The Cleveland Auto Show - I-X Center, Feb. 24 - Mar.4, 2007
Lemme tell you about the Dodge exhibit over at the Cleveland Auto Show. It was great. Here's kind of something I typed up about it for something else, but I'll use it here. Enjoy:
The smarties over at Dodge had an area set up where you get to ride in one of a few different cars (A Charger SRT8, a few Magnum SRT8s and a Jeep Nitro RT.)
Now notice that I said “ride-in.” You don’t actually get to drive the car (for safety and insurance reasons) but you do get to ride in it while a professional race-car driver launches it from 0 to 30 in about a half second.
Here’s how it goes: There is a decent sized rectangular area (50’ x 150’) with barricades around it. Inside the barricades is essentially an oval. The cars are lined up along one long side, where you stand in line. You wait your turn and then are greeted by some nice folks who safely usher you into the next available coach. You get in and are greeted by the driver as he or she instructs you to fasten your safety belt. Do this! The car is then gently pulled forward, passing under a safety gate and around one end of the oval. You are now on the opposite long side of the oval, facing a straightaway that is about 100’ long. At the far end is a pair of huge safety lights, one red, one green, lots of yellow caution tape, some orange cones and one very ominous looking barricade.
The safety light turns from red to green and the driver asks if you are ready. You give an affirmative answer and are rewarded with a vicious growl from the engine, a little tire chirp (traction control was on) and the satisfying feeling of being thrown back in your seat. Suddenly the lights, caution tape, cones and barricade all seem to come at you in full attack mode. I imagined the barricade saying to the cones, “Here’s my big chance, boys! I’m gonna snag me a Charger!”
But before the barricade gets his big break, the green light turns to red and the Dodge’s high-performance brake system is engaged. Again, you are rewarded. But this time you are launched forward against the seat belt as the car comes to a (very) healthy stop.
Another safety gate passes overhead as you casually round the next corner and line up along the first side again. Your doors are opened by the same valets from earlier and you are thanked for trying the Dodge Experience and ushered back out onto the show floor.
Was it awesome? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes. If I had the money, would I now be in the market for a Dodge Charger SRT8? You bet I would. Would I like a Dodge representative to loan me one for an extended test drive? Of course.
Check out the next post where I talk about the awesome Jeep exhibit...
And if you're interested in truck accessories, I'd recommend checking out Stylin' Concepts' website at Http://www.stylinconcepts.com
And don't forget to enter Stylin' Concepts' latest sweepstakes where they give away a Tahoe.
The smarties over at Dodge had an area set up where you get to ride in one of a few different cars (A Charger SRT8, a few Magnum SRT8s and a Jeep Nitro RT.)
Now notice that I said “ride-in.” You don’t actually get to drive the car (for safety and insurance reasons) but you do get to ride in it while a professional race-car driver launches it from 0 to 30 in about a half second.
Here’s how it goes: There is a decent sized rectangular area (50’ x 150’) with barricades around it. Inside the barricades is essentially an oval. The cars are lined up along one long side, where you stand in line. You wait your turn and then are greeted by some nice folks who safely usher you into the next available coach. You get in and are greeted by the driver as he or she instructs you to fasten your safety belt. Do this! The car is then gently pulled forward, passing under a safety gate and around one end of the oval. You are now on the opposite long side of the oval, facing a straightaway that is about 100’ long. At the far end is a pair of huge safety lights, one red, one green, lots of yellow caution tape, some orange cones and one very ominous looking barricade.
The safety light turns from red to green and the driver asks if you are ready. You give an affirmative answer and are rewarded with a vicious growl from the engine, a little tire chirp (traction control was on) and the satisfying feeling of being thrown back in your seat. Suddenly the lights, caution tape, cones and barricade all seem to come at you in full attack mode. I imagined the barricade saying to the cones, “Here’s my big chance, boys! I’m gonna snag me a Charger!”
But before the barricade gets his big break, the green light turns to red and the Dodge’s high-performance brake system is engaged. Again, you are rewarded. But this time you are launched forward against the seat belt as the car comes to a (very) healthy stop.
Another safety gate passes overhead as you casually round the next corner and line up along the first side again. Your doors are opened by the same valets from earlier and you are thanked for trying the Dodge Experience and ushered back out onto the show floor.
Was it awesome? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes. If I had the money, would I now be in the market for a Dodge Charger SRT8? You bet I would. Would I like a Dodge representative to loan me one for an extended test drive? Of course.
Check out the next post where I talk about the awesome Jeep exhibit...
And if you're interested in truck accessories, I'd recommend checking out Stylin' Concepts' website at Http://www.stylinconcepts.com
And don't forget to enter Stylin' Concepts' latest sweepstakes where they give away a Tahoe.
posted by Cleveland Mike at 7:48 AM
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