this year.

You might think this to be an odd title for an entry about the Canadian International AutoShow, but I can assure you the most entertaining part of the day was the snow. I like cars, and even more then that, I like new shiny cars. I think new car smell (none of that simulated garbage, it’s got to be the real deal) is one of the best fragrances in the world. I just found the show to be on the weak side this year. Without any hot new cars on the market, the various manufactures decided to overload us with different colours of the same model. Which is good — but not great. Save for a few cars, I could have gone to an auto mall and seen the same cars for free. Mind you they wouldn’t be as shiny, and I would have to brave the cold, but I stand by my point.

With that said, onto the few stand out vehicles that are almost available for sale.

The Ford Mustang. The everyman sports car. Its humble beginnings date back to the 1964 Mustang Convertible. For a mere $2,320.96 (half the price of a Corvette) it was yours. It has had quite a life. From its sexy lines in the 60′s, to its cool 70′s character, and on through the unfortunate 80′s effect (I think the 80′s produced some of the ugliest cars, and the 80′s and early 90′s Mustang suffered this fall). In the late 90′s it regained some of its character, but no Mustang, since its glory days, has looked as good as the 2005 Ford Mustang (Canadian Content). A base model will run you $24,890, and $38,656 nicely loaded (CDN figures). That’s nothing considering a Chevrolet Corvette will run about $67,395. Now I know these are different classes of cars, but the Mustang has always been an affordable alternative to gross ego-boosting. It’s like value priced street-cred.

The 2006 Dodge Charger. Another rebirth of a classic American Automobile. Car manufactures aren’t blind to the fact that a lot of their customers that bought these cars are now baby boomers and are more then willing to relive their youth. The 1966 Dodge Charger was designed in response to the fastback design of the Ford Mustang and the Plymouth Barracuda. My only true knowledge of the Charger is the 1969 Dodge Charger (aka General Lee) used on the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard. The new Charger is based on the Chrysler 300 chassis, and is packed full of power. From the little presentation they gave, I took away that it will comfortably seat 5 adults, with full head room in the back.

The non-car sponsored attraction at this years show was the Pontiac Ice Maze. It was actually pretty neat because, previously, the only maze I had been through was on the back of a restaurant placemat. You don’t see very many garden hedge mazes around these days. It really is a shame (note: it seems there are lots of garden mazes, as I found one near Ottawa). I’d really love to call it a labyrinth of ice and snow, with the possibility of death around every corner, but I have confirmed that ‘labyrinth’ and ‘maze’ are not interchangeable words. A Maze is multicursal, or a series of paths with dead ends and can be quite frustrating. A Labyrinth is unicursal, meaning it has only one path and no dead ends. No one should be surprised that there is a Labyrinth Society, and many others who enjoy labyrinths. It’s just not a movie starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie. Though, reflecting on the movies plot, and my new understanding of labyrinths, I think that movie has a whole other level I was unaware of.

All in all, the AutoShow is still a great way to waste a day and $15. It’s nice to be able to see all the cars in one indoor location in pristine condition, without being bothered by salesmen. A day in TO is not complete without a ride on the TTC Subway. I wanted a blurred train, but the train was moving pretty slow when it reached the far end of the platform. I also wish I had turned the flash off. Either way, it looks a bit interesting.