Prancing ponies, polished chrome, highly-waxed sheet metal and salesmen galore – – – the Oregon International Auto Show had arrived at the Convention Center. The last Friday of January we toured the various exhibits, taking photos along the way. Not an easy task by the way. The lighting was horrendous for photography. There were spotlights mixed with natural light, and reflections galore. Thankfully I was shooting in Raw format, allowing for corrections in the white balance afterward.

As always, it was a fun event with a showing of new cars, some motorcycles and the latest “green” vehicles. Looking at many of the new cars (Volts, multiple versions of Prii, etc.), I couldn’t help but think about the old Charlie Tuna commercials – – – – I don’t want a tuna with good taste, I want a tuna that tastes good! Being an AMG owner, I’m interested in a driver’s car – – – performance, simplicity, great brakes, good visibility and excellent active accident-avoidance capability. These are also the top priorities of a motorcycle rider, which I was for 25 years. To my chagrin, many of the new cars were focused on electronic gadgetry, interconnectivity, slowness and passive accident-response capability. Nonetheless, there were a few highlights, including the AMG C63 and BMW GL 800. Now those are vehicles to die for, even if the GL is a motorcycle.

But, like most boys at heart, I couldn’t help but enjoy myself. The exotic toys and prototype vehicles brought a grin to the face. Here are some photos of the event.

Ferrari: the prancing pony says it all

My favorite model in a fun Mini Cooper

BMW GS: a bike fit for the Yukon Territory

“B” stands for Bentley and $300k+

As old friend Dennis would say, life doesn’t get much better than a ’55 Chev with 4 on the floor and a small block corvette engine

The only view of a C63 AMG out on the highway