These Are The Cars You'll Never Forget Seeing At An Auto Show

Last week, in honor of the 126th-annual New York International Auto Show, we asked you to share the cars that you will never forget seeing for the first time at an auto show, and you folks didn't disappoint. There were oodles of great responses to the question, so this is a compilation of ten of my favorite answers. I encourage you to go back and read through all the answers, as your fellow Jalops went all-out sharing their vivid memories. 

I said that the Volvo C30 was the car that I'll never forget seeing at the Los Angeles Auto Show when I was a kid. It was a big moment for Volvo, the sensible Swedish company that was previously known for producing heavy, brick-like station wagons that never really raised many pulses. But the C30 was nothing of the sort. It was rakish, with a compact yet daring design, especially from the rear where its all-glass hatch and tall taillights stole the show. I also remember it being next to the second-generation C70 with its folding hardtop, which was also remarkable, and I got a free CD of Volvo's curated driving songs that introduced me to the total bop that is "Cry For You" by Swedish Europop group September. 

I'll cherish those memories as long as they remain in my grey matter, but I had a hoot reading through all of your memories, and I hope you will too. These are a few of my favorite answers that y'all shared about the cars you'll never forget seeing at auto shows. 

I'll never forget a yellow Pontiac Aztec at the Philadelphia Auto Show in the early 2000s(?). It had the tent accessory set up off the trunk, complete with a fake campfire scene.

Submitted by: RB

Late 90s (1997 or 1998) – Chicago Auto Show. I will always remember the Honda S2000.

And the Chicago Bulls cheerleaders.

Submitted by: 86eldorado

Oddly, the Fiat 500. I've always had a soft spot for small cars and I remember seeing it at the show in SF and folding my 19-year-old self into the back seat to see how reasonable it could be for my needs (as a college kid in remote Northern California, it wasn't really what I needed at the time). I was still mightily impressed with the packaging and have always snagged one as a rental car whenever I'm in the UK or EU.

Submitted by: SantaCruzin

The year was 2000, and the setting was the Pacific International Auto Show at BC Place in Vancouver.

I came through the doors onto the upper concourse—the area packed with "tuned" cars and the booths that actually made the show worth walking back then. Then something caught my eye: a row of bright yellow cars lined up under the lights.

Naturally, I went over to take a closer look.

Sitting there were three or four Phoenix Yellow Acura Integra Type Rs, absolutely glowing under the display lighting. I was familiar with the Championship White version, but I had never seen one in yellow before—and it stopped me in my tracks.

I've always leaned toward German cars, but that moment stuck. Even now, all these years later, I still think about those cars.

There was a huge crowd gathered around them. Digital cameras were everywhere—people snapping photos to upload to their computers later that day. It was peak early-2000s energy.

And those cars? They were right at the centre of it.

Submitted by: Mike

I remember seeing an LFA at the Vancouver Auto Show (the Pacific International Autoshow), one year. I've said this before (on Jalopnik), it looked – and still looks – incomplete. From every angle it looks like a giant Traxxas remote control body draped over the chassis. I can't explain it better than that. I agree that it's an engineering marvel, and I'd love to drive one. But, I can't help but think that it could've been so much more complete-looking.

Submitted by: JohnnyWasASchoolBoy

2008 Detroit auto Show, they had the Pontiac G8 based Ute.

I have wanted one desperately since. And I never will have one

Submitted by: JaredOfLondon

Strangely enough the Eagle Optima LH sedan at the 1990? Detroit Auto Show. It just looked so different and, to me, so balanced. Later to become the Eagle Vision production model. Number 2 is the Chrysler Atlantic concept from 1995?. There were a ton of cool Chrysler concepts in those days. I think Tom Gale led design then.

Submitted by: BossLinco

The Ford Taurus at the 1985 Chicago Auto Show. It's impossible to explain now how much it looked like an egg at the time – so different than other cars, and not in a good way. Yet it saved Ford from bankruptcy.

Submitted by: Jackpot

2015 LA Auto Show, LA debuts of the new NSX and new Ford GT. But there's more....

Ford had already blown-up the official NSX reveal at the Detroit Auto show by revealing their new Ford GT because, unlike Acura who had teased the new NSX for 8 years (which included showing concept cars at auto shows), Ford did no pre-publicity for the GT, its existence was a massive surprise, and totally overshadowed the NSX launch. And the GT was no concept – it was the final car! But, this did not stop Ford from continuing to mess with Acura. At LA's Press Day, the journo mob was at the Acura area listening to the official briefing for the NSX. But some low-volume rumbling began in the group and then a lot of the journos started leaving the Acura area – during the presentation! Why, you may ask? Well, Ford's area was just down the hall from Acura's and Ford chose that moment to move the GT into Ford's display area. So this was, in a way, the GT's Los Angeles debut! (Ford was not so crass to cross-schedule their official GT press launch against Acura's, but just having the black-clad convention center workers move the car into its space at the same time as Acura's presentation was still a twig to Acura's eye. Many journos had not yet seen the GT, while they had seen the "new" NSX for-ev-ver, so the catnip was too strong to keep the mob dutifully stuck to the Acura event.)

Submitted by: Clowncone4

1994 BMW 8 Series

It was stunning to see in person. I think I have seen less than 5 of them in real life.

That year had some amazing cars at the show like the first gen Lexus SC, the Supra turbo, 300ZX, RX7, Viper, NSX, new Mustang, and Cadillac Fleetwood.

Submitted by: Tex