Bernie's Car Show Coverage: 2018 New York Auto Show

On March 28th and 29th, I had the pleasure of returning home for the 2018 New York Auto Show. Held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Midtown, this show is never one to miss (aside from New York, the other two auto shows are the North American Auto Show (Detroit) and Los Angeles. All the other cities, no offense, are considered middle and bottom tier to those three). With unveilings from Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Cadillac, Acura, Jaguar, Porsche, Range Rover-- well everyone, there was plenty of ground to cover and plenty of eye candy to capture.

Even though I’m from New York, this was my sixth year going to the New York Auto Show and I absolutely love it. I get a rush of excitement seeing what’s new in the automotive world, as well as some looking at some custom cars within the Tri-State area. I had an excellent time at the show this year, although BMW broke my heart by not bringing the X6M. I don't ask for much...

... but instead BMW unveiled their i8 roadster and much like the coupe, I had a hard time getting in and out of that car.

Mercedes-Benz had a couple of unveilings, however, I was too busy enjoying interior of the Maybach. I've said it time and time again, those seats are uber comfortable. The Maybach is roomy on the inside but it's a big sedan- 215 inches long (a mere 14 inches shorter than my Dodge Charger)

The interior to this G63 AMG was pretty plush as well. With G Wagons, in general, I feel like I have to slam the doors for them to close all the way, which is why I'm not a fan of them.

I loved this Mercedes C63S AMG. You can never go wrong with a matte black vehicle, black interior and black wheels.

Next door to Mercedes was Lexus (side note- their carpet was ultra soft. Felt like I was walking on a cloud) One of their vehicles on display was the LC500 in this GORGEOUS Structural Blue.

I'm grateful for Ford for allowing me to relive my childhood. They brought Legos!!!

Aside from the Legos, Ford also brought the GT and the Ford Mustang Bullitt- which celebrates the classic Steve McQueen movie Bullitt. The new and improved Bullitt has 480 horsepower and it costs about $48,000.

Acura brought delicious cookies. They also brought their entire lineup, including the newly remodeled RDX.

Porsche brought food as well, and they unveiled their new GT3RS with the Weissach package.

Year after year, I can always count on Toyota to pay tribute to the most winningest team in North American Sports.

... and they also wrapped a vehicle to honor the second best baseball team in New York. That comment was a little shady.

Chevrolet showed off their 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels Camaro...

As well as a $120,000 Chevy Corvette ZR1. All that matters is that it has 755 horsepower.

Nissan unveiled their newly redesigned Altima. It definitely grabbed a lot of attention because it's one of the most popular cars on the road. Nissan also brought their...

dog friendly Rogue that dispenses a snack for the dogs. One of the models is Baxter, and he's an 11 year old Jack Terrier that has done print work for Target, Macy's, and Ralph Lauren. And I forgot to mention that Baxter is from Queens.

Maserati brought their 590 horsepower Levante Trofeo.

Audi didn't bring the RS7, however they brought the A7.

Jaguar brought their new F Pace SVR. Most exciting feature- the 550 horsepower. I really like that SUVs are no longer being stingy with horsepower.

Speaking of horsepower, Range Rover unveiled their limited edition SV Coupe (557 horsepower). Only 999 will be produced and the starting MSRP is at $295,000. One of the options is called the Modernist Pack- which goes for $56,700, ironically that's the price of an actual car... or two.

One of my favorite parts of the show was courtesy of Volvo. Volvo teamed up with a no-kill doggie shelter on Long Island and they brought some of the dogs to the show, in hopes that they will get adopted. The dogs were so calm and adorable.

I can never, ever forget about this beauty- the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk with 707 horsepower.

An manufacturer that is close to my heart- Dodge- brought the Demon again.

 

But if the Demon has too much power for you, there's always the Hellcat- available as the Charger and the Challenger.

Dodge also has a new trim level called GT (also GT AWD). It replaces the Rallye edition, but it's essentially the same thing.

This car single handily stole the entire New York Auto Show- the Genesis Essentia concept car. Word on the street is that it could go into production in 2021.

 

And finally, the luxury and exotic dealership that always brings the most expensive vehicles to the show- Manhattan Motorcars. Located a few blocks north on 51st St between 11th and 12th Avenues, this is where you go when you're in the market for a Porsche, Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Bugatti, a Koenigsegg or if you want to purchase a Bentley Continental GT Supersports for me. Most importantly, Manhattan Motorcars brings that source of inspiration to a future luxury car owner.

I always have a great time at the New York Auto Show. You may not understand but this show holds a special place in my heart. As you guessed it, the iconic phrase above is one that I live each and every day and yes, I will be back at the show next year. To see the rest of the photos, including cars that I didn't talk about, check out Bernie's 2018 New York Auto Show gallery.



It felt great going back home.

Bernie's Car Show Coverage: Photos from Caffeine and Octane: March 2018

Last Sunday, Caffeine and Octane held their third show of 2018. Held at the Perimeter Mall outside of Atlanta in Dunwoody, Georgia, Caffeine and Octane allows car enthusiasts from all over to bring their cars and to show them off.

