From left to right 2013 Georgian College Auto Show Organizing Committee: Josh Gaetz, director of finance and sponsorship, Shawn Hagen, director of media relations, Billy Mino, director of physical resources, Steven Bortolotti, director of show and community events, Rob Scott, director of training and recruitment
This year’s Georgian College Auto Show, held last weekend (June 1-3) marked the third time this long-running event (now in its 28th year) was hosted in the spring. And despite the somewhat inclement weather on Saturday and Sunday, where periods of rain showers made things a bit interesting at times, it proved to be one of the most successful. Run by students from the Automotive Business School of Canada, located at Georgian’s Barrie campus, the 2013 event witnessed 20 OEMs displaying their brand new vehicles, the highest total seen for a number of years.
Although at the time of posting this story, we hadn’t yet seen the official attendance numbers, feedback on Sunday, both from the committee and teams representing the manufacturers indicated that interest was good, with reports of decent crowds at the gates and perusing the various displays.
Key highlights this year were the Ford Drive One 4UR School event on Friday, which raised money from dealer-supported test drives for local school extracurricular activities, as well as the PowerStream Electric Vehicles: Current Technology and Future Opportunities showcases which took place on each of the three days. These are designed to provide the public with greater information and insight into the world of electric cars and sample vehicles this year included the Nissan LEAF and Ford Focus Electric.
For those looking more for a trip down memory lane, there were also two classic car shows, one on Saturday for post-1985 models and one on Sunday aimed at vehicles predating that year.
Other attractions included a new exotics display hosted by Grand Touring Automobiles and the ever popular Pfaff Porsche Test Track, in which attendees got a chance to sample some high performance thrills, riding shotgun in a Boxster or Cayman. Not only that but proceeds from this year’s Test Track sessions went towards funding for Camp Bucko, an Ontario registered charity that offers camp recreational activities and support for children recovering from burn injuries.
