It’s that time of year again, where petrol heads and the public unite.
The Autosport international 2020 show at the NEC.
Arriving early for the opening on a crisp Friday morning trade day, cup of hot coffee in hand, the entry to the hall went without incident.
Once again a very well organised event, and the array of displays were mouth watering.
Slightly disappointing to see many of the usual traders weren’t on display this year, the most obvious being TVR with the new Griffith. But they were not alone, and this did afford the halls more space for the growing volume of keen attendees. We also noticed an ever bigger number of EV vehicles, technology and even some classic conversions. Something we will be looking at in the very near future.
All in, the show had a good balance of engineering equipment, motorsport and tuning displays, with a generous helping of racing simulators at most of the bigger stands. Good luck attempting to have a go though, the queue of teenagers and adults alike ensured myself and Pete explored all the halls.
The epitome being the Le Mans e-sports series simulators. A sign of the times if ever there was one, it’s only a matter of time before all racing drivers are selected from a pool of teenagers behind computers. Mercedes had their full size F1 simulator primed for avid drivers to experience what must be the closest thing to a real F1 race.
The interesting, and possibly my favourite aspect of the show is the new advances in tooling and processes for the motorsport and engineering sector. With traders from around the world displaying their future tech, from new ways of cleaning/blasting classic car bodies, to the the ever growing customisation and tuning kits.
But if Art is what you prefer, i hope you spotted Singer’s engine on display, a thing of beauty developed by Nicholson McLaren that makes one wonder why the Singer isn’t built with a clear kevlar engine lid.
The same could be said for most of the coil-over kits, with Ohlins and the like showing how artistic flair can be used in engineering. 3d scanning and printing was also a big eye opener, it will only become more advanced as all industries find ways to take advantage of it, a space we will certainly be watching.
