’Tis the season, so rev your engines for the holidays

As the weather stays the same and no natural indicator of season change occurs in Southern California, I frequently, and eagerly, check and recheck the dates of two of my favorite holidays in the fall — not to mention the date that marks the beginning of what I like to call “Open Season.”
Are you wondering what two events could have this girl dancing in her favorite black heels? It’s Southern California car show season, and this year’s festivities are full of promise.
The Orange County Auto Show and Los Angeles Auto Show are coming up — the O.C. show is this week — and I couldn’t be more excited than if Christmas morning was only a few days away.
The really exciting fact: I’m credentialed for both shows. That means media access before the public is allowed to park. Oh yeah.
The line up of this year’s shows has all kinds of potential. At the O.C. Auto Show there will be a number of West Coast debuts and the L.A. Auto Show will have North American debuts, including the unveiling of the much anticipated 2010 Ford Mustang.
The O.C. Auto Show will have for the first time on the West Coast the Chevrolet Silverado hybrid, Lamborghini LP560-4, 2009 Pontiac Solstice Coupe, 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX and 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel.
While none of these really catch my eye — OK, you got me, I drooled a little when I saw the LP560-4 would be making a cameo — the real reason I’m going out to the Anaheim Convention Center is the celebrity appearances.
Some of Hollywood’s most memorable cars will be on display this year including Bumblebee, the Camaro from “Transformers,” the time-traveling DeLorean from “Back to the Future” and a Mach 5 inspired by “Speed Racer.” While I’m stoked for the Doc’s machine and a sucker for speed, Bumblebee is the car-lebrity I’m dying to see in person. Awesome cars, huge robots, what more could you ask for in a movie?
I also have to admit, I’m hoping to grease a palm or two while I’m there. Mostly with Mark Williams, the senior features editor of Motortrend. If I can’t convince him to become a regular reader of my humble blog, maybe I can at least score an internship.
But I digress.
Besides nearly fainting from seeing my favorite big-screen cars, I’m very excited about the test driving opportunities that await me in the O.C. Mazda, Toyota and Hyundai will all have ride and drive events this year. Check back for what I test and what I think.
The O.C. Auto Show is like Christmas Eve for me, a few presents, but really more of an excitement builder for the next morning. Although the L.A. Auto Show won’t take place for more than a month after the O.C. show, the anticipation will only grow.
Any regular reader knows about my obsession and excitement over the 2010 Mustang, and I’ll be there the minute it is unveiled with my camera and a defibrillator in the event my heart stops.
Along with my beloved Mustang, 20 world debuts are confirmed so far for the L.A. Auto Show. Not all of the specific cars were not mentioned, but Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Lamborghini, Lincoln, Lexus, Mazda, Mercury, Nissan, Porsche and Volkswagen are the manufacturers who signed up.
Not much information is available for the L.A. Auto Show, but I’ll be checking the website regularly between now and press days. The lack of information just makes me more excited.
Stay tuned for complete coverage of both shows.



The L.A. Auto Show is tricky to get in to, but this is my golden ticket! I smooth talked my way in last year, and I guess they decided I was good enough to come back.






SHOW INFO

Orange County Auto Show

Dates:
Oct. 2 to Oct.

Hours:
Thursday, Oct. 2 and Friday, Oct. 3: noon to 10 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Ticket Prices:
Adults (13+) $10
Seniors (62+) $6
Kids (12 and under) Free

College Two-Fer day (Thursday): Buy one $10 adult admission with valid college ID & get a second adult admission free with a second valid college ID

Los Angeles Auto Show

Dates:
Nov. 21 to Nov. 30, 2008

Hours:
Friday, Nov. 21: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sundays: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Mon – Weds: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Thanksgiving Day: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 28: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.