It's the inevitable risk of holding a major auto show in a Northern city in the dead of winter: It might snow. And it usually does — if not while the national media are in town kvetching about the cold, then certainly when the public is invited in to kick tires.
At this year's Chicago Auto Show, it looked like some automakers were ready for it. Nissan used the show to highlight a one-off concept roadster it called the 370Zki, which traded in the 2018 370Z's four wheels for a set of rear-drive tracks and front skis. General Motors' GMC brand showed a heavy-duty Sierra concept pickup it called the "All Mountain," equipped with four tank tracks instead of wheels. Rival Ford kept the wheels on a heavily-modified F-550 Super Duty, but added more of them for increased heft and traction.
Any of these vehicles would be immune to all but a cataclysmic snowfall — maybe even a snow-pocalypse. But it's important to remember that, even in the clutches of winter's icy grip, pitchers and catchers of all MLB teams report this week for spring training.
You can reach Larry P. Vellequette at lvellequette@crain.com -- Follow Larry P. on Twitter: @LarryVellequett
