Saturday the 10th and Sunday the 11th of May were sure to have been good ones up at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Scotland, not least because it was The Official Scottish Motor Show 2008. Consequently, yours truly just had to be there for the launches, the goss and of course the track-day shenanigans that were sure to be had up North.
I was lucky enough to have secured tickets for the Sunday some time ago – the second day normally being a little quieter, or rather a little less packed. Naturally I went through my checklist before starting off – did I have the tickets, the hotel reservation, enough oil, enough water, plenty of tread on the tyres and so forth? All of this is worth checking before any long voyage.
Everything seemed to be in good working order so I picked up my lady friend and off we went. Unfortunately, something always breaks down on a 300+ mile round trip, and this was no exception. On the way there, many roads were broken down (seemingly the English and Scottish were trying to rebuild as many roads as possible on this weekend).
Not only that, but as soon as we got across the border the sunshine was gone and instead it was replaced by the most amazing fog along with lightning that seemed to rarely beyond 10 metres or so from the car. Apart from this, my Vauxhall Astra was cruising the distance comfortably – if excessively hot. I knew I should have paid the extra for the climate control…
Luckily, we managed to get to the hotel in our requisite pieces – in this case the Kirklands Hotel. It is a very nice place to stay – both welcoming and friendly with a good array of true Scottish malts and real ales. It’s also only about 25 minutes from the circuit and that was what the decision came down to really.
Unfortunately, on the Saturday night, something else decided to break down – me. Your intrepid reporter spent the rest of the night shivering as I was wracked by the flu. This got progressively worse and the next day I felt more like throwing up than being driven round Knockhill Race Track (known for a brilliant and tight hairpin tri-oval) in a Ferrari F430. Nonetheless, for all the fans of Car Articles, rather than simply give up, I laboured on. My lady was kind enough to go and find me some medicine and a short while after we were off to the track.
In case you’ve never been to Knockhill race circuit before, let me tell you right away that it’s not exactly on the trodden path. All the better, perhaps, to remove the baffles and mufflers and tear away. Not great however for parking. The attendants were very friendly though and directed us up the requisite hill in order to park. It was then that I wished I’d brought the clapped out old 4×4, parking on what was essentially a muddy, churned up field. Oh well, I thought, if I’m stuck then there’s bound to be a tow somewhere.
Even just parking up, it was an amazing sight. Every few cars would be something special – whether a tricked out Scooby or a well looked-after Triumph. Even in the car park there were some Caterhams and Lotus’s. We knew we were in the right place. Sauntering down the track, we could see that already bombing about were some Lamborghinis and Ferraris. Naturally I knew this was going to be a good day so I handed over the readies for a programme. This is how the day shaped up:
The morning sessions consisted of a supercar track show, Paul Swift Stunt Show, Track Test Demonstrations, Challenger Tanks, the unveiling of the Renault Koleos, Terry Grant Stunts and Jet Pack Man. This is what I’ll cover here and the afternoon will feature in Part 2.
It is possible to be (at times) underwhelmed by supercars. By that I mean if you just sit at home and look at them in a magazine you might think after a while, ‘well these are nice, but you never see them do you?’ You certainly saw and heard them here – granted the Pagani Zonda and the Koenigsegg didn’t make it to the track but 2 Lotus Exiges, a Lamborghini Gallardo and 2 Ferraris did.
They screamed up the straight and it was amazing to see them doing what they were made to do – perform superbly on the track. There was something there that I couldn’t identify as it happens (unusual for me) but it looked a bit like a Noble. Whatever it was, it had some exhaust system as the noise from it was unreal.
The track test demonstrations were absolutely fantastic – not least because they were free. As the weather was actually quite nice (if overcast) I thought I’d get my ticket for the new Saab 9-3 BioPower (one of the few places where this car has actually been shown in public). It looked fantastic in the bright yellow paintwork whilst it proved yet again how good the BioPower technology is – the engine produces 20% more BHP and 15% more torque when running on E85 ethanol that’s obviously better for the environment.
Paul Swift is some driver and I state this as an absolute fact. He’s one of the best stunt drivers I have ever seen and he’s a credit to the Ford Team. At Knockhill he did a number of demonstrations including handbrake parking and cruising around the Hairpin Tri Oval on two wheels – with a few people on board including a man in the boot! If you think you’re a good driver, go and see this guy. Truly an entertaining and impressive performance.
The tank display was next and it was something I’d been keen to see. There’s nothing quite like a weapon of war put on public display and so seeing the Challenger roar into life and start rumbling about was fearsome indeed. The noise alone put war into a bit more perspective – as did the way the tank used a smoke screen before rolling over a few cars. The strength (and apparently the weight) of the tank was such that it made the car seem tiny and pathetic.
It was at this point that my lady decided that she was cold and in need of a good cup of tea, so off she went. This left me to explore all of the various manufacturer stands that were on offer – one of the biggest being the Renault show. It just happened that in the ten minutes or so that I’d arrived they were due to launch the Koleos (an exclusive in the UK) so I knew I had to stick around.
As the tension mounted, I decided to hop into the Renault Clio 197 2008 – and I must say that tricked out with those lovely Recaro seats it is very impressive indeed. The engine had a nice roar and the interior actually looked quite classy. Who knows, it might well be my next car. When I get a proper test drive I’ll give you guys more information.
So – the Koleos was launched. Tragically, the crowd didn’t get all shouty –but then if you’ve seen the pictures then you’d know why. Rather than something sleek and even dare I say it chic (come on, for all those yummy mummys who drive Chelsea Tractors this is just the thing) it is actually rather a boat. Nonetheless, the boot space is amazing with everything from split folding to ski holders. Renault has thought this one out.
Terry Grant and Jet Pack Man rounded off the morning’s entertainment – with the former being extremely good and doing some great speed work. The latter however was a disappointment – whilst a man flying is always good, his being in the air for only a few seconds doesn’t really impress.
Watch out in the next few days for part 2 of the Scottish Motor Show coverage.
Leave a Reply