(Words and Photos by Bob Chiluk) Chicago in the winter brings a few sure things to town, Some cold weather, another Bears losing season, and the Chicago New Car Auto Show. There are others, such as “dibs” ( you will have to look that one up!), and having your parked car towed off of many streets during snow season.
The downtown trek of dads hauling the kids out of mom’s hair for a few hours to the Auto Show has been a gearhead tradition for a long time. Many a young lad had their first go behind the wheel of a car at shows such as this, as most all vehicles are fair game for some seat time. This is one of the largest in North America with the first one being held in 1901. McCormick Place on the Chicago lakefront has a million square feet of concrete for a footprint. So with not much else car-wise going on, those of us from around here put it on our hit list. Free to roam to the marque of your choice and compare models side by side is what a show like this is all about. A new trend that has gained some traction, especially this year, is the indoor test tracks. Hill climbing abilities from AWD and 4x4s give you the feel of what these suspensions can do. There are some manufacturers that will give you a ride along in a short straight line shot if that is more your speed. There were 7 track experiences to be had this year by different brands. Is EV the future? Whether you like em or not, most brands were showing what they had to test the popularity of what they brought.
Go and take a peek. This show runs for better than a week thru February 20 and is more fun than building a snowman!
