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My First Time at the Chicago Auto Show

I knew I’d love the show, but I didn’t know to what extent. I have been to car shows and car meets in Minnesota, but the Chicago Auto Show is on a different level. From the floor plan to the overly modified cars, to the stunt-like driving terrains, to the breathtakingly gorgeous brand reps, the Chicago Auto Show amazed me.

To begin my first Chicago Auto Show experience, I visited the Audi floor. My mom has always driven Audi vehicles, so I have a special place in my heart for the brand. Although I loved the eggshell-white wrap and red interior of the R8 Spyder, my heart was stolen by the RS 5 Coupe and A7.

If you’ve met Adam from Morrie’s Heritage Car Connection, you would know that he’s partial toward Porsche. Having worked with him all summer, he rubbed off on me, so I first gushed over a yellow, 2020 718 Cayman GTS. The GTS makes 15hp and 8lb-ft of torque more than the Cayman S, it’s estimated to reach 60mph in 3.9s. Next, I observed a Porsche with a price tag about $20,000 more than the 718, the 2020 911 Carrera S.

The features of the 911 were a blend of classic and modern. The ignition is to the left of the wheel, there are 5 dials on the instrument panel, and it has a 3.0-liter flat-six as always. The difference, however, is the eight-speed PDK transmission. Many Porsche enthusiasts are critical and say the new 911 is too big, too heavy, and too luxurious, but that’s their opinion. Finally, my favorite car at the entire show was the Panamera GTS Sport Turismo. The best way to describe it is a sexy station wagon. I need it.

Next, I stopped at the Maserati floor. Maserati is fairly risk-averse with their updates. Yet, their 2020 paint colors were quite bold for their brand. I fell in love with the Blue Nubile paint on the Quattroporte S they were showing.

Some other cars that caught my eye were the 2020 Shelby GT500, a Smurf blue Lotus Elise, and a 2019 LPE Eliminator Series Corvette Z06. This Corvette runs on 93 octane pump gas and makes 1000hp and 866Ib-ft of torque – wowza! My mind was blown by an exposed carbon fiber Acura NSX GT3. It weighs 1,240kg and has a 3.5-liter, twin-turbo engine, allowing it a top speed of 198mph. Awesome, yes, but the price is horrifying – you’re looking at $543,000 if you want one sitting in your garage.

Slightly less impressive, but safer and less expensive, is the 2019 Subaru STI S209. This special edition STI makes 341hp and allows for a max boost of 19psi. This is the only STI S209 to have made it to the U.S. from Japan thus far, but rumor has it there are plans to send about 200 to the States. I’ll take one, please and thank you!

I made sure to snap a few pictures for the truck lovers out there as well. The wrap on this Nissan Titan was unlike anything I’d seen before. The red to blue fade gave it a Captain America vibe. The army green Dodge Ram stole the Titan’s thunder, however. It was the biggest truck I’ve ever seen – observe the man to its right for comparison. The tires came up to my rib cage, and the tent in the truck bed would fit a California king-sized air mattress. Lastly, there was a Silverado made of 334,545 Legos. It took 2,000 hours to build!

My trip concluded with a car ride back to the Twin Cities in a Mercedez-Benz GLC from Mercedez-Benz of St. Paul. Although it was long, I’d take a luxury SUV, oldies music and fruit snacks over a bumpy and delayed plane ride any day!

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