No Denver Car Show; 2nd Auto HOF induction at Broadmoor
Rick Chilingarian, who with friends has been a regular attendee at the Denver Auto Show since the turn-ofthe-century, emailed me, asking of plans for a show this year. “We were very disappointed at the outdoor show at Elitch’s last year; so manymissing manufacturers,” his message said.
I’ve informed Rick that Tim Jackson, chairman and CEO of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association (CADA), said recently there will be no auto show, indoors or outdoors, this year. “Lack of new-model inventory, both with the manufacturers and the Colorado car dealers, is as much the reason as anything,” said Jackson.
A bright light, though, against the dimming of the auto show spectacular, will occur in late May, when the second class of the Colorado Automotive
Hall of Fame will be inducted in an evening ceremony at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
The dinner and induction event will be the evening of Thursday, May 26, as part of the four-day annual convention of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association. Tickets for the dinner are on sale at the CADA.
Five iconic Colorado dealers, a husband/wife team and a former industry-leading supporter in Colorado for 30 years will become members of the Colorado Automotive HOF, joining 50 initial inductees from a year ago.
I’ll be featuring these new members in a column soon. I wasamember of the initial HOF class inducted last September.
A column of mine last week describing a drive of the then-new Volvo C70s in the Santa Barbara area back in 1997, sparked an email from Eric Shepard,
who lives in that beautiful California region and reminded me that the“lake Cachuna” I mentioned is actually “Lake Cachuma.” I appreciate the correction; he’s been a reader of mine since he resided in Colorado many years ago.
Other e-mails:
Bud, My wife and I, proud Colorado natives from Denver now living in Longmont, are interested in purchasing an electric vehicle and have been focusing on the Hyundai Ioniq. Have you reviewed that one? Keep up the fine work on your auto column. – Jim P.
I’ve not reviewed that one yet, Jim. Recently I’ve driven the Ford Mustang Mach-e GT, the Mercedes-benz
EQS450, BMW i4 M50 and am spending this week with the Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin Ultimate.
Bud, I find the concept of a 300-horsepower, all-wheel-drive
Toyota Corolla intriguing, but why does it have to be so ugly? Ditto for the rear end of the Toyota GR86, which you reviewed last week. – Lee H.
Well, Lee, the Corolla will be an improved performer and, of course, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” as they say. Twenty years ago I drove the all-new Pontiac Aztek to a party at a home on Lookout Mountain attended by 27 others. Halfway through the evening, after coaxing them outdoors, I asked them to walk around the Aztek, then indicate whether each one“likes” or “dislikes” the style and look. Twenty-six of the 28 “disliked” it; of the two“likes,” one was from the wife of a Pontiac executive, so she deserved a pass. The other, a guy, was a“beholder.”