: