Motor Shows have been slowly disappearing one by one, Covid is not the reason, it just accelerated the inevitable.
Lots of factors have contributed to the decline, including the internet, new personalized shows and the evolution of the motor show in general. Car makers have pulled out of many shows citing budget reasons, which makes sense because the budget of doing a live reveal via youtube with the help of influencers is lower than a fully fledged Geneva Motor Show reveal.
But all is not dead, Goodwood Festival of Speed has set the pace for the future of motor shows. It only began in 1993, nearly 100 years after the first motor show but brought in the concept of the “moving motor show”.
This is easily the best motor show in the world right now, for a car lover or not. They have since introduced a live stream on YT which is quite entertaining to those who cannot travel to England. Here, you get any car you can think of, any car. The rally stage is a must see for WRC fans, how do i put this, it’s rally-rich with infotainment, think of Group B monsters and so on. And for Group C lovers like myself, it’s the heaven they never tell you about…the one full of sinful desires.
That said, expect to see more shows like Goodwood in future. The internet has left people wanting to see more, hence the growth of action motor shows and the decline of static shows. Worth mentioning that Chinese shows like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou are still taking place like they used to.
And to summarize, let’s look at some of the cars from the ongoing Chicago Auto Show. Largest in the US and one of the oldest too, 120 years old. Very few nice cars with nearly all Euro car makers missing in action, but that’s expected.
Silverado EV
Built on the same platform as the Hummer EV, comes with the latest 800v system which means faster charging at x2 the rate of traditional 400v systems. 664hp and 1060nm torque for the most powerful version. Tows up to 9072kg…that’s two elephants.
Corvette C8 Z06
The American Ferrari: rear wheel drive, mid engine and a 5.5L flat plane V8 that sounds like a Ferrari 458. The V8 produces 670hp and 624nm of torque (highest ever from a N/A engine), 0-60mph takes 2.6s and the 8 speed DCT puts in half the work. These are numbers you get from Italian supercars, the only difference is this one costs about $90k.
Mustang Mach-E
Full electric SUV coupe from Ford.
3rd Gen Tundra
Toyota’s full size pickup for the North American market, the most powerful version comes with a twin-turbo V6 hybrid producing 437hp and 790nm of torque. This is the same 3.4L V6 TT found on the new LC300 in non-hybrid form.
Ford GT
This is one of the many Heritage Editions from Ford and is attributed to the 1966 Ford GT race cars from Alan Mann Racing.
Toyota Rhombus
All you need to know is that it’s an EV car built for people born after 1990, that’s what Toyota said.
Ford Bronco
My favorite from the show, this is the 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades Edition. Thing of beauty, just needs a 2 door version. It comes with a factory snorkel with reversible air vents, 10000 pound winch and the popular Sasquatch package. This package adds 35 inch tires, 17 inch wheels, front and rear diff locks, Bilstein shocks and fender flares. A must have.
Hummer EV
Sold under the GMC brand, it adds to the growing list of EV pickups. 1000hp for the most powerful version named Edition 1. It also uses an 800v system and has an estimated range of 329 miles. Price is set at $112k
Nissan Z34
The mini GT-R, and the 7th gen Nissan Z car. It finally got forced induction while retaining rear wheel drive configuration. A 3.0L V6 twin turbo producing 400hp and 475nm, weighs in at 1,466 kg. Skip the 9 speed auto and go for the 6 speed manual, with the manual option you get a carbon fiber driveshaft.
