[SlideDeck2 id=24127]
By David DiLoreto
One car, two car, red car, blue car. Black bike, blue bike, old bike, new bike.
There’s a real life place where this isn’t just a Dr. Seuss rhyme. This wonderful land of two, four - maybe even three-wheeled growling machines isn’t just a fantasy. The world of humming, grumbling, howling, screaming, purring teen-boy fantasy comes to life in this magical wonderland.
And this place is right here in Portland.
This is the second year I managed to get to the Portland International Auto Show, and I have again reminded myself to never ever miss a big car show no matter where I am.
All you can see is cars. Cars are everywhere. Big cars and little cars and even some cars that could pass off as Dr. Suess cars, but I just didn’t care. Everything was perfect in this mini car world. A Fisker sat next to a McLaren, which sat next to a Ferrari, which was perched next to a Jaguar. I couldn’t decide where I wanted to go next.
I figured I should maybe calm myself down a little bit before I began to look like a 4-year-old that was just given free reign over the cookie jar. I skimmed past the Hondas and Jeeps only to be a little disappointed. The new Ford Mustangs perked me up, but as soon as I saw what had happened to that once gorgeous rear-end I knew they had done something wrong.
As I moved on, I almost made quite the scene when I saw the new Dodge Viper. It was a mean, lean, fighting machine, and I certainly did not dare mess with it. But the show had much more in store for me than I knew.
As I wandered around, I had no idea what I was about to walk into. But there, on the other side of the room, sat two of the most stimulating cars ever made: The Bugatti Veyron and the Aston-Martin Vanquish.
Pure speed sitting right next to pure beauty froze me into place. I drooled over the two amazing machines that sat only feet from my fingertips. The only thing that dragged me away was the thought of Porsches, BMWs, Maseratis and Ferraris waiting to show off their own dazzling features.
My heart stopped a least a dozen more times. Maseratis glared into my eyes until I shivered. The BMW i8 shocked me with its electric feel. The Lotus Evora proved it was the happiest car in the world with its lovely smile. The Ferraris blew the show away with their radiation of speed and pure engineering mastery.
Suddenly, I was out of new cars to look at. What had I done? Why had I only spent four hours looking at all of these fresh beauties? What do I do?
My best answer: I’ll just have to come back next year.
