Monster's visit to the Australian International Motor Show 2008 (reviews+photos)

[Monster]

Last year's show was fantastic but good times don't last long. This year, a few major manfacuteres decided not to attend in order to save money. So there are NO BMW, Mini, Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar, Bently, Porsche, Alfa, Saab, Rolls Royce

It certainly doesn't feel the same as last year. There are noticeably less people and those at the show wasn't too excited by the lack of the German luxury brands. There are no world premieres and there are virtually no promotional material to collect.

The lighting was very harsh and the location of the information stand is very camera unfriendly. I tried my best to capture photos of the cars, but the end results are disappointing. The supercars are fenced off and we can't really get a full 360 degree view of them. Cars like the Nissan GTR, Pagini Zonda are contained inside an ugly metal fence so getting a good angle is extremely difficult.

Overall I was expecting to be disappointed and I was proven to be correct. It just doesn't feel right without MB, BMW and Audi, because they have always been my favourite show stands. I hope they will make a come back next year.

The highlight for me is the Mazda Taiki, Koenigsegg CCX, and the Nissan GTR. The disappointment of the show is the Ferrari California. I will explain more when I get to it, but the car just doesn't look any better in real life.

So, lets kick things off with the 1st thing I saw, which is this Audi outdoor display. For those who can remember, Audi Australia is the first in the world to launch this type of mobile showroom. The entire container looks very well designed, it suits the brand image of Audi. Inside the container, there is a LCD screen showing videos of the car, and a informational stand. There are external speakers hidden within the container so people walking pass can hear the music.

[Merc1]

So there are NO BMW, Mini, Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar, Bently, Porsche, Alfa, Saab, Rolls Royce

Thanks for the post, but what the hell kinda show is that without these stars...lol???

M

[Monster]

My 1st stop was at the Nissan stand because I am dying to see the GTR. It looked good in the photos already, but in real life, it looks absolutely sensational. It looked like an evil weapon in this red and gun metal grey wheel combination. I kept staring at it, studying every details on this car. It is lower and wider than expected. The styling is unmistakably Japanese and I find it as attractive as the CCX and Zonda in the show.

The lighting is way too harsh, it hides all the lines and details of the car, as you can see from the photos.

[Monster]

Originally Posted by Merc1

Thanks for the post, but what the hell kinda show is that without these stars...lol???

M

I don't really mind their absence because I can always go down to my MB, BMW and Audi dealership. I have a good relationship with my MB and BMW dealership, but not so for Audi. There are stars, some local stars and most supercars are there, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagini and Koenigsegg, you will just have to wait for my extremely slow report.

[Tarek]

Love that red GT-R

BTW why on earth there's no MB

[Monster]

To me the Mazda Taiki is the star of the show. There are all sorts of lines and design details that can only be seen when you are looking at the car in real life, so you look at the car from all angles to appreciate the designer's effort. One detail which I love is the lines which imitate the air flow, they begin at the nose then they diverges on the skin of the door but later converges at the end of the car. I have taken some photos to show you guys.







Here are the lines I was talking about, see how they flow along the car. Also note the carefully shaped suspension arms.







The wonderfully sculpted rear end which includes the name of the car.

[Tarek]

Very unique design

[Monster]

I believe this is the Australian debute for the CCX. Looks lovely in this shade of orange. The car is shorter than I expected. It isn't that much longer than a 911, and the car is so low and wide, I have no idea how they manage to drive it on the road.











Tasty carbon fibre rims

[Monster]

Pagini Zonda time. The Zonda was placed along side the CCX and this insane Gemballa Avalanche GTR 800 EVO-R. Judging by the crowd reaction. the CCX attracts the most attention because it appears to be more menencing than the Zonda. The concentrated orange colour of the CCX also over powered the fine metallic yellow coat on the Zonda. The Gemballa didn't get much look because people think it is just a heavily modified Porsche and nothing more.

This is the one and only Zonda in Australia. It has been on display in the motor show for 4 years, but it has not aged at all. Again, it looked low and very short, and probably just as wide as the CCX. Lovely car.

[Monster]

Time for a break from the european supercars. The Holden Coupe 60 was designed to celeberate the 60th anniversary of the company. To me, the profile looks nice, the side window is extremely shallow. The front end styling is aggressive, and I love those machined side exhaust pipes, as well as those rims. They are the best designed concept rims I have seen in a while. The only thing that lets it down is the headlights, which is taken from the standard Commodore, and the tail lights which looks like the designers have just given up.








Love these rims, and side exhausts.