Best car shows in 2016?

mccarf

mccarf

mccarf

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I've been going to Trax at Silverstone for about 5/6 years now. Each year they keep taking things away from the show, and last year the show was fairly boring. What's the best car shows around now? I've got tickets for Japfest next month but was wondering if there was anything with some variety (so no single marque shows) and lots to see/do like Trax used to have.
 
Given your examples, I'll just keep an eye on the Pistonheads Sunday service events. The most recent was at MB World and BMW HQ prior, so still plenty to look at in addition to the cars of forum members.













 
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Lots to do at OcUK meets, including talking, eating, drinking, and if you like, smoking. (cigarettes and tyres...)

What more could you want? :p
 
The only one I'll probably bother with this year is the VBOA show at Billing. I like seeing all the old cars as well as the new stuff plus it turns into a 4 day lounge around in the sun with a cider event for us as we attend with a club.

I might do Ford Fair but undecided at present.
 
I've been looking at going to races and things at tracks near me, is there any sort of website that has all motoring events on it? It's a little tedious looking at 4 websites.
 
I did a trip to the Geneva motorshow this year. Different from the sort of show you're talking about but worth thinking about.

I paid for a trip for a Christmas present for my dad. Flights from Bristol were about £140 return for the 2 of us, arriving about 1pm and leaving at the same sort of time the next day. The expo is pretty much on the airport so you can jump off the plane and straight into the show. Tickets for the show are only about £15 each although you can only go in once so if you want to go back the next day then you need to buy more - but they were readily available from booths outside with no queues.

The show itself was excellent - absolutely HUGE. Pretty much every manufacturer you've ever heard of there and some you haven't. It wasn't too crowded and most of the "normal" stuff you're free to get into and have a poke around. The exotic/expensive stuff is behind barriers and presumably if you can prove you earn enough they let you in. But you get close enough to have a proper look and take some good photos. The beauty of it is that Switzerland doesn't have a car industry so it's properly impartial and independent - imagine if this was Munich, you'd have all the German cars in the best booths at the front of the hall.

We had originally planned to stay till closing (about 8) then find something else to do the next morning but by 6 o'clock we had only seen about half of it so decided to go for an evening meal and come back the next day. We got a hotel near the airport, Geneva public transport is super efficient and you get free tickets as a tourist. Geneva is EXPENSIVE though so prepare to bend over for accommodation, meals and drinks. 2 cans of Coke at the show were about £9, 2 ibis budget hotel rooms came to nearly £400, a pint of beer about £7 and a meal for 2 (a pizza and a beer each) was about £60. It's a nice place, I work there regularly so know it well - always found it a bit clinical for my liking but it's a pleasant place to spend an evening. If you're geeky then CERN have a little visitor centre at the ATLAS experiment on the LHC and it's easily accessible on the tram.

So £500-£600 for a good motoring based break in an interesting city, I'd really reccomend it. Although our flight home was so badly delayed that I got €500 compensation which nearly paid for the trip :)
 
What about Goodwood FoS? Went in 2012 and 2014 and quite enjoyed it, plenty to see

Not sure I'd go two years in a row, but every couple of years is not too bad
 
I like Pistonheads sunday services the most I think. Great variety of cars and usually a good venue like Silverstone or Morgan factory for example.

Best part its free and there is bacon.

I like GTI international etc but I find some of the big shows are being extoritonate with prices imo. I think Edition 38 is like £30+...which seems excessive.
 
I'm really tempted to go to goodwood, but it's a completely unenjoyable 8 hour drive down some of the most boring roads in the country for me

I guess I might have a look at flying down
 
Lol.....well yes

Looking at prices I never fail to be amazed how wrong we seem to get motoring things here, I'm sure I paid about £65 for a full week including camping inside track for Le mans last year, yet a single day of goodwood is £55 /£150 for the weekend

It wouldn't stop me going but I can't see how that is remotely good value

That's a point actually, given it doesn't really work out all that expensive (particularly if you can go with a crowd) Le Mans is well worth considering, even if you have no real knowledge of the series. Getting up early and driving the sections of traxk you can get on makes driving worth it, particularly the mulsanne if you've got a resonably powerful car
 
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Like I say it wouldn't stop me going, but always feels like the question has been "how much can we get away with charging?" for UK events.

Not that many here will be located or likely to go but I can say the Scottish motor show is one of the worst car related events I've ever been to
 
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Try going to the NEC. Autosport show was £65 odd last time I went, then they hit you for £10 parking on the way out. Top gear show is even dearer if I remember correctly. :o

The classic car shows at the NEC are a lot more reasonable.
 
Went to most shows at Santa Pod and Silverstone (Japfest, Fordfair, Fordfest, etc) last year. Best modified show for me was Forge Action day at Castle Combe. plenty of variety on and off track and better views of the track compared to Silverstone. I believe there is a Spring Action Day too coming up soon.

If you want supercars Salon Prive at Blenheim Palace was great last year, lots of expensive metal on show, Bugatti's, Zonda's, koenigsegg's etc. pretty good for £20.

Goodwood FOS is definitely on my list of shows to go to, couldn't get there last year :(
 
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