Castrol GTX Extreme Motor Show: Magnitudes above the rest?

Well this year’s show was somewhat of a mixed bag of tricks and while some dazzled the audiences into disbelief, others got stage fright and were only able to muster a pathetic cough before running off in a flood of tears. In case you’re unfamiliar with the setup, the Castrol GTX show is a motor show with a twist. While most shows concentrate on the manufacturers and what they bring to the table, the Extreme Show focuses on the eccentrics, or the “enthusiasts” as they like to be known.

Held at the North Gate Dome in Johannesburg, the Dome itself acts as a giant melting pot for petrol heads of all kinds, thrown in together to mix amongst themselves and the resulting creation is somewhat of a spectacle to behold. It’s certainly the only place I know of in which you’ll find old Mr. weird-beard parking his Ford Anglia alongside teenagers who’ve defied the laws of physics to crowbar an 18 million gigawatt sound system into a Citi Golf, and for both participants to not only be having a great time while appreciating the others creation.

So as you’ve probably guessed by now it’s somewhat of an eclectic bunch of people who gather for the show and yet in many ways it provides a much needed breath of fresh air, one that I appreciated immensely and here’s why. Firstly, any day of the week I can pop down my local dealership and see whatever car I want, however to see a classic car, or a modified car is somewhat of a challenge. Secondly the show may indeed be about the cars, but it’s also most definitely about the people. Each car there is unique. Each car has had hours and hours of blood, sweat, tears and relationships put into it. The people behind each car care for what they have created, are proud of it and best of all want to share it with us.

There are of course downsides to every motor show, and the Castrol GTX Extreme Motor Show is by no means different. The biggest problem stems from the sheer tidal wave of aftermarket companies invading like termites, taking over and riddling the whole experience with holes. Everywhere you turn there’s some promotional person forcing a pamphlet on you about some miracle product, insincere smile on their face saying “Here, you throw this away.”

Then of course are their actual stands, most of which are really boring or completely irrelevant. I’ll single a couple out, hoping they can learn from their mistakes. Garmin for one hit on the brilliant idea of getting a booth, filling it with about three bored looking people and three GPS’s and nothing else. Plain, bland and a waste of space. Secondly was some company I can’t even remember. What I do remember was their stand and this is no jokes, it was literally a soccer setup to measure how fast you can kick a ball. Now who on earth does that benefit at a motor show? Absolutely bloody no one and I couldn’t move along fast enough upon seeing that.

The real reason this really made me annoyed however was for the same reason I loved the show. It was detracting from the people who it was meant to benefit, from those who put their heart and soul into their motors. For example the Mini club of South Africa had a stand there. They had some great pieces from motoring history, both entertaining and informative. They even had a Mini Marcos, something quite rare and which I bet most of you wouldn’t have the faintest idea as to what it is, in which case, look it up! So they had a great little stand, but where were they put? Behind everyone else in a corner somewhere out of the way. Finding them felt a bit like winning a scavenger hunt, except conducted without a map and the participants didn’t even know they were playing.

Now there was plenty to see, so consider me a praiser by exception and everything I didn’t mention was great, with enough variety to keep everyone happy. Whether you get your kicks from muscle cars, race cars, quirky cars, or even if just getting to see your first Aston Martin Lagonda, there was something for everyone on display.

So in conclusion, the Castrol GTX Extreme Motor Show was definitely worth the R80, however for next year I’d much rather pay double that and have them get rid of the stupid aftermarket products people, even if it meant replacing them with a giant statue of a Datsun bakkie, let’s face it, it’d still be an improvement.

Nick Hodgson