I have attended a few motor shows throughout the years. As a teen I used to drool over the machines parked in Durban's Exhibition Centre when KZN's motor show was in full swing. A few years later, while I was cutting my teeth as a motoring scribe I attended (what was then known as) Auto Africa at Nasrec in Gauteng, but the continent’s largest motor show showcased little more than what anyone could see on local dealership floors.
Finally, years after starting at CAR I was presented with the chance to attend a proper international motor show. According to colleagues, Geneva is the ideal venue to break one’s motor show duck, because event is concentrated in a few adjacent halls and one does not need to spend hours traipsing between different venues to view different manufacturer stands as, I am told, is the case with the Frankfurt show.
I was lucky enough to be invited to the press days of the 81st International Auto Salon at the Geneva Palexpo. And what a show it was, even if it didn't serve up too many surprises... I can now confidently declare that seeing cars such as the Lamborghini Aventador in the carbon-fibre, witness the diminutive stature of the Alfa Romeo 4C or repulse at the sight of the oddball Ferrari FF, is far better than looking at pictures of them.
If you are an industry celebrity spotter then a press pass to the Geneva Show should come with a "be wary of whiplash" health warning...
Soon after I had brushed shoulders with Jaguar design chief Ian Callum, I was nearly bumped over by Ferrari president Luca de Montezemolo’s bodyguard. Ratan Tata was having a good stare at an Italian sportscar (he was probably wondering how it could traverse Mumbai’s horrendous roads) and BMW Group design chief Adrian van Hooydonk was perusing another designer’s handiwork. Rally ace Michèle Mouton unveiled the Audi RS3 with the help of her stunning daughter Jessie Johnsson (another memory Sudhir will cherish for his entire life — Ed).
For all the song and dance, smoke and mirrors and multi-million rand manufacturer displays the cars are the stars. Here are just a few of my favourite highlights from the show and some of the wackiness from the Geneva 2011.
CAR Blogs
MORE
