A front view of the exotic Bugattis EB110 graces the cover of the 1995 Chicago Auto Show official program magazine, an a silver EB110 thrilled the crowds attending the 87th edition Chicago Auto Show. Major debuts for that year include the Pontiac Sunfire convertible and GT coupe, the Toyota 1995-1/2 Tacoma compact pickup and the Chevrolet Cavalier convertible. Another grand batch of concepts turned up, from the high-performance Ford GT90 to an Acura CL-X and potent Ford SHO-Star van. Oldsmobile showed the Antares, said to suggest a Cutlass Supreme successor. Ford's Triton predicted the next-generation F-150 pickup truck. On the right, a pretty spokeswoman for Chrysler/Plymouth smiled for our camera between her assigned times to tell the crowds about the banana yellow Neon Expresso concept car (covered elsewhere).
Racing vehicles of various types are on exhibit at the special space sponsored by the Chicago Region of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), in the entrance lobby at McCormick Place. Note the nearly nonexistent ground clearance of the yellow vehicle in the foreground, and the open-wheeled racer next to it.
Long shot highlights the main entrance aisle on the auto-show floor, with "1995" embedded into the carpeting in the foreground. Ford's display space is on the left of the aisle, Chevrolet's at right. The red car at left is a Ford Mustang, sitting in front of a GT90 concept model. The yellow coupe at right is a Chevrolet Corvette.
Mercury introduced the redesigned 1996 Sable station wagon at the 1995 Chicago Auto Show. The '96 Sable sedan had debuted earlier, at Detroit's auto show. In this scene, a maroon Sable wagon sits on a raised round platform. Note the distinctive rear-window treatment. Sable was again similar to Ford's Taurus.
New for 1995, a dark Riviera coupe faces the camera at the Buick exhibit space. Built on the same platform as the new Oldsmobile Aurora, the '95 Riviera was nine inches longer and 1.9 inches wider than its predecessor and came with either a regular or a supercharged 3.8-liter V-6 engine. Various other Buicks are visible far to the rear, including the XP2000 concept car. A large display at right promotes "Buick Vision" and "building relationships."
New for 1995, a Riviera coupe sits on a raised platform at the left in this scene at Buick's display space. Built on the same platform as the new Oldsmobile Aurora, the '95 Riviera was nine inches longer and 1.9 inches wider than its predecessor and came with either a regular or a supercharged 3.8-liter V-6 engine. In the center, a Regal with sunroof faces toward the camera. Various other Buicks can be seen toward the rear, but all cars in this shot are small in size, as the foreground is mainly carpeting.
A red Eldorado coupe, facing away from the camera on a raised round platform, is the centerpiece of this scene at the Cadillac exhibit space. Toward the rear, sitting on the show floor, are a DeVille Concours sedan at left and a white Seville STS to its right. Eldorados used two versions of Cadillac's Northstar V-8 engine.
Introduced in spring of 1994 as an early '95 model, an Aurora sedan nearly fills this scene at the Oldsmobile display space. The new front-drive luxury sedan shared its platform with the also-new Buick Riviera coupe. A 4.0-liter dual-overhead-cam V-8 engine delivered 250 horsepower.
Only the upper portion of a red convertible, with its top down to reveal a matching red interior, is visible in this scene at the Pontiac display space. Without question, though, it's a Firebird convertible. Note the meager back seat, which doesn't look especially comfortable. Several additional Pontiac cars can be seen toward the rear, including a white Sunfire coupe--redesigned for 1995--at far right. Another white Sunfire sits on a tilted, elevated platform at left rear.
A white SW station wagon is the sole vehicle in this scene at the Saturn display space. A bicycle has been mounted atop its roof rack. Saturns were available with a single-cam or dual-overhead-cam four-cylinder engine, developing either 100 or 124 horsepower. A passenger airbag was new this year.
A white Chrysler Sebring coupe sits on a raised platform, as part of an elaborate configuration at the Chrysler-Plymouth display space. New for 1995, the Sebring was related to the also-new Dodge Avenger. Another Sebring is pictured at far left. Also note the minivan on the large raised platform.
Lettering on its door indicates this this red Viper is affiliated with the Skip Barber Driving School. Viper was now in its fourth season as a production "retro" sports car, with a 400-horsepower V-10 engine and six-speed manual transmission. Various Dodge models can be seen far to the rear.
Long shot down the aisle on the lower level reveals glimpses of several vehicles on either side. Note the "1995" numerals embedded into the carpeting in the foreground.
A maroon subcompact Integra sedan sits in the foreground of this scene at the Acura display space. Special Edition versions of the Integra were added this year. To the rear, on a raised round platform, is a 3.2TL sedan, ready for debut as a 1996 model.
Two Audi vehicles are featured in this scene on the lower level. Both are compact 90 sedans: silver-toned in the right foreground, and maroon at left.
A Geo Metro sedan, with its doors removed to reveal the interior, is featured in this scene at the lower-level space for Chevrolet's import division. Redesigned for 1995, Metro now had dual airbags and anti-lock brakes. Signs point out the Metro's construction details. Note the two doors at right, standing alone.
