Took in the 99th annual Chicago Auto Show this week at McCormick Place. Spread over 1.2 million square feet and containing close to 1,000 new vehicles, it is the largest annual car show in the country. Since I'm a speed and horsepower demon (I have owned and driven exclusively Corvettes since the age of 23), I was particularly interested in what current and future offerings there might be in the sports car vein. As has become tradition at the auto show, several concept cars were on display to judge consumer interest in various tentative models. By far the most interest was generated by the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible concept car. Going retro with it's look (ala the Ford Mustang, T-Bird and numerous others), this Camaro was a definite throwback to the appearance and feel of the 1967-1969 Camaro. If the recently re-styled Mustang's smash success is any indicator, this updated/retro Camaro will sell very well. No horsepower figures were given, but it will surely have a 300 + hp engine lurking under the hood if it indeed gets the green light for production. Other concept cars that were impressive in look and power were the Pontiac Solstice "Weekend Racer" (325 hp), the Dodge Viper "Mopar Concept" (675 hp), the Toyota FT-HS (400 hp) and the Volvo C30 (507 hp).

Below I have compiled a list of the most impressive, currently produced machines seen at the show that you should check out if you are into fast and powerful sports cars like I am.

Audi R8 (420 hp)
Chevrolet Corvette (400 hp)
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (505 hp)
Dodge Charger SRT8 and SRT8 Super-Bee (425 hp)
Dodge Viper SRT10 (510 hp)
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (500 hp)
Jaguar XKR (420 hp)
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 (640 hp)
Lamborghini Gallardo (520 hp)
Maserati Gransport (400 hp)
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (650 hp)
Porsche 911 (325 hp)

Just think about all the fun one could have in any one of these beasts... commute time reduced to say, 3 or 4 minutes! To see them for yourself, visit www.chicagoautoshow.com.

Vroooommmmm!!!