[bdeutsch]

Yesterday evening, sons and I attended the Preview Night of the LA Auto Show. It had been a couple of years since we last attended.

Was a bit surprised on level of participation at the show. The lower level (Kentia Hall) is where all of the aftermarket type of stuff is displayed. Historically have started there first as it is the most fun. At least on past visits, the display area is usually filled, not so anymore it seems. Literally a quarter of the space was empty.

Also in the main areas of the show, most major manufacturers were present, but number of vehicles within each area was also on the lean side. Even more surprising is that all of the Italian marques, save for Fiat, were not participating.

Ford had no Shelby GT500s on display but did have at least three Boss 302s. Galpin Ford has a wide GT500 displayed in the basement, but that was about it for anybody flying the Shelby flag. Again, quite a surprise.

Given that the economy still remains weak, and for those who have attended the show in the last few years, has this been the trend? Given size of exotic market in California, was really amazed that Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati (not sure I spelled this correctly) were missing.

Bob