DETROIT -- The North American International Auto Show still manages to shock.

And it doesn't matter whether you're looking for the best or the worst vehicles on the show floor.

The biggest showstopper is the Cadillac Converj -- spelling aside, this concept car was hands down the best in show. It's the kind of car you want to go back and check out again. And you should. This car is an LED screamer on wheels. It's designers gone wild without the morning-after hangover. With solar panels on its glass roof, rear view cameras instead of exterior mirrors, and 21-inch tires in the front and 22s in the rear, the Converj is part car, part starship.

It's what we want from an auto show, and the Converj earns best of show among our picks.

With carmakers facing tough economic roads, outrageous concept cars of the past are gone. Many now are production-ready prototypes with different grilles and fancier dashboards. Just go look at the Subaru Legacy concept or the Fisker Karma S; tooling could begin tomorrow.

The Converj, however, stretches the imagination and stirs up lust in the hearts of gear heads. It's bad in all the good ways.

It uses the same powertrain as the much bally-hoed but sedate-looking Volt -- a 16-kilowatt battery pack with 220 lithium ion cells, an electric motor and a four-cylinder engine/generator to drive the car. General Motors Corp. says it has the 40-mile electric only range.

There's no word on whether the Converj, a 2+2 seater, will be produced, but we can hope.

The Converj wasn't the only vehicle that made us want to go faster.

There is a host of electric and eco-friendly vehicles with more technology under their hoods than an Apollo moon mission rocket. There are still loads of horsepower and muscle on display, too. (Though some would have you think it's just politically incorrect to look too long at them. It's not.)

Now, there may be some cars that you think should be among our pick as the best. But my hands were tied. I love that black Camaro too, but it was struck from consideration because it first appeared in Las Vegas at the Specialty Equipment Market Association trade show. To qualify for our unofficial 2009 selections, the vehicle had to have been introduced at the Detroit show.

Choosing the best hybrid proved easier than I thought. The Lexus HS 250h was the only hybrid that didn't look like a Prius, so naturally I found it more appealing. While the Prius may have the iconic looks, they are not ultimately appreciated by me. The 50 mpg combined fuel economy, however, may get people to over look those flat side panels. The Lexus demonstrates that one doesn't have to sacrifice a good interior just to save gas.

The best production vehicle proved more difficult to select. I liked the Buick LaCrosse and found myself especially fond of the Mini Convertible. It's a convertible, and it's so mini. But ultimately, I have to pick the one car I can never afford: the Jaguar XFR. The XF is a beautiful machine, one that instills hope in the British brand. The XFR is faster -- touting 510 horsepower and a top speed of 225 mph. In my book, fast cars finish first.

But super fast may just be too much. The most ridiculous vehicle on the Cobo Center floor is the Mercedes Benz McLaren SLR Stirling Moss. Many onlookers said the 650-horsepower supercharged V-8 looked like the Mach 1 of Speed Racer fame. While cartoonish for certain, the Stirling Moss reminded me of a car Ace and Gary might use to fight crime as The Ambiguously Gay Duo on Saturday Night Live.

The Lincoln Concept C is another welcome surprise and our pick as the best concept. It's small, smart and has suicide doors. The curvy bench seats add to the car's dramatic look and the bump on the back -- to accommodate the rear axle -- adds to its charms. The concept's dash points to the future Ford plans on taking its vehicles with lots of touch LCD screens and connectivity. Though the Concept C may never go into production, the injection of youth Lincoln showed was refreshing. It's kind of like hearing your grandmother drop the F-bomb. You didn't know something that old could have so much attitude.

Going into the show, we thought BMW's redesigned Z4 might take the best in show honors. It may have finished second to the Converj, but it will still give any man approaching 50 a reason to consider faking a midlife crisis just to cash out the depleted 401(k) and buy the most beautiful convertible on the road. This roadster, with a two piece hardtop, will include an upgraded engine, all-wheel drive and a lot of divorced men.

While a lot of hype was given to the electrification of future vehicles, few talked about the style of these cars. Thankfully, Fisker Automotive gave us a peek at one potential vehicle, the Fisker Karma S -- a hard-top convertible with more curves than mountain road.

However, other companies fitted their current models with an electric drive train -- where's the excitement in that? Sure, it saves a few bucks, but the Jeep Patriot wasn't a chiseled looker before, and painting EV on the side doesn't add much.

There were also a few new entries below the media radar.

Honda Motor Co. parked the production version of its Prius fighter, the Insight, in a prime location in its display. Technically, Detroit marks the world debut of the gas-electric hybrid.

Even the Chevy Volt, which GM promises will arrive in November 2010, finally appears in its production-ready form -- making it the oldest car at the show not yet in production.

For those looking for entertainment at the auto show, make sure to stop by the Ford display. It offers lots to do and you can tinker with its unique interactive displays. However, you may not even notice the Mitsubishi display. The company pulled out of the show late last year and dealers scrambled to supply cars; however, the display looks like a parking lot on a Red Wings game night.

Don't let all of the doom and gloom and bitter cold weather bring you down. Detroit still has a show well worth attending.

Carmakers may have scaled back some of their displays -- Jeep no longer uses the spelling waterfall and none of the styrofoam molecules hanging above the Prius are scientifically accurate -- but that shouldn't sway visitors. The show must go on.