No Bugattis had been produced since a limited number had appeared in 1951, but a modern sports car of that name turned up at the Chicago Auto Show in 1994 and ‘95. Regular production was anticipated, but only a handful of Bugattis actually were built over the next several years.
A red subcompact Civic EX sedan sits at right in this scene at the upper-level display space for Honda automobiles. The rear end of a larger Accord sedan is visible at left. On the raised platform is an Odyssey minivan, introduced as a 1995 model. The back end of a Passport sport-utility vehicle can be seen at far right, off in the distance. Civics also came in 2-door form.
All the cars are tiny in this scene, shot from far across the aisle, but the featured attraction is the yellow HCDIII concept coupe. One of a series of show cars from the South Korean manufacturer, the HCDIII had a roll-top roof and a rear deck that lifted like a trunk lid or folded down like a step. An adjustable suspension could raise the vehicle for off-roading. Note the large Hyundai logos positioned around the display area.
Jaguar's impressive display unit, complete with leaping Jaguar, dominates the left-hand side of this scene. In the center is an XJ sedan, redesigned for 1995. Four versions were available: XJ6 and Vanden Plas with six-cylinder engines, XJ12 with a V-12, and XJR with a supercharged six.
Doors and the left-hand portion of the roof have been removed from a Lexus LS 400 sedan, to highlight the interior details of the "flagship" model, which was redesigned for 1995.
A red Esprit S4 coupe, seen from overhead, fills this scene at the lower-level space for British-built Lotus sports cars.
A row of Mazdas, noses poking toward the aisle, is the focal point of this scene. The two cars in the foreground are Millenia sedans, ahead of a subcompact Protege and a black RX-7 coupe. The red convertible far to the rear is Mazda's concept M Speedster.
Close-up shot features nothing other than a racing car at the Mercedes-Benz exhibit space, with logos from Mobil 1, Bosche, Goodyear and Marlboro, as well as the Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star.
A black 3000GT sport coupe with tall rear spoiler sits in the left foreground of Mitsubishi's upper-level space. To its rear is a white 3000GT. At right, on a raised platform, is an Eclipse convertible, being readied for introduction as a 1996 model to join the existing Eclipse coupe.
New for 1995, a white Avalon sedan sits in the center of this scene, on a raised round platform, at Toyota's upper-level display space. Designed for the U.S. market, Avalon was built on an extended Camry platform. Another Avalon faces away from the camera at right. The red coupe on an elevated display platform is a mid-size Camry, and the purple convertible is a Celica
A red Supra with its roof panels removed is the featured attraction of this scene at Toyota's upper-level display space. Note the coupe's tall rear spoiler. Several additional Toyota models are visible, including a dark Avalon sedan at lower left.
Acura’s CL-X concept car was designed exclusively in the USA by a special project team at Honda R&D North America's Los Angeles design studio. Styling utilized a strong center character line to compliment a sculpted wedge design. Interior featured wrap-around instrumentation, and the sports coupe wore special carbon fiber and aluminum composite wheels, 18-inch front and 19-inch rear, to enhance styling while improving cornering capabilities.
Entering into the computer age, Buick released the futuristic Questor concept vehicle in 1995 that showcased the latest in emerging electronic. Features included a special programmed laser key that unlocked the doors, an automatic adjusting light-sensitive windshield, navigation center for monitoring maps, self-adjusting rear spoiler, and rear view miniature solid state TV camera. Variable car positions enabled the Questor to be adjusted robotically from a lowered, theft-deterrent park setting to a personalized driving position.
One of the most beautiful of recent concept cars, the Chrysler Atlantic recalled the styling of the classic Bugatti grand tourer of the same name. With its sculpted body, the Atlantic wore huge chrome wheels, and was powered by a straight-eight engine that was constructed with two Chrysler Neon fours. At four liters, the Atlantic engine produced an estimated 325 horsepower delivered through an Autostick hybrid transmission that allowed assisted manual shifting or fully automatic operation. The car was shown in a deep gold paint scheme that highlighted its gorgeously sculpted body.
Created to honor the historic GT40 racing car, the GT90 was a mid-engine exotic supercar that pumped out a whopping 720 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. Mated to a Ferguson 5-speed racing transaxle, the GT90 shot to 60-miles per hour in 3.1 seconds, and the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds at 140 miles per hour. Featuring Ford's 'edge design" styling, the GT90 used a variable rear spoiler, high-intensity discharge headlights and ionized-gas discharge taillights. Inside the leather trimmed 2-seater cockpit were racing bucket seats, 4-point harnesses, a floating instrument cluster and 10-speaker sound system.
Plymouth released the small Backpack pickup truck concept in time to appear at the 1995 Chicago Auto Show. Based on Neon underpinnings, the 2+2 Backpack featured a MoPar 2-liter OHC 4-cylinder engine that produces 135 horsepower.
Painted 'banana yellow' was not the only reason the Neon Expresso concept car was a crowd-pleaser during the 1994 Chicago Auto Show. With cartoonish porportions, there was nothing else quite like its tall greenhouse and bubble windows. Constructed from a shortened Neon platform, Expresso was a full two feet shorter than the production Neon, but was also 15 inches taller. A Neon 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine powered the front drive prototype, with 132 horsepower.