New Corvette Grabs Attention as S.F. International Auto Show Opens

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- At the 62nd annual San Francisco International Auto Show, dozens of companies from around the world -- think Fords, Fiats, Ferrari -- are vying to catch your eye.

This year's star of the show is a Chevy. Auto Show director Kevin Diamond says it's not just any Chevy, it's a Corvette.

"We've got the new Corvette, the C 8."

For the first time in the long history of the Corvette, the engine is no longer in front. It's now a mid-engine sports car. The body is radically different from anything Chevy has produced before. This is not a prototype. It's the final production model -- the one you can buy.

The Aston Martin club is where you'll find a collection of cars identical to the ones in various James Bond films, like a 2005 Vanquish S.

Aston Martin owner Paul Tomkins said, "I had the opportunity to pick one up used a few years ago and I thought, you know, mid-life crises, go for it!".

Aston Martin club member, Thomas Mulhall said there are historic cars too.

"Grace Slick used to own this car and the rumor is she had crashed it while racing her manager in a Jaguar going across the Golden Gate Bridge."

California Highway Patrol officer Jeremy Maya, who was manning the CHP display, said, "Once in awhile we see these really high-end cars on the road ... A beautiful car does draw my attention."

The show runs through Monday, Dec. 2, at Moscone Center in San Francisco.