The annual British motorshow has historically been a key part of the automotive calendar. I made the yearly trip down to ExCeL in East London for the event with mixed feelings. In the last few years a lot of major brands have decided to skip the show, in favour of Geneva and Paris. This means that for the fans of Ferrari, Lamborghini and other marques, the journey is spent hoping that enough examples are on display at other stands.
My first port of call was the Heritage Enclosure, which really is car porn heaven. Peter Saywell had some of his personal cars on display, such as his CarreraGT and Zonda and my girlfriend took a particular liking to the Koenigsegg CCX. Classic fans were treated to a great example of the Ferrari F40, original Ford GT and classic Porsches.
Moving inside, the largest stands were home to Ford, Vauxhall, Nissan and Renault. Ford's new Focus RS was a first show and I think they've got this car spot on. The carbon difusser, dual large exhausts and overall styling were popular among most visitors.
More Lusso related were Bentley's stand, with an example of each of their current models and there were some modified Mercedes from Brabus to keep the horsepower fans happy. The new SL class is particularly impressive.
Land Rover had their new Concept car on display alongside a number of Range Rovers, which are still popular in this eco-crazed world. Morgan had a popular stand with a great selection of cars, which was great to see. If Morgan can afford to be there, why can't Ferrari and Lamborghini?
The Ultimate Collection gave Ferrari fans a sigh of relief, with examples of the 599 and 430 Scudeia among others. A Veyron, SLR roadster, a few Spykers and another Zonda and Koenigsegg made this a worthwhile visit. Just a shame there was hardly any space to walk around the cars and it was a 'VIP' area to actually get up close.
The Gumpert Apollo and other high end cars were upstairs in a special VIP lounge which they claim is invitation only, but for £99 you can get in. I appreciate its worthwhile having an invitation only area for dealers to bring their guests, but having advertised the Gumpert to be viewable then hiding it away from the public is a bit cheeky.
The new Lotus Evora was on display and didn't really do for me what the Exige and Elise do... it looks a bit confused in shape. I'm a big Lotus fan so it was a bit disappointing for me, lets hope its more successful than the Europa.
Outside was the usual driving experiences and shows, with the music festival having a different live act on each night from Meat Loaf to Alice Cooper. Sunseeker had bought a few yachts along which are always worth a look around.
Overall the show is a frustrating visit. It took barely an hour to walk around the main displays and unless you're keen to view every £15k family car, then there isn't much to keep you occupied for any longer.
Big thanks to Ford for the ice lolly and drinks though!
The motorshow needs to improve if its going to regain its reputation as a must-see show for car fans. The rumour is that the show is just not financially worthwhile for some manufacturers, which is a real shame. The organisers NEED the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW etc to draw in more fans. The Goodwood Revival has a better selection of cars just in the carparks.
