Alive and kicking! How the British Motor Show united car fans, technicians, and the UK automotive industry By Thomas Harrison-Lord
The sight of the adults lusting over a car from their 20s, the youth queuing for a go on a simulator, the sting of £8 for lunch… Oh, it’s good to be back.
Our spirits have also been lifted, and now it was time to look to the future and consider the constant evolution of the automotive trade. Held at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, right next to the private, jet-laden Farnborough Airport runway, there was a profusion of new cars, classic cars, electric cars, automotive personalities and even a Fiat Idea understeering its way around an AutoSOLO event. I visited on a Thursday as this was also the National Automotive Industry Day. Here, the worlds of car enthusiasm and business met head on – with the serious discussions about
Old didn’t just meet new at the car displays either, as there was a clash of opinions during the industry talks. Down the far end of the event was a dedicated building entitled the Select Electric Motor Show. Inside was almost every electric car that’s currently on sale, but before you took a seat inside a Porsche Taycan, a Sinclair C5 greeted you upon entry. A reminder as to just how far we have come since 1985’s plastic-fantastic pedal car with a 12-volt lead-acid battery.
Matt Cleevely from Cleevely Electric Vehicles
BRITISH MOTOR SHOW
Brusque opening remarks aside, seeing several thousand people in one venue for the first time since early 2020 was almost emotional. We’ve come a long way over the past 18 months, and the British Motor Show marked the first major automotive event since recent restrictions were lifted.
the digitized and electrified future juxtaposed by a collection of classic Citroens. I sat in a Hyundai IONIQ 5, drove a Ford Mustang Mach-E, and then enjoyed a display of Caterhams bouncing off their rev limiters while eliciting wild responses from passengers who were being flung around in a plume of smoke.
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