The RainyDayGarage guys braved the storm and drove from Boston to NYC on Tuesday for the NYIAS today. Our main purpose of the trip was to get a live look at the new Porsche offerings. We secretly hoped that there would be a Boxster Spyder or a 918 at the show. The trip down was uneventful except for the one section of I95 in Rhode Island that was flooded because of the heavy rain. The Boxster forded the small lake which formed at the underpass and came out of it with no noticeable damage.

Today, we got to the show relatively early as Porsche's press conference wasn't until 2PM. We love attending on Press Day because we get a chance to see everything without having to step on any small children or little dogs. Another reason is many of the exhibitors have free food, beverages, and other goodies at booths to entice us to stop and chat. We will always stop for a free mimosa or two (Thank you Lexus).

Ford made their big announcement of their "HOHM" venture with Microsoft right when we were walking in. The two companies are teaming up to implement the Microsoft Hohm energy management application for Ford’s electric vehicles. Ford is the first automaker announcing the use of Hohm, starting with the Focus Electric next year. Hohm will help owners determine when and how to most efficiently and affordably recharge battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV). It also should help utility companies manage the added demands of electric vehicles on the grid.

While none are yet for sale, electric vehicles were more "real" this year than previous years. There was even a test track set up so the press could take different ones around the course to see how they feel. It is still amazing to us how whisper quiet they are. Some will lament the disappearance of the "vroom-vroom", but we love the peace and calm of moving in silence.

Those who love the throaty roar of traditionally-fueled vehicles have little to fear. The gas-guzzling supercars will be with us for some time to come if Manhattan Motorcars has any say in the matter. Those guys always have an awesome collection of outrageous vehicles on display. This year was no exception.

In fact, quite a few drool-worthy luxury sports car caught our eyes this year. The first in the list is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing. This car is every bit as beautiful as the 1955 300SL Gullwing we saw at the MFA.

Next was a silver sculpture from Infiniti. We were just wandering around when the display caught our eye. We never did get the name of it. Maybe we did, but after a few mimosas, our memory got a little fuzzy. If you know, drop us a note.

Rolls Royce, Audi, and Lexus all had models which we found head-turning for one reason or another. With the Rolls, it was the tricked-out door. The Audi snagged us with the look of the rear engine cover. The Lexus stopped us in our tracks with its matte metallic paint job.

We have only presented a small fraction of the cool cars we saw today. There are tons (literally) more to see at the show. If you love cars and will be in NYC this weekend, the NYIAS at the Jacob Javits Center is definitely worth putting on your list. However, do know that they typically get over a million visitors for this event...so plan accordingly. [Permalink] -NYIAS: Day 1