In January, I visited the Autosport International Show and was reminded of the first Racing Car Show I visited, in late 1961. That was a modest affair, in no quantifiable way to compare with the Autosport, but I do not think it is merely the fervour of youth and rose-tinted spectacles that makes it the more vivid memory.
All exhibitions have changed over the years in line with show biz. Early rock concerts had four or five guys on stage with instruments, and that was it. The Fab Four didn’t even do the rudimentary dance steps of some groups, and John Lennon didn’t make love to his guitar. The nearest most of us had come to seeing a laser was in Goldfinger.
In 1961, the only thing that moved at the show was a dummy in a powered sled, a company called Britax was trying to convince people that safety belts were a good idea. Not many thought that it would catch on, but it was a bit of excitement. Naturally, there were no video displays or sound effects. Another thing missing was pulchritude, long of leg and short of skirt, which I would have appreciated more, at age 19.
The 1961 show was opened by Graham Hill, who walked among us. I don’t think that anyone asked for his autograph; he was not in overalls. In 2008, you could queue to have something signed by David Coulthard or Jenson Button, at set times, provided you had bought the more expensive admission ticket.
This year’s show offered a great deal more in terms of entertainment, and I did not scratch the surface. It was held in the National Exhibition Centre, close to the middle of England, where it is possible to lay out tracks indoors. There were also specialist seminars and lectures for those engaged in the business of motor racing.
As a forum for exchange, Autosport International was superb, and I learned a great deal more than I learned in 1961. In line was a representative of every 2007 F1 car. I had seen them all before, but not so close together. Honda and Super Aguri were side by side, and you could examine them in detail without Honda’s silly livery playing tricks on the retina.
Formula One is one strand of racing, but Autosport had room for the grass roots, which was not the case in 1961. The lesser series did not have much space, but they were there. I was particularly interested to learn that the VW Golf MkII GTI now has a series all to itself—at last I own a historic racing car. Mind you, when I owned a Ford Orion I would refer to it as my “Italian classic” because it was the Ghia model.
Autosport International was superior compared to the rather drab event in 1961, except for one thing, occasion. Motor racing in the northern hemisphere then had a distinct season. The exception was the Boxing Day Meeting at Brands Hatch where, often, new cars would appear.
The Boxing Day event would feature Santa Stirling or Jack Claus, two of the few drivers guaranteed not to be suffering from a Festive hangover. Though merely a national meeting, interesting things were likely to happen, because there had been a three-month break. In 1958, for example, Colin Chapman was shown the way by Jim Clark, also in a Lotus Elite, and that led to something else.[pullquote]“I had never thought of judging a racing car on its ‘niceness.”[/pullquote]
The following year saw Britain’s Formula Junior race and the debut of cars from Elva, Lola, Gemini, Cooper, and Lotus. The latter was the first Mk18, which was fitted with the first unit to be developed for a specific series. One journalist described it as a “shoebox with four dustbin lids.” It is a rule in racing that no matter how ugly a car is, if it starts to win, it will be transformed into a beauty.
There was a time when hot cross buns were sold only on Good Friday, which is why they tasted so good and why sailors would nail them to ships to bring good luck. Now they are on sale here just after Christmas, so they have lost all sense of occasion. There was a time when you could never be sure when a new racing car would appear. When Lister changed from the “knobbly” to the Costin body, we could all appreciate the thinking. A revised barge board or a new diffuser does not have the same effect.
Many categories below Formula One are one-make series with the specification set for so many years. F1 teams feel that they have to have a launch, but it is solely for the sponsors. They are not launches of cars so much, as of liveries. There is, however, the Question and Answer session. This year’s car is a great improvement, for sure. My teammate and I have the greatest respect for each other…blah, blah, blah.
A new road car used to be announced on a particular day. Then we started to get the fuzzy “scoop” shots. Some manufacturers responded by arranging scoops. Now anyone with a mobile phone can earn money by snapping a pre-production model stopped at a diner.
Conventional motor shows are no longer worth the hassle unless you live in the back of beyond. If you want to see cars you have never clapped eyes on before, the answer is a Concours, an auction, or a historic meeting. The place to see new supercars is the Goodwood Festival of Speed. It makes more sense for a small maker of exotica to attend a three-day event than to pay for a stand at a motor show where so many are interested only in collecting brochures.
Autosport International was different in that it had its seminars, demonstrations, and room for small specialist suppliers. My favorite was the Italian constructor, Gloria, whose literature claimed that improvements for a 2008 model included the fact that it was nicer. I had never before thought of judging a racing car on its “niceness.”
