Bikini contests galore. Freakenstein. Max the robot. Exhibitors at the Orange County Auto Show aimed to entertain this year.
The Costa Mesa-based Orange County Auto Dealers Association owns the show, which took place last week, along with the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association, based in Long Beach. Motor Trend Auto Shows Inc. produces it.
As the auto show has progressed over the years, its focus seems to be less on auto launches and more about attracting Joe consumer and his family. There was a driving simulator for teens as well as various consumer product exhibitors, such as the HitchCam, which makes rearview cameras for cars.
The Festival of the Arts had an exhibit on the history of the Laguna Beach Pageant of the Masters art show and brought along Freakenstein (pictured below), who looked like walking dirty cheesecloth, but was a character promoting the Pageant of the Monsters haunted house for Halloween.
Tom Kipp, mechanical engineer and handler of Max the Robot (below), was getting Max ready to entertain the crowds. Kipp, creator of Max, said Ford Motor Co. wanted to entertain at its exhibit.
“He’ll be doing live interviews,” said Kipp, who works for Battle Creek, Mich.-based Mannetron.
Max took about 10 weeks to build, Kipp said.
The Auto Show Underground, a show of custom cars under the main floor, had fewer vintage and muscle cars this year. No Sympathy auto club had a number of cars and trucks on display.
Al & Ed’s Autosound was a prominent exhibitor, displaying its sound systems in a 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Roadster and a 2006 Mercedes SLR McClaren, a rare auto.
Here are some scenes,autos and others,from the show.
,Photos, text by Sherri Cruz
