The time has come again for us to darken the doors of McCormick Place for a flurry of trade shows and conventions the likes of which much of the world has never seen, given that it IS the largest convention center in the entire Western hemisphere. The first of our year is also a childhood favorite, and that's the Chicago Auto Show.
While the Chicago Auto Show hasn't always been at McCormick Place, it's a show that started here with the latest in steam-powered, electric- and gasoline-powered vehicles back when people might still be inclined to call them horseless carriages and had show floors at places like the Coliseum on Wabash and the International Amphitheatre, even having special exhibits in places like the Congress Hotel before arriving in our favorite world class convention center.
And—while Detroit may be motor city, and we've got a pretty great public transportation system, we're Midwestern, after all, and can enjoy a good solid road trip. We'll head up to Door County, Madison, or Michigan for a weekend away, and Starved Rock or Shawnee for summer adventures. We do tailgates, drive-ins, drive-thrus and motor clubs, and we're learning how to get out of a spin in the parking lots in winter just as soon as we've got our permit. Car culture is a big deal here in Chicago, and it always has been.
The Chicago Auto Show has also always been an important moment for manufacturers, enthusiasts, and consumers to learn from each other, and a fun place to take the family and admire the beautiful new models you might take on your next vacation.
In an era where the "brick and mortar" of malls and offices is disappearing, the Chicago Auto Show provides the chance to get up close and personal with a vehicle that, let's face it, you'll spend a LOT of time in while trying to get back and forth from the office, on vacation, to O'Hare or just trying to find parking outside your favorite coffee shop. It'll "maybe" fit the TV you buy, or that dresser you thrifted, and it'll be what you go to IKEA with for meatballs and bed frames.
For me, that means you should at least get to sit in it. And let's face it, there's far more effective marketing campaigns than Camp Jeep's test track, which basically show you that if you WANTED to stick to a wall, dangle off a cliff, go up some stairs or stop when basically at a 90-degree angle at the top of a 48 foot tall hill, you...can?
There've been some changes over the years with what else the show entails, and we're a little low on Jet Age cars and classics from Volo, who was noticeably missing, but there's always the exotics and supercars, cool concepts and at least a few muscle cars or other such customers.
Controversial though Tesla may be, their Cybercab certainly caught eyes and made minds wonder. It looks like a matte gold Beetle, a slightly curvier and more interesting looking sibling to the Cybertruck that's planned for use as an autonomous taxi in cities the world over. We're already seeing these sorts of driverless vehicles on the West Coast, but the Cybercab likely won't hit streets until later in 2026. Just don't expect a luxurious ride; it's less plush and more...vacant inside.
This year, to get a better idea for Chicago's car culture, the Chicago Auto Show revamped Chi-Town Alley (without changing the "Chi-Town" part, sadly) and included submissions from Chicago car enthusiasts through a 60-second video audition series that netted five winners whose rides were shown off on this year's showfloor.
Our absolute star of the show was Orales Chicago car club's amazing custom low-riders. They were absolutely gorgeous with no part of any ride being less than a masterpiece. There were interior door murals, intricate hood portraits on mesmerizing diamond coat paint jobs, chrome and gold rims, crushed velvet, custom stereos, and embroidered leather seats.
That's to say nothing of the custom hydraulics and not saying enough about those immaculate paint jobs. If you've never had the privilege of seeing this type of vehicle, please revel in these masterpieces.
Should you choose to take the drive and come see the Auto Show, you have until February 16.
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