In response to DP?s comments about having to pay the congestion charge. The show is at Excel, which is no where near the congestion charge zone - no need to pay anything to Ken to get there.
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i have been to every motor show since 1984 either in the NEC or to the Motorfairs at Earls Court. Shan't be going this year though.
The NEC is easy, jump in the car, two and a bit hours to the car park, no problem. To get to the London show jump in the car, contemplate the M25 or parking at Richmond and tubing and DLR across the city, or getting a train to Waterloo then the tube and DLR or even train to Waterloo then boat.
Too much hassle either way.
Also when the show was in the Autumn there was nothing else going on. In July we're about to go on holiday, there's a music festival to go to, or air shows or motor racing.
Lastly the show will be wholly in the school holidays so whichever day you go you won't be able to see anything for the crowds.
The last NEC show was fantastic with loads of activities, displays and a huge off road course.
Sorry, but I can't get enthusiastic about the docklands show, even with the prospect of the world debut of the new Vauxhall Corsa.
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totally agree stackman and apparently you cant even get a decent glass of water down there either.......
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NEC at Brum is great: easy to get to and a good show.
Went to one Motor Show at Olympia once (from the wilds of Sunny Stoke - god's own country - at least today and this week when sun is shining).
Can't be bothered again. Road system, chavs, London .. not for me...
As for London being the birthplace of civilsation: which one? If it's a Balir one count me as uncivilised...
Now where was the steam engine invented? And the car? London? And Magna Carta?
Typical Londoners... don't know their own history:-)
madf
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I used to regularly go to the show in Brum, living in the midlands it was just so easy to get to. Less than half an hour and always a certainty of parking, with the choice of a free bus to the gates or a short walk past the lake. Can't be beaten.
There's no way I'm going to make the 3-4 hour trek to Docklands though. As for the NEC, I don't care how much the parking costs or how old fashioned the "big drafty sheds" are (who cares what the building looks like, I thought the motor show was about cars?) I just hope the motor show comes back to the spiritual home of the motor car - the west midlands!
Of course. all the London based media are loving the fact the show is on their own doorstep, they've always been quick to criticise the NEC for supposed weaknesses and relished rubbishing the show at every chance they got - leading to naturally falling attendances and loss of interest by manufacturers.
How about a yearly show (instead of bi-annually), one year at Docklands, one year at the NEC? Then we'd all be happy? Apart from the poor Scots who have to travel light years either way!
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In response to DP?s comments about having to pay the congestion charge. The show is at Excel, which is no where near the congestion charge zone - no need to pay anything to Ken to get there.
Sorry, didn't make my post very clear. I know it's outside the zone, but the only city in the country that charges for car use and has such an openly anti-car mayor should not get the revenue and income from a motor show out of principle.
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OTOH, isn't having a car show in London like sticking a big V up to Ken and his anti-car dogma?
In which case I'm all for it! ;)
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"Apart from the poor Scots who have to travel light years either way ! "
Not true. Both the NEC and Excel are very close to airports eg Birmingham and London City.
There are around 15 flights a day (except at weekends) between Edinburgh and London City. There are also a four flights on weekdays into London City from Dundee
I would imagine a Scot could reach Excel faster than someone living in the Home Counties.
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now let me see
Schloss TVM toNEC
M25 Jam J11 to J15
M40 toM42
M42 Jam j3a toJ6
Nec Que into carpark
Nec long walk or wait for bus to sheds
Bus driver uniteligible due to strange accent
Schloss TVM to Excel
Aircon train to Waterloo 30mins
Fast tube to Stratford 15 mins
DLR to excel 5 mins
Ooh yes its NEC *every* time
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Long walk? You are kidding me? The centre is like 5-10 minutes walk at most from the furthest car parks. I've been to the NEC on countless occasions and stopped bothering with the free buses long ago because the short walk just was too easy. Directly comparable to the walk from DLR - which I have used too.
You did take the well signed shortcut through the underpass and not the long on road route the buses uses, I assume?
