At the start of the new year, upward of 32 auto shows will be staged in two dozen U.S. cities — and that’s just a warm-up. For car enthusiasts nationwide, the coming months will be a time to check out the latest in hot rides.
For the auto retail industry, which tallied nearly $700 billion in total dealership sales in 2003, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association (www.nada.org), the American auto show circuit is a valuable lifeline to soccer moms, budding car buffs, and die-hard collectors. These glitzy, grand platforms are where the industry’s Big Three (General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford) and other global brands convene to unveil luxurious limited editions, preview practical family vehicles, and forecast the future of car design.
For enthusiasts like Dwayne Thomason, a computer scientist in Pittsburgh who has attended the Geneva International Motor Show and the Milan Auto Show in addition to shows in Los Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, and New York City, it’s a very personal and emotional experience. “When I saw the Ferrari 350 Dino concept car [in Milan] that was the closest I could get to heaven without dying.”
Thomason, 42, changes cars every two to four years and attends auto shows primarily to conduct research and gauge trends before he buys. He has owned a Volvo, is on his third BMW, and will own an Infiniti G35 Coupe by Christmas. For Thomason, the opportunity to go one-on-one with manufacturers at the shows is a bonus.
Known as the premier show domestically, the North American International Auto Show (www.naias.com) in Detroit attracted a record 808, 833 spectators, raised $7 million for children’s charities, and introduced 79 new vehicles this year. “Shows in the big northern cities are perceived as the better shows because these markets attract [broad selections of] exotics by European and Asian car makers,” offers Thomason. He explains that shows hosted in “secondary cities” such as Atlanta, Chicago, and Houston mostly showcase vehicles like family cars and gas-saving hybrid’s.
Across the Atlantic, European shows, says Thomason, tend to feature six-figure, high-performance vehicles that may hit the U.S. market the following year. Britain’s Goodwood Festival of Speed claims to be the world’s largest and most diverse classic motorsports event. There are races, sales, and exhibitions, as well as live music performances.
Most car manufacturers provide a list of their auto shows and driving opportunities online. A list of events for car enthusiasts and Website links to the smorgasbord of domestic and overseas auto shows are available at www.caranddriver .com,,www.motortrend.com, www.carshownews.com, and www.gayot.com/lifestyle/ automobile/autoshows.html.
The following is a list of other auto events that promise to take the road test to another level:
By Invite Drives: AUDI
Once a year, upward of 500 Audi owners and aficionados are invited for a thrill-filled day at the Audi Quattro Challenge, www.audiusa.com, hosted at premier racetracks in Chicago and New Hampshire. In groups and one-on-one sessions with pro driving instructors, participants navigate a course during four uniquely challenging and breathtaking exercises: wet handling (which demonstrates the ins and outs of precision braking on a wet and dicey surface), accident avoidance, timed autocross, and speed laps. The chance to have the first encounter with the next Audi model to be released is the prized perk for attendees.
BMW: The BMW Performance Center (www.bmwusa.com) in Spartanburg, a remote section of South Carolina, is designed to provide “enthusiasts with the ultimate driving experience,” explains the center’s spokesperson Maureen O’Connell.
BMW’s programs include overnight driving experiences for women that are taught by professional female drivers. These sessions emphasize defensive driving and vehicle control. There is also a program designed for teens who need to build confidence behind the wheel.
The two-day M Experience, which features the high-performance M3 coupe and M5 sedan on a Michelin test track, is extremely popular with enthusiasts. “It’s M heaven,” says O’Connell. Visiting this facility for an invite-only occasion is one of the perks of owning a BMW. Having owned three BMWs, Thomason is among the select few to receive an invitation.
In September 2003, he participated in a two-day test drive of the BMW Z4. “Twenty to 30 people attended,” recalls Thomason, “all well-connected professionals who will likely do desirable word-of-mouth marketing. The people BMW selected were 34 to 45, established, and might be on
Guests were served exotic teas and equipped with an X-Box-like gadget for the first level of the simulation exercise. They then moved on to a driving booth (similar to those at amusement parks) to sample varying terrains with true car-to-road sensation and reaction. After lunch, guests were escorted to a closed figure-eight-shaped course and paired with a BMW representative for the actual preview drive.
VIP Delivery Experience: BMW
The Delivery Experience at BMW’s factory in South Carolina requires an overnight stay courtesy of the automaker. The experience consists of three sessions. Sessions one and two cover orientation and an individualized run on a course to demonstrate the car’s advanced capabilities. Using a walkie-talkie, an instructor steers attendees through a rigorous course of “black ice water wall” drills that enhances steering skills and tests timing reaction. Module three is a tour of the Zentrum Museum in South Carolina, followed by a tour of BMW’s state-of-the-art assembly plant for Z4s and X5s — a privilege reserved for buyers.