Sunday’s Caffeine and Octane had a much stronger attendance compared to the past two shows. In case you forgot, January's show had sunny weather, although it was also 23 degrees. February's show had warmer weather, but it was raining. Although March was the third show of the year, it was the first show of 2018 for the majority of the crowd. It doesn’t matter if you show up in a Mercedes S560 Maybach (might I add that those rear seats are one of the most comfortable seats. Keep in mind, I will be resting my feet in one at the New York Auto Show in a few weeks), Atlanta's favorite muscle car- the Chevy Chevelle SS, a BMW M3, M4, M5 (there were plenty of them there), a Dodge Demon, one of my dream cars- the Bentley Continental GT Speed, or one of the many other vehicles that still allowed those that admire cars to appreciate them for the beauty that they are.

To see the rest of the photos, check out Bernie's Caffeine and Octane: March 2018 gallery. I'm sure I'm not going to update this blog until the New York Auto Show post. See you in New York!!!!!

Bernie's Car Show Coverage: Photos from Caffeine and Octane: February 2018

Last Sunday, Caffeine and Octane held their second show of 2018. Held at the Perimeter Mall outside of Atlanta in Dunwoody, Georgia, Caffeine and Octane allows car enthusiasts from all over to bring their cars and to show them off.

I know you're wondering "What happened to Caffeine and Octane in January???" Well let's just say that Atlanta and cold weather doesn't go together. That particular morning, the temperature was at a memorable 23 degrees.  The cold air was more powerful than the Dodge Demon, which finally made it's debut in Atlanta.

Dodge Demon at January's Caffeine and Octane. Just wanted to show it off...

Sunday's weather for Caffeine and Octane was much warmer, however it was raining. The turnout was more crowded than last month, but it wasn't like the normal turnout. It doesn’t matter if you show up in a Lamborghini Huracan, a classic Porsche Carrera, a Mercedes AMG GT-R, a right hand drive Nissan Skyline R33, or a red Chevrolet S10 pickup truck that drove around the parking lot on three wheels, or one of the many other vehicles that still allowed those that admire cars to appreciate them for the beauty that they are.

For the rest of the photos, check out Bernie's Caffeine and Octane: February 2017 gallery. Hoping that March 4th will have great weather.

Bernie's Car Show Coverage: Bernie's Best of 2017

Happy New Year Everyone!!! I decided to do a compilation post of all of the car shows that I've attended and photographed in 2017. Despite a few setbacks, 2017 was another fabulous year where I had the opportunity of traveling to various places, meeting great people and photographing some insane cars.  From the classic hot rod, to the exotic Pagani Huyera, I shot everything in between. What a year.

I decided to start the recap with Atlanta's most dependable car show- Caffeine and Octane. Looking back, it's amazing to see how much Caffeine and Octane has grown. In 2016, the mastermind behind Caffeine and Octane, Bruce, made the executive decision (for the better) to move the show to a more centralized location and that the show is ultimately in one big lot, instead of the 2.5 lots that the show originally took place in Alpharetta. After moving the show to the Perimeter Mall parking lot- where it currently occupies about 20% of the lot, Caffeine and Octane has proven that rain or shine, the show must go on. I attended 11 out of 12 of the shows- I missed November's show because I just returned from Vegas a few hours from the start of the show. Out of the 11 shows that I did attend, June was the best show. As I stated in the post, a storm moved through the metro Atlanta area an hour before the show started. Usually car collectors are hesitant to bring their prized possessions out in questionable weather, but not that month.

Caffeine and Octane does have a younger, more flashy sibling- Caffeine and Exotics. Caffeine and Exotics is an exclusive show where the cars have to start at a particular price point. Held at the main parking lot of Lenox Square Mall, Caffeine and Exotics gives car enthusiasts a chance to admire some expensive toys that car collectors were kind enough to share. Unlike Caffeine and Octane, this show is a bi-monthly show that is held between spring and fall.

Another one of my "Atlanta staples" (shows that I will not miss) is the King of the South Mega Show. Held by the Official Street Whipz team, this show gives enthusiasts the opportunity to show off their car in three ways- how it looks, how it sounds, and how it performs. It sounds very straight forward, but it's hard because there's a ridiculous amount of competition at this show.

For sentimental reasons, the New York Auto Show will always hold a special place in my heart. I'm a native New Yorker and that's one of the things that I've been proud to say. Aside from the location, this auto show also has a lot of cars that I don't get to see every day as well as being among the first people to experience new vehicles. Living in Atlanta, if I want to see a Koenigsegg, I have to go to New York or Los Angeles. But I must admit, seeing the Dodge Demon was breathtaking since the North American debut was held in the greatest city in the world.

My trip to Los Angeles was different than usual- but in a good way. Aside from my normal pilgrimage to the Petersen Automotive Museum, my other source of automotive culture came from attending my very first swap meet. Founded in 1983, the Long Beach Hi Performance Swap Meet has become one of the go to places for purchasing every part of the car you would need to build one. You name it, there's someone there selling it, and there's someone there (with cash) ready to buy it. To only be at this show for 90 minutes, I had a great time photographing cars, meeting people and of course... shopping. 

Finally to round out this list of shows, I can't forget SEMA. The 2017 SEMA show was my 8th show, however I decided to switch things up by arriving to SEMA the day before the show starts. I’m always like a kid in a candy store when arriving at SEMA. Once I’m done crying tears of joy, I dive right into the chaos- I meet great people who share some of the same similarities as I do and photograph great vehicles while enjoying some great weather.

To see the rest of the photos, check out Bernie's Best of 2017 gallery.

I'm looking forward to seeing what 2018 brings me. Thank you for the support!!!