THE OFFICIAL WEBPAGE
OF ROBERT D. WEST
Portland International Auto Shows 97-00
During my high school years, my dad and I went to the Portland International Auto Show at the Oregon Convention Center in downtown Portland, Oregon every year from 1997 to 2000. As this was in the days before digital cameras, I only took a few pictures each year. Most of the subjects are interesting, however, so I have put them all together on this page.
1997 Portland International Auto Show
The
fifth-generation of the Chevrolet Corvette was new in
1997, which was big news as the previous generation dated back to 1984.
The
Chevrolet Camaro wasn't new in 1997, but in the form of a
red convertible, it was still cool.
It
wasn't a brand new model, but in 1997 the Chrysler Sebring
Convertible was still new enough to be placed on a podium at
Chrysler's display.
The
Dodge Viper wasn't new in 1997, but it had seen a facelift
the year before, and gained a hardtop coupe model. At any rate, it was
still really cool.
In
1997, the Plymouth Prowler was brand new, and came in only
one color: Prowler Purple.
Like
the Chevrolet Camaro, the Pontiac Firebird wasn't new in
1997, but it was still a cool car.
1998 Portland International Auto Show
In
1998 the Chevrolet Camaro was given a facelift, with
aerodynamic flush headlights replacing the recessed headlights that had
been a Camaro trademark since the previous generation debuted in 1982.
Dodge
Dakota Sidewinder concept car was created in 1997. It is
basically a pickup-version of the Dodge Viper, using the Viper's engine
in a rear-wheel-drive pickup.
Despite
not being changed much for 1998, the Dodge Viper was still
really cool.
1998
was a big year for the Ford Crown Victoria, as it saw a
major change to the styling of the aerodynamic body that debuted in
1992. In addition to major facelifts to the front and rear, the roofline
and windows were also changed to match that of the Mercury Grand
Marquis. The Crown Victoria would keep this same basic styling with very
little change for the next decade.
The
Ford Escort had been redesigned for 1997, but 1998 saw the addition of
the all-new Ford Escort ZX2 coupe. The ZX2 took the place
of the Ford Probe.
Ford
had a preview of new Ford F-Series Super Duty version of
the popular pickup. Though the regular F-150 and F-250 were all new in
1997, the all new Super Duty trucks were not available until 1999.
The
Isuzu VehiCROSS came to America in 1998, and this
very-limited production sport-utility vehicle was essentially a concept
car.
The
Jeep Icon concept car was created in 1997 to explore the
styling possibilities of future Jeep Wrangler models.
The
Lincoln Town Car gained a new aerodynamic body in 1998,
the same body that it would continue to use for the next decade with
little change.
Mercury
had a preview of the all-new Mercury Cougar. The
Thunderbird-based Cougar had ended production in 1997, and this new,
very different Cougar would appear as a 1999 model.
Another
newcomer for 1998 was the all-new retro-styled Volkswagen New
Beetle, which got a lot of attention.
1999 Portland International Auto Show
The
Dodge Copperhead concept car was created in 1997, but
didn't make it to Portland until 1999. It is a V6 powered sports car,
kind-of a Viper-lite, that probably would have been intended to complete
with the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, had it made it to
production.
The
Ford Mustang was restyled for 1999, with more angular
lines that gave it a bit more of a resemblance to classic Mustangs,
particularly in the side moldings and the taillights.
Lincoln
had an advance model of the all-new 2000 Lincoln LS, which
was intended to compete with the BMW 5-series.
By
1999, the Porsche Boxster roadster had been around for a
couple years, but it was still cool, and this might have been the first
time that Porsche's were displayed at the Portland show. It was
definitely the first time I noticed them.
Of
course, if the Boxster's there, it only makes since that the
Porsche 911 would be there too, though, like the Boxster, this
version of the 911 wasn't brand new either, having been introduced the
year before.
2000 Portland International Auto Show
The
2000 show might have featured the first version of what has now become a
standard feature of the Portland show: the Exotics Gallery. Thus, this
1991 Ferrari F40 was one of of a small group of exotic
sports cars on display in the lobby. Though already 9 years old, the F40
was still as impressive as ever (though I remember it being smaller than
I expected).
Alongside
the F40, was a more contemporary Ferrari, the Ferrari 360 Modena,
which had been introduced in 1999, and was (somewhat) more readily
obtainable than the F40.
1999
was the last year of the largely-aluminum Panoz AIV Roadster,
but there was one on display here, as some still remained to be sold in
2000.
Though
it is difficult to see in the photograph, this 2000 Porsche 911
featured a dark blue metallic pearlescent color shifting paint, that
looked slightly green or gold depending on how the light hit it.
Related Links:
Portland International Auto Show
Metro Portland New Car Dealers Association
Also See:
2008 Portland International Auto Show
2007 Portland International Auto Show
2006 Portland International Auto Show
All website content, including graphics and pictures are © Robert D. West unless otherwise noted. Content is not to be used out of the context of this webpage without expressed permission. Any opinions expressed herein are mine and are not necessarily shared by the Milwaukee School of Engineering, or anyone else.
Questions? Comments? Critiques? Corrections? Concerns? Email me at westr@msoe.edu.