There's also Birmingham International train station for those that find the car journey too tricky. No queues on the trains! ;) Although if you're local like me, you know all the back routes out of the NEC and past the slow bit of the M42 anyway...trade secret though.... :-D
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Yes OilBurner, and let's start lobbying to revive the idea of a nice GP and sports car race circuit, to be used for a total of a fortnight a year, extending from Marble Arch to Victoria and passing either side of Buckingham Palace... Route obviously Park Lane in one direction but should take in the Serpentine Bridge. Of course the speed bumps in the park would have to be taken away and put back along with a certain amount of street furniture, but are we bothered? London can afford it thanks to the Congestion charge...
Come on Livingstone! Do something popular for a change! (smirk)
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LOL!
The burning question is: would the Formula 1 cars have to pay the congestion charge? ;)
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Inner m25 is where money is. It's that simple. Year after year more and more companies resigned from going to NEC, and so did press and people who were charged their curiosity in gold for the priviledge.. All wrong reasons. They want the show to regain good name, they want to attract international premieres, if it won't happen in London, you can as well scrap the whole idea all together.
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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The NEC lost the Motor Show because of dwindling attendance figures. Given that London Docklands is just too difficult to get to, for the two-thirds of our population outside SE England, it'll be interesting to see the attendance figures this year.
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RT is right. It's a nailbiter. But if you want to go because it's a good show the information is in the news on the right and repeated here:
London Motor Show Highlights
www.britishmotorshow.co.uk or direct link for tickets www.seetickets.com/motorshow
Dates 20th to 30th July 2006.
Venue: ExCel, Docklands.
Best reached by Docklands Light Railway, get off at Custom House. Get on at Canning Town on the Jubilee Line. www.tfl.gov.uk
By car, best from M25 Eastern Side J30 then A13. Alternatively A 20 and Blackwall Tunnel then A13 from the South. Car parks signposted. Shuttle buses to the Exhibition.
London City Airport is just 5 minutes away.
Or travel down the Thames on a Clipper from Central London to Canary Wharf, then by shuttle bus to the Exhibition. www.thamesclippers.com/motorshow
OUTSIDE THE HALLS
West Side:
BMW, Rolls Royce and MINI. Rolls 100EX Coupe, BMW Z4 Coupe, BMW M6 convertible, MINI traveller concept, Cooper S GP 218PS
Taster test Drives in Citroens, Hondas, SEATs, Toyotas and GM Opel/Vauxhall/SAAB/Chevrolet/Cadillac.
East Side:
Adventureland 4x4 driving in Nissan Navara, Volvo XC90, KIA Sorento, Daihatsu Terios, Toyota RAV-4, Toyota Land Cruiser.
Mazda Zoom Zoom driving challenge (win a Mazda MX5).
Land Rover Terrapod driving.
Arena Auditorium for Stunt Driving Shows during daytime.
Arena Auditorium for Dockside Concerts (tickets 0870 166 0443)
All start at 9.00pm.
Saturday 22nd July: Roxy Music
Monday 24th July: Simple Minds
Tuesday 25th July: Sugababes
Wednesday 26th July: Katherine Jenkins and National Symphony Orchestra
Thursday 27th July: Jools Holland
Friday 28th July: The Australian Pink Floyd Show
On the river:
Water skiing, jet-skis, wetbikes, powerboat racing etc.
STAND BY STAND SOUTH HALL
Peugeot: 907 V12 supercar
Opel/Vauxhall: New Corsa (lots of them), Astra Twintop
Hummer: H2 and H3
Citroen: Concept Cars, C6
Hyundai: Santa Fe
Renault: RenaultSport Clio 197, Egeus SUV concept car
Jaguar: New XKR, New XJR.
Land Rover: New Freelander
Aston Martin: Rapide 4-door showcar
Ford: New Focus CC
Volvo: New C30, XC90 Sport
Mazda: MX5 Roadster Coupe demo, B50 pick-up, Mazda 3 MPS, the freshest stand with incredible aerobatic display on giant screens.
