Bland. Today was very bland.
From a car enthusiast point of view at least.
Sorry, make that from a fast/race car enthusiast point of view.
Apparently white is the “it” colour for this year (personally it just makes me think of rental cars) The show was very black & white, with pops of red & blue, and when I was lucky, metal flake lime & orange. (no, not together, though there was a nasty metal flake purple infinity with a pink interior… blech)
Aside from everyone pulling white sheets off to reveal white cars, every manufacturer seemed to have hired the same marketing consultants to write the same speeches, interjecting their own company’s name. By the third presentation we were enjoying a virtual game if Autoshow Bingo. (think of it as a drinking game for your brain… everytime the same word/phrase is used, you mentally check it off on the grid)
This year was all about eco friendly, hybrids and fuel efficiency.
And bland white cars.
What it wasn’t about was racing.
If you can imagine, there was even LESS racing presence than in previous years.
:watch as my head explodes:
Even the ones I could usually count on to have some mention of racing (Mitsubishi, Subaru) had NOTHING. Nada, zip, zilch.
To their credit, Honda Canada did have the Dallara Show car there. (sadly in the same tired livery it’s been in for the last 3 years, just the dates have changed) Apparently the kiosk to purchase race tickets will be set up for the public starting tomorrow.
It’s the 25th Anniversary of the race this year. Every gear head in the industry in Toronto, GTA, Ontario and beyond was in that room today.
At some point after the unveiling of the concept civic, the people from Honda Canada, along with the race organizers, used the opportunity to mention how proud they are to be the title sponsor of such an historic event, revealed the Anniversary logo, talked about the event, encouraged people to purchase tickets during the show, and announced a special guest driver appearing at the show…
oh no wait. NONE OF THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!
*here’s where I get a little testy…*
Aside from the tired ass show car, there was zero mentions or presence of the Race, other than Me, the walking billboard/mouth piece. (I was wearing Honda Indy Toronto gear, and talking up the event to everyone)
COME ON PEOPLE!! Someone needs to make a fucking effort here!
We had golf pros and soccer stars there unveiling cars and talking up their manufacturer/sponsors, but nothing to do with racing… at a CAR SHOW!
Even the big, garish NASCAR set up was missing this year. (or else it is hidden in some side wing somewhere)
Actually I lie… there were a couple of rally cars quietly tucked away against a wall on the 100 level in the Saab display at the entrance to the exotic car showroom… :scratches head confused:
Car Manufacturers/Racing… they go hand in hand… don’t they?!
Now apparently, according to Gary over at The Garage Blog, there are race cars, or at the very least manufacturers are actually admitting to having an association with racing, at both the Detroit Auto Show (which just finished) and the Chicago Auto Show (which wraps up this week) So maybe there just isn’t enough racing show car love to spread around with all the shows happening back to back like this.
That said, I’m more disappointed than usual this year.
Maybe the added non-plussedness of the less than inspiring reveals has me feeling even more let down.
That said, it wasn’t all bad. I have a nice collection of data sticks, some pics of some pretty muscle cars, had fun hanging with some of my fave gearheads and making snarky commentary, and even met some lovely folks too. Oh, and got to take a day off from my “real” job, which has left me feeling rejuvenated. (a much needed mental health day)
*initial pics uploaded to FB* (more to come later this week upon second visit)
So... here's what I'm thinking... 
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A shame about the lack of motorsport associations, not even about how racing can help improve the tech. And obviously a real shame about the lack of GP promo, object lesson in how to shoot yourself in the foot.
How was the motorsport expo you talking about in the previous post?
I saw in your FB album a WTCC Chevy, what’s that doing there?! 🙂
Rally cars. That is the “racing content”. Cars that don’t even race over here. (and that most of the time we can’t even watch on tv…LOL)
it really is infuriating. I, as a race fan, and constant promoter/supporter of the sport, feel like I am banging my head against a wall all the time.
The other show is like a poor man’s PRI show. Teeny Tiny, and little to none Open Wheel presence, other than karting.
I really hate the way advertising is taking over everything, its like every time I watch a movie or a TV show, all you see is someone talking about their new, phone computer, car and the advertising getting in the way of what you want to see.