GENERAL MOTORS: Since the National Corvette Museum, www.corvettemuseum .com, opened in 1994, its VIP NCM Delivery Program has delivered 2,949 R8 Corvettes, says program coordinator Judy Yanko. Buyers who prefer the experience of collecting their new car at the Bowling Green, Kentucky, facility receive a thorough orientation and a personal 90-minute tour of the museum and assembly plant. Unlike public tours, VIP guests are invited to view where “the engine and transmission come together, the electrical wiring, [as well as] drive off at the end of the line,” Yanko explains. VIP guests also execute the first turn of the ignition key. NCM satisfies roughly 350 requests per year for this one-of-a-kind experience, which it commemorates for the buyer with a gold decal and plaque bearing the customer’s name, delivery date, and VIN. It is shipped after the buyer collects his or her Corvette from its showcase in the museum.
Exhilarating Drives
The need for speed can be satisfied with machines like the Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, the Maserati Trofeo, or the 400-horsepower Ferrari F355. Porsche and Audi sponsor one- and two-day driver education programs conducted by
AUDI: The Audi Driving Experience (www.AudiDrivingExperience .com) offers one- and two-day “skill enhancement programs” in Atlanta; Dallas; and Sebring, Florida that can be customized to your experience level. The one-day drive starts at $550; the two-day program starts at $975.
PORSCHE: The Porsche Driving Experience isn’t a racing school, although Porsche instructors say you will learn how to control and exploit the awesome power of a Porsche 911 Carrera at adrenaline-pumping speeds. Based at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, the one- or two-day 911 program costs $1,695 and $2,695, respectively. Courses are held rain or shine.
LAND ROVER: It’s
not rare for a Land Rover sales facility to occupy nearly 20 acres to facilitate an on-site, off-road course for prospective buyers. But this brief test drive merely hints at the vehicle’s boundless capabilities. To sample the ruthless terrain the Land Rover was bred to conquer, there is the Land Rover Experience Driving School and Land Rover Adventures (www.landroverusa.com). These off-road programs and courses have been hosted at 19th century palatial estates in Quebec; Asheville, North Carolina; Southwest England; BelÃze; and Malaysia. Drivers start on a dedicated “lesson” course peppered with turf obstacles before moving on to advanced “trails,” to navigate steep ascents and descents, majestic mountains, and thousands of acres of unspoiled nature. Rates run from $150 per vehicle for a one-hour lesson for one driver to the full-day adventure for up to three drivers, including lunch, at $700 per vehicle plus expenses for travel and lodging. The new LR3 will not be available until 2005.
FERRARI: The invigorating one-day—Red Driving Experience (www.RedDrivingExperience.com) is the Ferrari European drive Step 1 Program, now available in North America. It accommodates nine students per session using three cars on the Moroso racetrack near West Palm Beach. For $1,750, plus tax, program director Emmanuel Lupe says you get “breakfast, expert coaching, a little school
but lots of driving, catered lunch, hot laps as a passenger with a professional racecar driver in a Ferrari 360 GT, and a graduation ceremony complete with champagne!” Advanced sessions with your own Ferrari F355 and coach (on the Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, Georgia, or Sebring International Raceway in Florida) range from $2,625 to $6,000.Ride & Drive Tours
The Detroit News reported that in May 2003 General Motors launched a marketing program to counter consumer perceptions that GM vehicles lack the style and high quality of other automobiles. GM already offered overnight test drives but decided to add a national test-drive program called “Auto Show in Motion,” where potential buyers can test-drive GM vehicles on closed-road courses. Twenty shows were executed over the last year, with about 12,000 invitees, who were solicited by mail.
LEXUS: This past summer, Lexus unveiled a unique opportunity for current and prospective Lexus owners to experience its full line of vehicles in a cozy and elegant environment. The “Taste of Luxury” ride-and-drive is a five-month, 13-city tour that concludes in Dallas this month. In a living room setting, guests receive a personal orientation of the day’s events: A gallery illustrates the legacy of the Lexus brand; a sound room highlights the integration of the Mark Levinson sound system into Lexus’ luxury vehicles; and an atrium area provides travel tips from Condé Nast Traveler,, information about Lexus Luxury hotel partners, chef demonstrations hosted by Gourmet magazine, and golf instruction by ESPN Golf Schools. Guests will have an opportunity to drive three courses: Luxury Course (LS 430, GS 300, ES 330), Performance Luxury Course (SC 430, GS 430, IS 300), and the Luxury SUV Course (LX 470, GX 470, RX 330). They also drive each model’s top vehicles. “The luxury market has entered a phase where experiences have become very important,” says Mark Templin, vice president of marketing for Lexus. “It is oriented to a pursuit of those things that help people to savor time — vacation travel time, relaxation time. That’s the real luxury.” It’s a testimonial likely to fuel those passionate about exquisite driving experiences.