Valentine’s Day didn’t work out? A second chance at romance awaits you at the 98th Annual Chicago Auto Show. After scoping out almost 1,000 sparkling new cars spread out over 1.2 million square feet – ranging from innovative hybrids to bank-account-on-wheels Ferraris – true love is inevitable.
Enthusiasts pack into McCormick Place, Lake Shore Dr. and 23rd St., each on a respective mission: buy a car, fantasize about one or strategize how to tear an awestruck spouse away from one. Tracy Mauldin, 33, traveled from Kenosha, Wis., with her husband, but is not sure she will return with him.
“He would have spent forever at (the Dodge Challenger concept car) display,” she says of the revamped 1970 Dodge classic. “But I love it too; it has the best style.”
Walk into the venue and sensory overload sets in. Neon electric barriers separate makes; and most are equipped with massive video screens that blast commercials. Announcers on revolving platforms, often clad in head-to-toe leather, highlight features for bystanders like Chris Singer, 22, of Westchester, Ill., who sat in a red Audi RS4.
“I know that is the right car for me,” he says while a friend snaps his picture.
Expensive and fast characterize the cars with the biggest crowds. From the attention the Maserati MC12 received – with a V12 engine, 630 horsepower and a 0-to-62 mph time of 3.8 seconds – “you would have thought (the crowd) was the paparazzi stalking Britney Spears,” says SESP sophomore Sara Freedman. “I think she would have been a disappointment to these fans, though.”
A special-edition Mercedes-Benz R-Class, with an exterior designed and autographed by the Rolling Stones, is also on display and will be auctioned off in April to benefit Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
For a break from cars, booths offering snacks, Starbucks coffee and beer are stationed nearby, and multiple interactive activities regularly occur. A performance by Hawthorne Heights is scheduled for Feb. 16 at 8 p.m. and appearances from Laguna Beach cast members Alex M. and Jason are planned for Saturday afternoon.
The show runs daily through Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and closes Feb. 19 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased online or at the door. Visit www.chicagoautoshow.com for more information.
– Deena Bustillo
