Motorshow - best bits?

[JulianHJ]

We're off to the motorshow tomorrow, I'm driving (parking advice sought on another thread) and plan on getting there for when the doors open.

How easy is it to book up the test drives / Westfield experience etc? Do they get booked up really quickly? I'm not interested in the Land Rover thing, but am quite keen on the Mazda challenge.

Anyone care to tell me their must-sees of the show?

[69elan+2]

I had to miss it this year - but it would be good to hear whos stand you thought was the best this year (kind of work related)

Would this have done better posted in GG?

[EK993]

Alfa 8C - thought Alfa was the best stand of the show - all their cars were in that 8C red colour
Lotus Evora
Nissan GTR

Thought rest was a bit dull though..

[RedLeicester]

Not bothering to go. That was the best bit.

Half the mainstream manufacturers can't be arsed to turn up, and it's held in the arse end of nowhere. Sod that for a game of soldiers.

[jackal]

Brabus SL500

[Ribol]

RedLeicester said:

Not bothering to go. That was the best bit.

Half the mainstream manufacturers can't be arsed to turn up, and it's held in the arse end of nowhere. Sod that for a game of soldiers.

It is near London City Airport which can hardly be described as being in the arse end of nowhere and is very easy to get to by car. Plenty of parking (£10) with well organised shuttle buses.

Whilst many of the manufacturers might not have turned up, most cars worth seeing were there. All in all it was a good day out and worth the effort IMO.

[SlowPunto]

As far as i saw, the Mazda Zoom challenge was basically, as long as you are 21 or over, you turn up, fill in a form, que for about half an hour (that was a weekday so could be more tomorrow), and then jump in either an MX-5 or a Mazda 2 Sport.

[anonymous-user]

the alfa girls were rather special on vip day.....

[Brucie177]

How on earth can the excel centre be described as the arse end of nowhere?!? Some people....

Generally an ok show. Avoid the Honda show like the plague though.

All in all not that bad a way to spend £10 IMHO

[odyssey2200]

The Alfa stand was very impressive.
The GM display ws huge and must have contributed to GM's financial problems!

All the "green" stuff pissed me off.

Swwetest little car of the show was the PGO Cevennes!

[Marc W]

I like the Alfa 8C and the Insignia is quite impressive for a run of the mill car but..

the Girls on the Cadillac/Corvette stand..

Edited by Marc W on Monday 4th August 17:51

[bournemouth boy]

Marc W said:

the Girls on the Cadillac/Corvette stand..

Edited by Marc W on Monday 4th August 17:51

that had to be one of the best bits (the Vauxhall and Alfa stands were good to), the zoom zoom bit was fun 2 laps in a Mazda 2 then 1 in a mx5 (with the top down on a 30c day) and free lollies on the ford stand (it was bloody hot)

[Marc W]

Forgot to mention the Mazda Challenge, excellent fun, even if my instructor seemed to not want to be there. There was free Ice cream at Kia too, from that ice cream van.

[gazza_3]

The outside bit with the F40 and GT40, AC Cobra, DB9S etc was amazing, I had a trouser accident when I herd the chap give the F40 the beans.

[tigerkoi]

There was no BMW, Audi/VW, Mitsubishi there (as manufacturers).

IMO - best bit was outside paddock with the F40 and Carrera 2.7 RS going around and seeing some of these cars close-up. Also seeing not just one, but three Spykers. Eye-candy wise....for me....it was Honda!

It's easy enough to get to, and transport - as said above - from car to venue by bus, is solid.
Seeing an M1, and other rarities is quite good.
Also taking in the concepts is also worthwhile.

[Kieran XJR]

Yeah, I thought seeing and hearing the great collection of supercars they had outside was the best part of the show, definately worth the £5 to get in on it's own!

[jonmac73]

agree - easily the best bit was outside supercar paddock and the classic supercars doing laps - got some good pics where the cars were stopping for the 'interview'

and yes the alfas were a fantastic shade of red - did'nt come out true on camer tho

[The_Doc]

To be honest, I wasn't tempted to go as the train would be ~£70 from Yorkshire and I can get to Geneva for less than that. The Geneva show is in the building next to the airport and is about 73 zilllion times better. Even entry is about 30% of the price.

I'd go to Goodwood Festival of Speed as a better "British Motorshow", but the real British Motorshow has wilted to such a damp squirt that it's just not a realistic proposition these days.

I went to Excel in '05 I think and was not impressed.

[Plotloss]

Land Rover LRX
Hummer HX

That Mazda thing was alright too but the above are the only things that truly made me regress, which is what the motorshow should be about really.

[OJ]

Brucie177 said:

How on earth can the excel centre be described as the arse end of nowhere?!? Some people....

I'd sort of agree actually, its in the middle of a wasteland right at the wrong end of london. And some of us don't like buses of any description, even if they are shuttling!