Let me begin by stating that I am not your average 'car guy'. I do not drive, nor can I explain in any great detail how an engine works. I am, and always have been, however, obsessed with the aesthetic of cars.

Toronto's Autoshow is always a bit of a let down for me, as the glamor of car unveiling's is usually saved for other cities. Added to this for 2009 is the current economic crisis, with major manufacturers nixing models left right and centre. This being said, there were some very enjoyable points to my visit this year.

I used a combination of ultra wide-angle, portrait, and selective focus SLR lenses throughout the day, in order to capture some of the more interesting elements of the event.

I began in the Skydome...err...Rogers Centre at the Nissan display, where they presented their new line alongside an old Datsun (the company that would become Nissan):

The field-level displays seemed to go on forever, but casting a glance upward immediately reminded me how small an area the displays actually covered...

Perhaps some of the most eye (or ear)-catching cars still on the road today are the beautiful, if somewhat harsh muscle cars:

An iconic name in Mustang history, Shelby:

Two letters that let you know a Chrysler means business:

Less muscle, more lipstick, an old T-Bird:

The other two main display buildings belong to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, a short sky-walk away. Since I am not in this area of the city too often, I often forget the wonderful views along the way...

At this point, I decided to take a look at some more Japanese cars.

I quite like Acura's controversial new designs...

Much more exciting than in years past:

Even if you're not looking to buy a car, there are many items at much lower price-points; you wouldn't believe how cathartic 5 minutes of slot-car racing can be.

And for the purely aesthetic auto enthusiast like myself, die-cast models do just fine.

Why portly, balding, middle-aged men are attracted to convertibles is absolutely beyond me:

Some Italian passion (the story of rivalry between these two iconic sports car brands is quite an interesting one):

I then decided to go visit two other rivals, BMW and Mercedes. While Bimmer tried to show off its green-aspirations with its 'Efficient Dynamics' vehicles, Mercedes would rather show their biceps, with the mean new AMG 'Black' series...

Both companies brought their little brothers in tow, Mini and Smart respectively:

Design-wise, in my opinion, Audi trounces both of the previous luxury car companies...

There is much that I didn't get to see, but by this point I was actually starting to get sick of cars - not something I would ever own up to easily. The Autoshow continues on until the 22nd of this month, if you are so inclined.

Despite one's personal views on the environmental footprint the automobile has left, one cannot deny the importance of these machines; that we have gotten to a stage where form can meet function in so elegant a manner ensures that my own personal love of cars will last a lifetime.

As we move on to newer, cleaner, more renewable resources, we should not look with disdain on the car's very necessary evolution; as famed cultural and urban theorist Paul Virilio put it, "technical progress inevitably escalates negative aspects inherent in it. For instance, the invention of the aeroplane is also the invention of the plane crash."