Toronto Auto Show Braces for 40th Annual Event

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

This day in 1974, newspapers proudly published the Skylab astronauts safely descending back to earth. In the city of Toronto, the music store turf war between Sam the Record Man and A&A Records was still a fixture on Yonge Street. February 8^th of 1974 was also an important time in establishing an annual mid-winter tradition for varying degrees of automotive enthusiasts. Opening for what would evolve into Canada’s largest exhibition of cars and trucks, the first Toronto Auto Show hosted vehicles from North America, Japan and Europe. During the 10-day event that year, the display would eventually become a serious national happening recognized as the Canadian International AutoShow.

First staged as the International Centre near the Woodbine Race Track and Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, the 1974 Toronto Auto Show was an exhibition that reignited the spectacle of seeing many of the newest cars in one spot. As the trend of automobiles caught on through the 1920s, Toronto’s first public collection of new vehicle technology was part of the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition). In 1929, the Automotive Building housed 51 cars. The CNE auto show remained a draw until the Second World War altered the event into a military display. Despite the end of fighting in 1945, the vast annual display of automobiles did not return. The show would return in the 1950s and last until the 1967 CNE show. In later years, the Toronto CNE Grounds hosted the arrival of many non-North American brands including Volkswagen and Isuzu. Seven years later, an International caliber auto show would return to the city with the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association sponsorship.

With more than 300 new vehicles and other displays, the 1974 edition of the auto show at the International Centre contained a car-racing movie screenings as well as a figure skating show. Admission to the first-ever Toronto Auto Show was $2.50 for an adult. Growing in prominence, the Toronto Auto Show relocated in 1986 to the than-newly constructed Metro Toronto Convention Centre. By the mid-1980s, the auto show was able to swell to 500 new vehicles including a Lamborghini Countach, Audi 5000 quattro and a very rare TVR 390SE sports car. In the 1990s and 2000s, the show would also occupy the Skydome (now the Rogers Centre) with manufacturer displays.






In the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the Canadian International AutoShow has continued to thrive as an annual exhibition. As well as featuring the newest vehicle models from leading car companies, the Canadian International AutoShow also lures the best of car culture into a hospitable climate. Special displays in recent years have brought classic collections of Chevrolet Corvette, Shelby, Chevy Camaro and Triumph brand vehicles into the show. While the crippling effects on the 2009 automotive industry did cause some consolidation as manufacturer displays shrank (the Rogers Centre would be excluded from the Canadian International AutoShow’s floor plan in 2010), following editions of the show drew back car company enthusiasm and spectators. Posting an attendance of 253,384 people in 2009, the 2012 Canadian International AutoShow ballooned to a record of over 316,000 spectators.




For the 40^th annual display since the 1970s revival, the 2013 Canadian International AutoShow will open to the public on February 15^th unveiling over 125 distant displays. This year’s auto show in Toronto will compose of $30,000,000 worth of new cars with the Auto Exotica display (consisting of many six-figure super vehicles) pressing the collection’s value up substantially higher. The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, SRT Viper, Ford Fiesta ST and the BMW M6 Gran Coupe will be part of more than 1,000 vehicles inside the 500,000 square-foot Metro Toronto Convention Centre event. Cruise National, Auto Exotica and Eco Run Exhibit featuring fuel-efficient transportation solutions will be returning in 2013. Special displays in 2013 consist of Canadian Hot Rod Builders Showcase and the Sport Compact Evolution sections.

Special thanks to the Toronto Star Pages of the Past archive

　

Travis Pastrana Puts X on Roush Fenway Racing Deal for 2013

Photo credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images

A 10-time X Games Gold medalist, AMA motocross champion, and a four-time drivers title winner of the Rally America, 29-year old Travis Pastrana thirst for adrenaline has been aided by a proven talent. When Pastrana announced his next thrill would come in NASCAR, there was little doubt he expected to depend heavily on his experience for winning. Last year, an effort campaigning a heavily modified Dodge Dart in the Global RallyCross Series netted a victory at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway event.

Through the course of a running select NASCAR Nationwide races in 2012, it appears the Travis Pastrana has realized the need to align himself with a top-flight racing organization in order to net the best opportunity for victory. For 2013, the multi-talented athlete is now officially signed with the team that powered 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Starting in his first NASCAR Nationwide Series in the April 2012 event at Richmond International Raceway, Travis Pastrana started the 2012 season with RAB Racing that ran with the co-operation of Michael Waltrip Racing. Pastrana drove the team’s #99 Toyota for the eight races finishing a season-best effort of 13^th place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When the NASCAR Nationwide Series returned to Richmond International Raceway for their second race in September, the experienced team of Roush-Fenway Racing approached Travis Pastrana to drive. Finishing 17^th in a #60 Ford Mustang, Pastrana clearly recognized the NASCAR organization was the best fit for him as he arms himself for a full-time assault in the 2013 Nationwide Series season.

Indications since November have been confirmed on Thursday as Travis Pastrana and Roush-Fenway Racing announced their association formally for 2013. “I am very serious about making this move, running competitively and ultimately winning races in NASCAR,” said Pastrana in a team release excited to be part of a team he attests is “..the maximum opportunity to develop my skills”. The winningest team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with 131 visits to victory lane since 1988, Roush Fenway Racing’s previous two seasons resulted in their driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr winning the drivers championship.

Driving the #60 Ford Mustang that is said to sport different sponsors throughout 2013, Pastrana will compete alongside teammate and 2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne for the full 33-race season.

Smart Fortwo Electric Canadian Price to Start at $26,990

Photo Credit: CNW Group/Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc

Joining the zero-emissions vehicle trend, Mercedes-Benz owned small vehicle builder smart has prepared their first customer available fortwo microcar. After a Three-Phase process that involved testing the electric powertrain around the world, customer orders for the smart fortwo electric drive is now being taken in many markets including Canada.

While the nearly 8-year presence of the smart brand in Canada is greeted with mixed interests depending on individual motoring tastes, the fortwo electric drive versions of the small two-seat vehicle is priced very attractively. For the smart fortwo electric drive coupe, Canadian buyers will be paying $26,990. About $12,000 the starting price of the gasoline-burning fortwo coupe, smart's electric drive is currently the most reasonable priced fully street legal electric vehicle. For an open-air electric drive, a cabriolet variant of the vehicle is being sold at $29,990.

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

A 2013 model, the smart fortwo range will expand with the available of zero-emission electric versions of the recognized mircocar. Receiving power from a 55-watt motor, the smart fortwo electric drive will achieve a top traveling range of 145 kilometers (equating to about 90 miles).  Top speed of the fortwo electric drive car is rated at 120 kilometers per hour allowing it to run on major highways.

When the first cars will be delivered to Canadians in spring of next year, the 2013 smart fortwo electric drive will sport a freshened exterior complete with a larger grille and high-efficiency LED lighting. Standard features owners can expect to find in their electric-powered smart fortwo includes air conditioning, heated seats and electronically-adjustable heated exterior mirrors.

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy

The smart fortwo electric drive range will join the Smart ebike that is scheduled for a mid-July launch. Retailing at $3,240 in Canada, the two-wheeled ebike represents the Smart brand's technology in one of the most efficient, lightweight vehicles for urban transportation.

The anticipated new product line for smart will go a long way to increasingly cater to the enivronmentally-minded motorists who had fallen in love with the current gasoline-misting fortwo. Responding to their upcoming vehicle, Tim A. Reuss, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Canada said, "The new smart fortwo electric drive has garnered significant attention since its official debut earlier this year, and I am extremely pleased that the pre-ordering program we introduced has generated a lot of excitement at our dealerships in anticipation of next year's official launch."