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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 8, 2007

Photos From The Auto Show

TAMPA - The cavernous Tampa Convention Center was transformed into the open road this morning as carpet sweepers and car polishers put on the final touches for the annual Tampa Bay International Auto Show.

The doors swing open at noon, and the cost is $9 per adult, but car enthusiasts are expected to show up in droves during the show, which lasts until 6 p.m. Sunday.

Getting around is easy. Just follow the carpet that looks like a paved road with a double yellow line. Showgoers first stumble onto a collection of collectables and customized cars that represent not the 2008 models on display upstairs but what a car can be with proper guidance.

There's a $1 million DuPont Speedster, which is the centerpiece of the display downstairs. The 1929 Speedster looks brand new, with a sleek black body, and elegant lights and fixtures. There are three such models in existence, said Todd Lassa, editor of Motor Trend magazine, which is sponsoring the event.

Tampa's version of the show, designed to introduce on a personal level the 2008 models of domestic and foreign cars, is far from the premier event it is billed as in Detroit or Tokyo or Frankfurt, Germany, he said. Still tens of thousands of people - maybe more, nobody is sure - are expected to show up, plunk down cash and take a gander at cars they can afford and ones they dream about.

Lamborghini has a display with just a couple of cars. The Gallardos cost around $200,000 each and go mostly to entertainment celebrities or professional athletes, Lassa said. Last year was a banner year for the Italian automaker, which sold just 2,400 cars, he said, but at those prices, that translates into a hefty profit.

Sales for the high-end exotic cars don't seem to be slowed by the high price of gas or downturn in economy, Lasso said.

Wealthy people aren't all that affected by those factors, and those consumers still tend to gravitate toward expensive toys.

"If you can afford to drive one of these," he said, motioning to a Ferrari that has a 520-horsepower engine, "you aren't worrying about the price of a gallon of gas."

There are no salesmen in the show, just cars with windows rolled down, open for inspection. Besides the cars that aren't for sale, there are 2008 models galore on the second floor of the convention center. High-end Hummers and Cadillacs mingle with medium-priced Hondas and Buicks, which are next to regular-type makes such as Kias, Saturns and Nissans.

People scouting new cars for themselves or their families more than likely can find what they are looking for at the show, or at least get some ideas, Lasso said.

"It's great to have a chance to see every kind of car in one place without a salesman breathing down your neck," he said.

Hybrids are making inroads this year, he said, and Chevrolet is introducing its new Tahoe hybrid. It's a sport-utility vehicle that boasts a 50 percent reduction in fuel usage, said Lassa, who seems to know just about everything about every car on hand.

Chevrolet has yet to announce a price tag for the Tahoe hybrid, but Lassa expected it to be in the $35,000 to $40,000 range.

The show features about 400 cars on the two floors of the convention center.

In the center of the huge convention room on the second floor is an unusual sight. It's a motorcycle, or at least it looks like a motorcycle. It has dual wheels in the front and back and has a stainless-steel frame and gas tank with a Dodge Ram logo on it. It is called a Tomahawk.

The bike has a Dodge Viper engine and is rumored to reach speeds of 400 mph, said the show's publicist, DeeDee Taft.

The Tomahawk is somewhat of a mystery, she said. She thinks there are only nine in existence; at least nine were sold through Forbes magazine last year. Each cost $550,000, she said.

"And, it's not even street legal," she said.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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