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Minne Auto Show Report - GTR, R8
I went to the Minneapolis Car Show today. It was mostly uninspiring - a few vintage cars - a few prototypes.
There were two nice cars to see in person - the R8 and the Nissan GT-R.
GT-R
The GT-R was a right-hand drive one - interesting that they couldn't get a left-hand drive one for the show. It was up on a platform with velvet ropes so we couldn't get too close to it.
The car was not 'ugly' as I thought it might be. The best way I can describe the physical appearance is uninspiring. It has a couple of unusual lumps as it flows from the hood back to the side doors but the overall impression is a wedge that starts fairly narrow at the front and builds up to a tall tail end.
The tires look meaty on it. Honestly it looks like it's ten years out of style - very linear and almost boxy.
It was also interesting that most of the average consumers who were looking at it had no idea what it was. Their reaction uncontaminated by the hype was interesting - they shrugged and walked off.
R8
The R8 was also interesting to see in real life. First - I am not a fan of the side blade. I haven't liked the two-tone thing on the Veyron and I don't like it here. It feels like they put the edges of the metal right there to create that side blade - I feel it breaks up the flow of what would otherwise be a nice line. The Cayman carries the line from the side all the way to the door. I like that better.
The general impression of the R8 was that it's a low car. It's total length is 2" longer than our Cayman but you get the impression that it's a shorter car. That's probably because it's about 4" wider.
The interior of it is pure Audi. I believe that the nicest interiors in the market belong to Audi and they brought that to the R8.
The audience appreciation for the R8 was much greater than for the GT-R. One wife said to her husband, disapprovingly - 'It's too expensive'. She could tell that there was real risk to her nest egg from this one.
Porsche
The Porsches were at the far end of the large hall. It was a reasonable display and you could see the 'I have always wanted a Porsche' at play. People were having their pictures taken in the nice cars (also at other displays too of course).
They had an orange Boxter and a macadamia brown Cayman. That's a color you have to see live to really appreciate it. Brown can be dull - this is quite lively in metallic. I don't want it for myself - but I do understand it better now.
Summary
This year's auto show had a couple of highlights but was mostly just a trip to the automall.
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Completed: Softronic ECU; Quaife LSD; TPC Swaybars; Bilstein PSS9s; Das Schild; Aluminum Gas Cap; Softronic Plenum; RemoteKEY; Capristo Exhaust;
In Process: Clear Engine Cover; Bumper Plugs Painted Bits for the Inside
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