Nissan: Murano GT-C, Urge concept car, Good shows, win a Micra CC (proceeds to Cancer charity)
SEAT: New Leon Cupra 240PS
KIA: New Sedona, Sorento facelift, New Carens
SAAB: Showcars
Cadillac: BLS
Chevrolet: Captiva 4x4, Corvette ZO6
(Smaller stands and Supercar Paddock)
TVR: Sagaris
Bentley: Continental GTC Cabriolet, Azure Convertible
Mercedes: R Class, GL Class, E-Class facelift, Smart ForTwo electric, Maybach Excelero Coupe concept
Alfa Romeo: Brera Spider
Chrysler: Sebring, Dodge Nitro, Dodge Caliber
Honda: Civic Type S and Type R 3-dr
Daihatsu: Terios
Noble: New M15
Morgan: Aero 8 4.4V8
Mitsubishi: i-Car microcar
Lexus: GS450h hybrid
Toyota: Avensis T180, RAV-4, HiLux 3.0 D-4D
Lotus: New Elise S
More at: www.britishmotorshow.co.uk or direct link for tickets www.seetickets.com/motorshow
HJ
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I only ever went to the motoshow once, while it was at the NEC, I like cars, but it was boring, everything had ropes around andwas 3 deep in people, it was pretty boring really, it's also a rip-off, I prefer those small local motorshows with local dealers in a field or park. Maybe cars belong outside and it should be held outdoors somewhere like the lawns of a stately home?
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Well, as the OP of this thread, it seems that to state the blooming obvious, there are mixed views.
But, if they are going to hold it in the London area - what's wrong with Earls Court?
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Too small and not flexible
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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what's wrong with Earls Court?
Last time I was there, it was at least 15 yrs past needing a facelift. Ceiling tiles missing, flakey paint - etc.
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RT is right. It's a nailbiter.
'I am not just biting my nails, I am worried sick in case the attenandance figures in The Docklands are not as good as those at The NEC'
Let's get serious, just for a moment.
Is anyone really suggesting that new car sales figures in the UK would show a significant fall if there was not an annual or bi-annual Motor Show?
Does any intelligent adult say to hin(her)self 'well, I was going to buy a new car this year, but I won't now because I don't know what the new Mondeo looks like compared with the Mazda 6'
Puhleese, it's just a jamboree for a load of freeloaders and time-wasters and mutual back slappers.
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I have been to the last four motorshows. Usually with others.
6 cars have been chosen* and bought as a direct result of looking the cars overin the flesh at the show.
*as in shortlisted, removed from shortlist, final approval etc
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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"There's also Birmingham International train station"
Birmingham? international?
:snigger: :giggle: :ROFL:
< wipes tears from eyes > I love a good laugh
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I have been to the last four motorshows. Usually with others. 6 cars have been chosen* and bought as a direct result of looking the cars overin the flesh at the show. *as in shortlisted, removed from shortlist, final approval etc ------------------------------ TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
May I refer you to the query in my penultimate paragraph? What is your response to that specific point?
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Penultimate
Function: adjective
1 : next to the last
therefore
Does any intelligent adult say to hin(her)self 'well, I was going to buy a new car this year, but I won't now because I don't know what the new Mondeo looks like compared with the Mazda 6'
response
6 cars have been chosen* and bought as a direct result of looking the cars overin the flesh at the show.
*as in shortlisted, removed from shortlist, final approval etc
ergo What is your response to that specific point
Has been fully answered I believe, what part of the response was not clear? did you requires specific details of the cars involved in the choices? As it happens i think the Mondeo and Mazda 6 were part of the equation
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Thank you, Tour Van Man. Now please both of you stop this pointless little spat and continue to discuss the Motor Show itself (as TVM was trying to do, and for which I thank him).
HJ
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I'm gratified I made an impression on your stomach
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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