- Project to create fastest-ever car to be showcased at London Motorexpo, with stunning full-sized, 13.5-metre model
- Show opens today, runs until Sunday 17 June
- Record number of manufacturers with more than 250 vehicles on display – many of which can be driven
- UK motor show debuts for Jaguar XF Sportbrake, BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Kia cee’d
- Interactive features expected to help draw a record crowd of 425,000 visitors
The UK’s largest free motoring event, Motorexpo (motorexpo.com), opens today at Canary Wharf in London. Running until Sunday 17 June, this year’s show is expected to generate a record turnout of 425,000 visitors, who will browse and interact with more than 250 vehicles including a number of significant UK show debuts.
Competing for the limelight will be the extraordinary Bloodhound SSC (SuperSonic Car). A full-sized, 13.5-metre model of the car will be on display at Motorexpo from Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 June, joined by some of the team behind this exciting project. Powered by a state-of-the-art Eurofighter jet engine coupled with a custom-designed Falcon hybrid rocket, Bloodhound SSC is expected to blast from standstill to a new land speed record of 1,000 mph within just 90 seconds when it runs on the Hakskeen Pan in South Africa in 2014.
From today Motorexpo visitors will be able to see some important new cars making their UK motor show debuts, notably the Jaguar XF Sportbrake premium estate, the luxurious BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class compact car and the all-new KIA cee’d family hatchback.
Showcasing everything from affordable superminis to red-blooded supercars will be a record line-up of manufacturers, including Aston Martin, Bentley, BMW, Chrysler, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Land Rover, Lexus, Maserati, McLaren, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Tesla, Vauxhall and Volvo.
It’s not just the latest crop of road cars that are on display. Auction house H&H Classic Car Auctions will be showing, and selling, a host of eye-catching machinery, including a £1million-plus Lamborghini Reventòn, one of just 12 lightweight E-Type Jaguars and some rare and prestigious cars from Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari and Porsche.
Motorexpo 2012 differs from most motor shows in that it offers unrivalled levels of interactivity. Visitors are encouraged to touch and get inside the exhibited vehicles, many of which can also be driven around the Canary Wharf estate through the show’s ‘driveme’ feature. To book a test drive, visitors need only visit motorexpo.com/driveme, or register their interest at the relevant stand on the day.
Test drives some of Motorexpo’s more specialist cars can only be booked in person on the day. Among these will be the very latest crop of low- and zero-emissions powertrain vehicles displayed in Motorexpo’s Eco Zone, including the revolutionary Vauxhall Ampera range-extender hybrid and the all-electric Tesla Roadster. For those looking for higher-octane thrills, test drives in many of the latest models from Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini and McLaren can also be booked on arrival.
For those that also enjoy drives of a ‘virtual’ nature, there will be the chance to get behind the wheel of a state-of-the-art F1 simulator in the event’s ever-popular ‘Canary Wharf Race Room’ feature, located in the Jubilee Place shopping mall. Would-be racing drivers can pit their skills against one another in a virtual single-seater F1-style car on the Brands Hatch race circuit. The individual who posts the fastest lap time during the show will win a money-can’t-buy driving experience with the Lotus F1 team, which includes a drive in a real F1 car.
Graeme Carver, CEO of Motorexpo, said, “Motorexpo grows in stature every year, demonstrated in 2012 by us hosting a record number of manufacturers and display vehicles. We’ve made the show even more interactive so that visitors will be able to get up close to, and in many cases drive some of the best cars currently available in the UK.
“It’s not just cars at London Motorexpo, though. The unique location offers visitors the chance to shop, eat and relax in the amazing surroundings of Canary Wharf. With the expansion of the Canary Wharf estate over the coming years this event is only going to get even bigger and better.”
There are no tickets and no queues, with easy access to the event via one of the wide variety of transport options available. Visitors can take the bus, London Underground or Docklands Light Railway. Alternatively, there’s also space for 2,900 cars within Canary Wharf’s four underground public car parks.
Motorexpo is open daily at Canary Wharf from 10am to 6pm (Monday 11 to Saturday 16 June) and 11am to 5pm on Sunday 17 June.
