Auto Show Provides Glimpse of the Future
The legendary Batmobile, the ultimate urban crime-fighting vehicle, arrived in San Diego on Tuesday, leading a contingent of more than 500 vehicles, many of them exotic creations like Cadillac’s forward-looking laboratory on wheels and Ferrari’s version of fury on wheels.
They’re all part of the seventh-annual San Diego International Auto Show at the Convention Center, which also features more than 3 dozen cars of the future and a host of 1991 cars, trucks and vans shipped to San Diego by 37 manufacturers.
The Cadillac Aurora, a futuristic four-wheel-drive car is a “laboratory on wheels,” according to Mike Washington, an official of General Motor’s Cadillac division, who came from Detroit for the show. The Aurora’s doors, hood and trunk are opened by remote control using infrared technology. The car isn’t totally futuristic, however. You still need a key to start it.
Also featured in the Aurora is a computerized navigation system, which holds maps for the entire United States, Washington said.
“Cadillac is departing from tradition and attracting younger buyers. Some of the features, like the navigation system, are already in some Cadillacs.”
A speedster making a repeat appearance in San Diego is on display in a coroner of the center. It’s Nissan’s red, white and blue GTP race car. It’s powered by a Nissan 300 ZX turbo engine that that can rocket it “up to 200 m.p.h. on a straightaway,” said Nissan spokesman E.C. Mueller. The GTP has been raced in the Del Mar Grand Prix for the past three years.
Another attraction at the show comes from that most famous of all high performance car makers--Ferrari. Cornes Motors, a San Diego dealer, has a 1989 Ferrari 348 on display. You can drive it away for just $95,850. What you’ll get is a fire-breathing five-speed, eight-cylinder, fuel-injected speedster. But be prepared to pay the fuel bills. The Ferrari 348 gets only 22 miles to the gallon on the freeway and the estimated annual gasoline bill is $1,101. For the budget-minded, the Japanese auto builder Daihatsu is showing it’s new convertible truck, called the Rocky. It has a base price of $10,897 and comes with a hard and soft top. It won’t match the Ferrari’s fiery speed, but then it won’t gulp fuel either.
This year’s auto show covers 200,000 square feet at the new Convention Center, making it three times larger than last year’s show at the old convention center next to City Hall, according to Dennis Coady, director of marketing and advertising for Cahners Exposition Group. The Boston-based organization specializes in putting on auto shows.
“We are expecting about 200,000 people to attend this year’s show. Out of the 90 auto shows in the country, San Diego will rank in the top 15 this year,” Coady said. “For people who are looking to buy a new car, this is the first stop. It will take people an hour or two to see everything.” And that includes the Batmobile. The Batmobile, made famous in the recent Batman movie, has also been a feature of auto shows in Boston, Washington, Chicago and Atlanta.
It is 22 feet long, 8 1/2 feet wide and weighs 3,200 pounds, including grappling hooks, two .30-caliber Browning machine guns, a grenade launcher and, of course, bulletproof shields activated by the voice of the Caped Crusader. All this is powered by a 350-cubic inch Corvette engine.
The five-day show begins at 11 a.m. today, and admission is $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and adults with discount coupons from Big Bear markets, Jack-in-the-Box restaurants, Chevron gas stations, and Seaport Village. Admission for children 6 to 12 is $2, and children under 6 get in free.
