The 2008 New York Auto Show is the four-wheeled version of CES for computer geeks or that adult video trade show in Vegas–there’s plenty to stare at and fondle and you get to be one of the lucky few to get up close and personal with the hottest models you’ve been reading about. After the jump we’ll take a look at what this year’s show (which wraps up Sunday night March 30 at 7PM) and some of what you’ll find if you can make it the Javits Center in NYC this weekend.

The New York Auto Show has something for the gearhead in all of us. Are you interested in the hottest debuts in NYC? Concept Cars? How about the latest in alternative fuel technology? Nobody scoffs at the electric car anymore, the proof is in NYC. There’s too much eye candy here to cover comprehensively, but if you get to the Big Apple this weekend, here’s a small taste of what awaits, with pictures courtesy of the New York Auto Show PR site and the manufacturers themselves:

New York Debuts

At the 2008 show, BMW unveiled its Concept CS, a Gran Turismo style ride. Check out the sharkface on this baby! BMW also gave the NYC debut to its M3 Convertible:

The M3 is a 4.0 liter V8, a hard-charging version of the compact BMW 3-series and while some of us aren’t wild about battleship white, we’re guessing you won’t even see the color once you get behind the wheel.

Concept Cars

The Honda CR-Z (Compact Renaissance Zero) is a gas-electric hybrid due in North America by 2009. It’s lightweight and heavy on futuristic style. LED headlights, 19 inch wheels and a big step into the future, even if it doesn’t transform into a jet or a helicopter.

The Ford Verve is sporty, small and fuel efficient. This 1.4 liter has sketchy details but headed to the US sometime in 2010. Sure, it’s not as George Lucas-looking as the Honda CS-Z, but this has a definite appeal to those of us in the urban jungle stuck with tight parking and a real need for fuel economy.

Hybrids

The Saab BioPower Hybrid is based on the concept of a fossil-fuel free design that’s powered by bioethanol combined with a battery hybrid system to increase range and mileage. Exciting news for green-minded drivers who want their earth-friendly power packed into a Saab 9-3 convertible.

The Lexus LS600hL hybrid is getting rave reviews for its quiet running. It’s a 5.0-liter V8 with a 221 horsepower electric motor. Zero to 60 in five and a half seconds. It’s got a six figure price tag, so if you have to ask how much, you probably ought to settle for a Mini-Cooper.

That’s just a tiny taste of what’s in store for you at the Auto Show in NYC. Get yourself a quick flight or train to Penn Station and hop in a cab for the short ride to the Javits Center. That taxi will be the crappiest car you see all day, but you can console yourself on the ride back to the hotel with all the photos you took–this show is camera-friendly. A word to the wise, though–backpacks are not allowed. For maximum convenience, you can order tickets online and pick them up at the ticket booth inside the Javits Center. And be sure to send us some love from the convention…

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