The 2012 New York International Auto Show was held April 6 through 15. I attended it on April 10. Practically all the automakers who sell their products in the United States were represented, with Ferrari and Maserati being notable exceptions.

Of the cars exhibited at the show, the ones I "most wanted to take home, drive and keep" were (1) the all-new 2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S, (2) the 2012 Bentley Continental GT V8 and (3) the all-new 2013 Porsche Boxster. I consider these realistic and usable aspiration cars rather than far-out, pie-in-the-sky dream machines. Among the other desirable automobiles at the show, the 2013 Subaru BRZ gets an "honorable mention" from me for being both outstanding and bargain-priced. I think (20120417) it will be a strong contender for the various major "car of the year" awards, along with the new 911 and, to a lesser extent, the new Boxster and the upcoming second-generation Cayman.

The most expensive brand-new car at the show was no doubt the $2 million 2012 Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. But it was not the most valuable automobile on display. Worth several times more in monetary terms was a blue 1962 AC Shelby Cobra prototype, CSX2000, the original Cobra, still owned by Carroll Shelby. This historically significant car first appeared at the New York Auto Show in April 1962, with a pearlescent yellow paint job by Dean Jeffries.

Knowing I was going to get in and out of various newly introduced cars all day, I brought along my compact Nikon Coolpix P7100 instead of my bulkier Nikon D300. As usual, I did not use a tripod to shoot the photos featured in this gallery. All were resized for online viewing. Note that the images and other content here are protected by copyright laws. All rights are reserved. Unauthorized use, copying, printing or direct linking is prohibited.

>>> CLICK ON A THUMBNAIL PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT, AFTER WHICH YOU CAN MANUALLY GO FORWARD OR BACKWARD TO THE OTHER IMAGES IN THIS GALLERY. THE PICTURES HERE CAN ALSO BE VIEWED AS A SELF-ADVANCING SLIDESHOW, BUT MINUS THE TECHNICAL AND OTHER DETAILS. SEE THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THIS WINDOW. HAPPY VIEWING! <<<