Good times roll in LA - after a while

We feared a slow start at the LA motor show, but it turns out simply to be because American hacks don't get up early.

It's now lunchtime and the buzz around 'halo' stands, mainly European and especially Jaguar Land Rover, has reached very healthy proportions.

Though JLR's principal offerings - long wheelbase Range Rover and F-type Coupe - were both expected and sensible, they still seem to have had huge impact. CEO Ralf Speth surprised people with an emotional address this morning, and was warmly applauded.

Afterwards, people seem to hang around these days just to feel the love. Sit still full of amazement at last night's "Hollywood" VIP event, which featured an F-type, complete with amplified exhaust, accelerating toward the crowd, and just at the point when it was obvious wouldn't be able to stop, disappeared into a tunnel under the stands.

Porsche 's Macan gained lots of interest and respect, though it was hardly surprising. Porsche usually telegraphs it's big moves, and it did so this time. But it seems to have found a genuine niche for the car, claimed to be "easily" the quickest and sportiest to drive in a class where demand is predicted to continue expanding.

Much of the other reveals - various Mercedes and AMG-Mercedes creations , for instance - have been seen elsewhere but we're none the worse for that.

Ran into British designer Niki Smart, forever famous as the creator of the Ariel Atom concept - whose lovely Cadillac Elmiraj, revealed earlier this year, is currently being assessed for production as a saloon

Funny place, LA. Manufacturers crowd here to sell expensive cars to influential, well-heeled punters. But it's not a centre of car creation - as opposed to customisation - and a trip around the 2013 motor show, though thoroughly enjoyable, reminds you of that.

Steve Cropley

Title: Editor-in-chief

Steve Cropley is the oldest of Autocar’s editorial team, or the most experienced if you want to be polite about it. He joined over 30 years ago, and has driven many cars and interviewed many people in half a century in the business.

Cropley, who regards himself as the magazine’s “long stop”, has seen many changes since Autocar was a print-only affair, but claims that in such a fast moving environment he has little appetite for looking back.

He has been surprised and delighted by the generous reception afforded the My Week In Cars podcast he makes with long suffering colleague Matt Prior, and calls it the most enjoyable part of his working week.

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