Highlights from the Orlando Auto Show

[Nick McKees37]

Yesterday I went to the Central Florida International Auto Show with my father and spent some much needed time going over the latest and greatest vehicles from some of the biggest names in the industry. It was a real treat going to an auto show again because it brings back memories of when I used to attend the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Michigan as a child. I would go every year and since I've moved to Florida nearly five years ago I haven't attended a true auto show. Now that I know about the Central Florida International Auto Show only being a couple hours away, I will be attending it every year from now on.

While there are certainly a lot of vehicles to cover, I've highlighted my favorites to share with my fellow automotive enthusiasts.

Enjoy!

First up is the new Buick Regal GS. The latest iteration of Buick's new performance sedan features a direct injected turbocharged 2.0 liter 4-cylinder that pumps out 270 horsepower and 290 ft lbs of torque. All that power is routed to the front wheels through a 6-speed manual transmission. This is the first Buick with a manual transmission since the early 90's Skylark if I recall correctly.







20" wheels and 4-piston Brembo brakes on a Buick? Believe it.





The Regal GS's interior is all business. This isn't your grandfather's Park Avenue; the seats in the Regal GS are designed for intense cornering G's.





I was really surprised with Buick's newest entry into the compact luxury class, the Verano. The Verano is basically a Chevrolet Cruze in tuxedo but it does the job well and features an interior that is worthy of a premium price.





GMC Sierra SLE with enough chrome trim on the exterior to blind you.





Chevrolet Corvette ZR1!





What you see below is over 600 horsepower of supercharged, hand-built American muscle peaking through the hood.





The carbon ceramic brakes on the ZR1 cost more than a new Toyota Corolla!





Chevelle SS w/454 BIG BLOCK!







SLP Camaro.







Cadillac CTS-V interior.





Cadillac CTS-V wheels.





Here is the recently refreshed Ford Taurus SHO. This vehicle features the "EcoBoost" twin-turbo V6 pumping out 365 horsepower. All that power is routed to the ground through an advanced AWD system.





As they would say in the 1990s; "SH-Owned!"





The wheels were beautiful.





Ford Mustang GT500.







The BOSS is back in town!







Chrysler 300C SRT-8 - 6.4 liter V8 w/470 horsepower





Nissan 370Z





The vehicle that surprised me most was the new Hyundai Veloster. This quirky hatchback features 2-doors on one side and 1-door on the other. It's very stylish and is packed full of features and amenities and it only cost $22,000 loaded. It will be available with a turbo next year.







Hyundai and Kia are really stepping up their game. Below is the interior of the 2012 Kia Optima. I was blown away at the quality, fit & finish and materials used throughout the interior. The metal trim you see around the center console right next to the shifter is actually METAL, not plastic.

[Nick McKees37]

Ferrari 599!









Ferrari California.









What really caught my eye about the Ferrari FF, besides the obvious (a Ferrari hatchback!) was the stunning paint job. Pictures do not do this vehicle justice. By far the best paint job in the entire show.





I'm a HUGE fan of the Acura TSX so this is the vehicle I spent the most time around.









Lexus had several "F-Sport" IS250 and IS350's at the show.







Smoked wheels were head turners.





So were the headlamps.





Dodge Challenger SRT-8.









If you live in or around the Orlando area I would highly recommend checking out the Central Florida International Auto Show.

Thanks for looking!

[alko]

Very nice indeed Nick. Thanks for sharing! That TSX looks sweet! I'm surprised you didn't roll on outta there in it LOL!

[Finemess]

Great pix, super bunch of rides.

[eaglefan]

Did paint master, overspray technician, Jeff detail those ferrari's before the show?

[Pats300zx]

Great pics Nick. Looks like it was a great time. The new Corvette looks sick !!!

[courtdale]

The Boss is , almost had one as my first car as a teen. '70 yellow/black. My parents felt the '88 Chevy Sprint 3 cylinder was the more practical way to go. They were sort of right, the thing got about 5000 miles to the gallon... but I still wanted the Boss.

[CEE DOG]

Oh so nice!! Thanks a bunch for sharing the pictures Nick!

[rwright]

That's the one I wanted but the wife insisted on an automatic and the turbo wasn't out when we bought ours.

[Marc08EX]

So when are you going to roll with a TSX Nick?