CLEVELAND, Ohio — This is the time of year when motorists in these parts start wondering whether that white sheen of road salt residue coating their vehicles is actually an improvement — sort of like macadam makeup, hiding the blemishes of age and hard motoring in the Rust Belt.
They might wonder how it would feel to hit the road, once winter has abated, in something shiny, sleek and just plain new.
If you’re among those car-weary drivers, the 2017 Cleveland Auto Show, Feb. 24 to March 5, could be just the preview of the highway lifestyle you’re looking for.
Exhibits of more than two dozen vehicle manufacturers once again will fill the I-X Center, 6200 Riverside Drive, with a gleaming array of four-wheeled form, function, fantasy and fun.
The event, presented by AutoTrader.com, also features a variety of special features and attractions, celebrity appearances, competitions and the chance to get behind the wheel for a test drive inside or outside the venue, or even a cruise through Monument Valley, Arizona, courtesy of virtual reality.
The Cleveland Auto Show is a Northeast Ohio tradition dating back to 1903, when the first was held in February at Gray’s Armory in downtown Cleveland, featuring 15 locally made automobiles, in addition to about 60 cars from other manufacturers across the country.
Unlike today’s show, back then you could buy a car right off the exhibit floor. One can only imagine the pitches that went into moving hometown products when Cleveland was the original Motor City.
Hey pal, did you know that the Winton Bullet set the land speed record of 70 mph right here in Cleveland? I could put you in one of those deluxe racing machines right now.
A few other ghosts of the past accompany the show, in its 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space — an area that produced parts for B-29 bombers during World War II, the Walker Bulldog tank in the Korean War and armored personnel carriers.
Your “road map” to the 2017 Cleveland Auto Show includes . . .
Getting there
* Hours: Opening day Friday, Feb. 24, 5-10 p.m.; Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
* Cost: Regular adult tickets are $13; seniors (62 plus) and preteens (7-12), $11; children 6 and under free. Parking is free. Tickets are available at the box office or online at secure.interactiveticketing.com/1.15/98bbe4/#/select.
Attractions
* Ride ‘n’ Drives: Indoors, Camp Jeep features professional 4×4 drivers chauffeuring participants in Jeep products around a course that includes a hill climb up the 18-foot high, 35-degree Jeep Mountain. Also inside, the Ram Key track has a hill climb up the 13-foot high, 30-yard long, 30-degree Ram Mountain.
Outdoor test drives are being offered by Chevrolet, Ford, Kia, Mazda, Subaru, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep and Ram.
* Millionaire’s Row: For those with a champagne budget, this exhibit presented by Bernie Moreno Companies may feature a Porsche Macan GTS, Aston Vulcan, Rolls Royce Wraith Black Badge, McLaren 570s and Aston Martin DB11.
* Competitions: Featured are the 18th annual Classic Car Competition, held in the Classic Concourse on the lower level, and 25th annual Automotive Technology Competition (on Feb. 26) with student teams vying from the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center, Lorain County JVS, Polaris Career Center, Portage Lakes Career Center and Valley Forge High School.
Special Features
- Grab the wheel of a real Challenger at the Dodge display for a simulated hot lap as you shift through gears and race for the fastest time.
- Take a realistic virtual reality test drive in a 2017 Honda Civic Si. Drivers will be able to experience how the car feels, accelerates and stops on a stretch of highway in Monument Valley, Arizona.
- A LEGO Batmobile will be featured at the Chevrolet display. The creation is 17 feet long, almost seven feet high and over nine feet wide. It took 222 hours to design, and 1,833 hours to build, using 344,187 LEGO bricks of 17 different colors.
Special days
- Hero’s Day is opening day, 5-10 p.m., when active and veteran military personnel, plus police, fire, and other safety and security personnel, will be admitted free with a valid ID.
- Family Day, presented by Medical Mutual, is on Feb. 27, when everyone age 15 and under gets in free.
Celebrity appearances
- Cavaliers forward Kevin Love will sign autographs in the GMC display on Feb. 26 from 5-6:30 p.m.
- Indians baseball legend Kenny Lofton will be in the Buick display on Feb. 28 from 6-8 p.m. Autographs will be limited to the official signing cards available on site.
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