The Wrong Motor Show

Nope, there was no real mistake. The Irish Motorbike and Scooter Show is still due to be on next week but oddly enough, I found myself at the RDS a whole week earlier than expected.


It all began on Friday morning. While in the process of getting my gear off at my workstation (sort of a dodgy-looking morning routine if someone passing by wasn't too familiar with it), I noticed something strange on my keyboard. I ignored it at first thinking that it was just another piece of work, soon to join the organised piles of paper around my desk. Some instructions from the boss or plane tickets for an assignment in Inner Mongolia, just to liven up the weekend. Not being able to simply ignore the A5-size cards on the keyboard, I quickly picked it up. They were tickets. Free tickets to the Irish Times Motor Show this weekend. Ah well, one of the few perks of the job.

So, not having any plans for the day, I managed to convince myself and the wife that it would be a good day out for the kids. Yes, unlike the Motorbike Show, the Motor Show was marketed as a family friendly event with lots of things to keep the kids occupied the highlight being something called My First Licence. The thing was basically an indoor track on which the kids could cycle their kiddie cars (red Audis) around and sort of learn the rules of the road. I could already see the potential in some kids - dangerous overtaking, road-hogging and my absolute favourite, idiotic parking. Anyway, the scary bit to me was the fact that having received their "licences" for completing the course, some kids were utterly convinced that they were able to drive their mommy's and daddy's cars on actual roads! Well, good luck to them...


Unfortunately, other than the goodie bag and some other freebies (ice scraper, reflective vest, stickers, etc.), that was as exciting as it got at the show. A friend of mine pointed out that even the normally sexy, scantily clad women that could be found in abundance at these type of shows were sadly nowhere to be seen around the cars (these things need to be pointed out to me, of course). Maybe they'd only come out at night when the kids were asleep. Or, when the wives and girlfriends are nowhere to be seen. Hmmm...


Anyway, here's my pick of some of the more interesting cars at the show...

A Maserati in red, probably to blend in with all the Ferraris around the place?

This horse certainly beats all the Mitsubishi, Subaru and Honda Civics of the world...

...and keeping it all-Italian, here's an Abarth-tuned Fiat 500. Very nice this. A shame the tuning company don't do stuff for Vespa any more. Oh, and gotta love that scorpion logo.

I would've taken more pics but I really struggled to find anything else of interest. Hopefully, next week's Motorbike Show is a hell lot better.