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Concept Cars Reveal The Future At South Florida Auto Show

21 September 2000

Concept Cars Reveal The Future At South Florida International Auto Show

    MIAMI BEACH, Fla., Sept. 21 Think about Frosted Mocha.
It's one of the most stimulating things at this year's South Florida
International Auto Show, which runs October 6-15 at the Miami Beach Convention
Center.
    Nope, it's not a new West Coast coffee.  It's the custom Pearlcoat paint
applied to Chrysler's 300 Hemi C, just one of the concept cars that reveal
future design ideas.
    This Chrysler four passenger convertible pays homage to the legendary 1957
Chrysler 300C.  Like that Eisenhower-era crowd pleaser, the new concept car is
a rear-wheel-drive luxury performance soft-top with a big V8 up front.  But
this V8 has two spark plugs per cylinder and saves fuel by letting half the
engine rest during cruise and deceleration.  High-tech features include a GPS,
a laptop computer, and access to real-time traffic and weather information.
Voice commands control audio, climate, and phone operations.  Its security
system reads the driver's face and fingerprints.

    The PT Evolves
    Chrysler's Panel Cruiser borrows the basics from the popular PT Cruiser, a
former concept that's now on the road.  The concept panel truck replaces
windows and seats with panels and a wood floor, creating space ideal as a
light delivery truck.  Lower than the PT Cruiser by one inch, wider by two,
this concept recalls the classic American panel truck and adds the fun of a
sports sedan.
    In Oldsmobile's newest concept, the Profile sport sedan, the driver's
fingers tap panels on the steering wheel to shift gears.  Close at hand in the
cabin of this five passenger, five-door concept are advanced OnStar and
concierge services, the Internet, and a special phone.  Also, Global
Positioning System navigation and traffic data, an audio library and infrared
integration of PDA information.
    Innovative rear seats allow those in back to recline with generous legroom
as they watch DVD entertainment on the headrest display in front of them.  The
Olds Profile concept car features all-wheel-drive and a supercharged V6.
    Dodge recently took the wraps off a street-legal race-inspired version of
its Viper and called the concept the GTS/R.  This "what if?" approach
perfected the racer for the street, so its got a high-end stereo, air
conditioning, and adjustable pedals.  But it also stacks the engine gauges
vertically, with toggle switches nearby, so drivers can see what happens when
500 lb/ft of torque and 500 horsepower bolt for the horizon.  Zero to 60?
Just south of four seconds.