Dallas Auto Show - February 2014 (part 1/2) March 04 2014

All the major manufacturers showed up in force at the Dallas Convention Center to show off their latest and greatest cars. From convertibles to grocery haulers, from Kia to Bentley, there was a wide variety of vehicles present. These are our favorite photos from the show.

On home turf, the American manufacturers made a showing. This ZL1 convertible shares the same 688 hp as the Corvette ZR1.

Unfortunately, with all that engine shrouding, the engine isn't really much to look at.

The new Corvette Stingray looked awesome in this shade of blue.

Ford showed up with the 5.0 Mustang, but unfortunately didn't bring any Shelby Mustangs.

The Challenger pulls off the retro musclecar look better than most other manufacturers.

One cool thing about the Challenger is the "shaker" hood scoop. The scoop is actually attached to the engine, and isn't part of the hood. When the engine revs, it shakes and rumbles, and the scoop moves along with it.

Here is a purple Challenger without the shaker hood scoop.

Vipers are just plain cool looking. I'll never forget the time a Viper turned our BMW E36 M3 into a moving chicane. A tip of the hat goes to Dodge ...I mean SRT, for only offering the car with a proper manual gearbox. If you agree, you might like this.

The engine is the center of the car. Displacing 8.4 liters, and making 640 horsepower, this engine is a beast.

Mitsubishi showed up with their latest Evo X.

An Evo club also had a handful of cars on display. Most were Evo VIII and IX.

This Pilot was equipped to take on all kinds of adventures and excursions.

Subaru was also there with their latest Impreza WRX STI.

Mazda had a simulator to play with. You get to take one lap around (try to guess it) Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca in a (try to guess) Mazda Miata MX-5 Cup Car.

Moving into the European section of the show, Aston Martin was there with their latest offerings. Compared to other cars at similar price points, the Astons usually lose out in performance, but how can you argue with gorgeous?

Various dealerships also brought their cars. We liked this yellow Maserati. They are actually somewhat of a steal on the used market, but the catch is that the maintenance costs are Ferrari-like.

The new Porsche Macan Turbo. We'd take a sports car over an SUV any day of the week, but if we needed a SUV for hauling the 911 to the track or picking up a rebuilt engine, we would be okay with this. Porsche had some of the best looking models in the show.

Hands down, the sexiest Porsche model at the show. This 911 GT3 Cup looks awesome.

Those thin-spoked centerlock wheels leave little to the imagination. Look at those brakes.

The new Cayman looks great. Arguably the better chassis than the 911 because of it's mid-engine layout, it will always be eclipsed by the 911's powerplant and Porsche's refusal to let it outshine the 911. Despite all these tasty offering from Porsche, no 918 was on hand to be viewed.

Stay tuned for part 2, where we visit Audi, McLaren, BMW, Cadillac, Mercedes and Pagani. Yes, Pagani.