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Frankfurt, Tokyo, Los Angeles and now
Detroit. Big auto shows around the world show off their
production and concept cars to media and the public
in hopes that the publicity will increase their sales.
In press conferences they expound on their past accomplishments
and brag about their expectations for the future. Each
manufacturer tries to outdo the other with spectacular
shows. Some go with flashing lights, loud music and
scantily clad women, while others simple parade out
their top executives and designers who point to and
describe remarkable features of the cars. Or, like most,
they try to combine all of the above. The shows are
fun for journalists and they leave with press kits to
promote the companies' products.
For those of us who collect press kits, the shows are
not as productive as they were a few years ago. Technology
has not been our friend. Elaborate press kits stuffed
with photographs and lots of text, many done in novel
ways that made them well worth collecting, are now a
thing of the past. Most press kits are a folder with
a CD-ROM diskette. When handed out it is always pointed
out that everything, plus more, is on the media website.
Maybe a trinket of some kind will also be passed out,
but the thrill of receiving a valuable keepsake is absent.
The golden age of the press kit was in the 1990s and
early 2000s. Collectors are now realizing that those
were the "good old days" and that press kits
are becoming history. Now, with high oil prices and
environmental concerns, the automobile has begun its
"green period". Those old press kits are now
headed for the nostalgia period in auto enthusiasts
lives and collectors like to preserve memories.
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| 2005
Acura |
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| 1998
Aston Martin |
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| 2000
Bugatti |
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| 1997
Cadillac |
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| 1998
Cadillac |
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| 1993
Chevrolet |
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| 1997
Chevrolet |
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| 1999
Chevrolet |
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| 2005
Chrysler |
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| 2003
Dodge |
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| 1993
Ferrari |
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| 2004
Ferrari |
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| 2005
Ferrari |
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| 1997
Honda |
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| 1997
Infiniti |
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| 1998
Lamborghini |
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| 2002
Lamborghini |
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| 2005
Lamborghini |
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| 1997
Lincoln |
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| 2005
Maybach |
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| 1991
Mercedes-Benz |
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| 1997
Mercedes-Benz |
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| 1999
Mercury |
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| 1997
Oldsmobile |
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| 1999
Plymouth |
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| 1993
Pontiac |
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| 1999
Pontiac |
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| 1998
Porsche |
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| 2003
Porsche |
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| 2004
Porsche |
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| 2005
Rolls-Royce |
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| 2004
Shelby |
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| 2005
Volkswagen |
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