Hard times but Toronto auto show sparkles

I went to the auto show on Family Day. Despite the recession, with job cuts and corporate slashings in the news every day, and reportedly a 9 per cent drop in attendance from last year, the place sure was packed.

Maybe everyone was a tire kicker. That's okay – there were a lot of tires to be kicked.

It was my third visit to this year's auto show. I was there on press day, when the local TV cameras were on hand to record the unveilings of all the vehicles that Wheels had already reported on from other shows.

I was there on VIP night the Thursday before official opening, wearing a tux with the other several thousand visitors in black tie and evening wear. Free booze and canapés overflowed the refreshment tables, and people wandered the exhibits wondering how the show would hold up against the Great Unwashed.

And then on the weekend, the real event. If these are hard times, you wouldn't know it at the auto show. But then again, prices have never been cheaper. If you have a "secure" job and cash in the bank, or access to credit, you can find unprecedented deals.

The beauty of the auto show is that you have all the new vehicles together and people ready to explain them, without the pressure of being expected to buy. There's no back office at the show, or business manager trying to sell you rustproofing. Just all the cars and trucks, gleaming away under the lights, primped and preened, pimped and cleaned, together under one roof.

Okay, under three roofs, with covered walkways between. That's the major failing of the Convention Centre and it always will be – the cavernous halls just aren't big enough for all the exhibits. It's bad enough that you have to navigate numerous escalators to cross the railway tracks in a press of humanity between the north and south halls, but the addition of the Rogers Centre steps up the challenge of auto show commuting.

Throw in a stroller or a wheelchair and it's a chore. The Canadian International AutoShow will never be a truly world-class event while it's held at an afterthought venue.

Which is too bad, because it's a terrific show. I went there again this week just to appreciate the exhibits at a quieter time, and to see how the vehicles in the Wheels booth are holding up.

We have an orange Lamborghini Murcielago roadster that's been attracting all kinds of attention, as well as the Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel I drove down from the Northwest Territories with a pair of diamonds for Wheels' "Win a diamond" competition (enter online at www.wheels.ca/diamond).

The Lambo was still immaculate, kept clean by the experts at L.A. Detail, who have also been asked to keep an eye on the Jeep, still filthy with northern dirt and salt. People have been signing their names all over it with their fingers, and the detailers check it over for objectionable graffiti. (My favourite, on the passenger door: "I wish my wife was as dirty as this!")

I'll be there again tomorrow afternoon, putting the roof back on the Lambo and getting ready to drive the Jeep away. If you're there, drop by to say hello, but don't be surprised if I've wandered off. I'll be taking one last look at the show, making the most of it before it's wrapped up for another year.

Mark Richardson is the editor of Wheels.

mrichardson@thestar.ca

SEARCH MORE USED VEHICLES FOR SALE

• Used Cars
• |
• Used Sports Cars
• |
• Used Hybrid
• |
• Used SUV
• |
• Used Minivan
• |
• Used Trucks
• |
• Used Commercial Vehicles