The 1968 Ford Mustang from Bullitt
As a rule, the Los Angeles Auto Show always features a few classic cars tucked in among the new models on display – not surprising given that this is a region with a strong car culture and a respect for automotive history. What a pleasure it was to see, on arriving at the Ford stand, one of the 1968 Ford Mustangs used in the filming of the movie Bullitt! This particular car officially resurfaced last January when the new Mustang Bullitt edition was introduced; in the film it was used mainly for the chase scenes between the Steve McQueen’s Mustang and the Dodge Charger.
After having seen the model in person, I can tell you that I’ll be sitting down to watch the movie again at the first opportunity – for the umpteenth time!
NASCAR champ
Just a week prior to the opening of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Joey Logano of the Roger Penske team won his first driver’s championship in the NASCAR Monster Energy series. For fans, it’s a fantastic opportunity to admire the car up close.
The Jeep Gladiator
Impossible not to give another mention to what is arguably the star attraction of the show, the Jeep Gladiator. I took this photo on the second of the two media days of the event, a day on which the hordes of journalists and photographers have thinned considerably, and there are no more splashy media presentations. Finally, a chance to get a good shot or two of the pickup unobscured by people crowding around to get a look…
A Dodge Challenger made for Saint Nick
Last month Dodge unveiled a completely nuts one-off version of the Challenger Red Eye… reinterpreted as a sled for Santa. Now, how jarring it was to come in from the sunny and warm southern California weather and come face to face with a 797-hp demon able to fly over snowy surfaces. It also serves as a reminder that car shows are also an excuse for manufacturers to show off their expertise and, hopefully, get talked about.
A Chrysler Pacifica mini-minivan
Chrysler’s Pacifica minivan has won numerous awards for the manufacturer since its introduction on the market. A light-hearted way for Chrysler to underline this fact was this miniature version towing a display case full of the awards it’s taken home. See my point above about getting talked about. It would have simpler to just have the display case attached to a full-sized actual Pacifica, but what would have been the fun of that?
