Breath taking power machines that stopped every visitor's heart

The annual Melbourne International Motor Show was officially opened on 30th April 1925 and is one of the longest running Motor Shows in the world and by far the longest running in Australia. The Melbourne International Motor Show, which is also the Victoria's biggest indoor event - features Australia's passenger car manufacturers and major vehicle importers. Over the past ten years the Motor Show has attracted over 2.3 million visitors to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre and approximately 500 motor vehicles will be displayed when the Show is completed! The 1978 Melbourne Motor Show saw the James Bond' Lotus Esprit' Submarine car make its appearance straight out of the latest blockbuster movie. At the 1984 Melbourne Motor Show, the most valuable car in the world, at the time was on show, was the 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, which was insured by Lloyds of London for one million pounds.

This year Melbourne International Motor Show was held from 1st till 12th March at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, which is annually organized and promoted by the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce through its dealer division the Australian Automobile Dealers Association (Vic). This year, there were fifty exhibitors including some of the world's best like, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Dodge, Proton, BMW, Honda and Lamborghini. On the last day of the Motor Show, there was a massive auction organized by 'Shannons' and amongst many classic vehicles up for grabs, East met west when a 1969 Mazda Cosmo 110B and a 1972 Bolwell Nagari 351 V8 tempted bidders with two very different approaches to sports motoring.

International engineering and design specialist EDAG stunned visitors to the Melbourne International Motor Show with its remarkable "EDAG SUV" show car. Based on the Porsche Cayenne, the EDAG SUV makes a highly desirable car even more eye-catching with a dramatic lowering and re-shaping of the high-performance SUV. The most startling features of the EDAG SUV are a roofline lowered (or chopped) by 70 mm, and the beefy front bumper features large air inlets for the intercoolers of the 447 kilowatt turbocharged engine. In classic show-car style, vehicle boasts huge 23-inch wheels with ultra-low profile 315/25 tyres.

The World's Lowest Car, the 54.3 cm British-built "Flat Out", headed for the Melbourne International Motor Show and was displayed by 'Eclipse' the premium in-car infotainment company, built by custom car creator Andy Saunders in just three days, the car is scarcely taller than its tiny tyres, and yet is fully drivable. To put it's height in context, an original Mini is almost two-and-half times its height at 135 cm, and a current Mini towers above it at 142 cm. The future of motoring was on display at the Show in the form of a new Honda that consumes only hydrogen and emits only water vapour. Honda's FCX Concept fuel cell car is the prototype of a new model that will go on sale in Japan and the USA next year. Featuring a compact fuel cell system that converts hydrogen into electricity and offering a roomy four-seater cabin, and futuristic styling along with significant improvements in power output and environmental performance, for a top speed of 160 km/h and a range of up to 570 km.

Its energy efficiency of around 60 percent is approximately three times that of a petrol-engined vehicle, twice that of a hybrid vehicle, and 10 per cent better than the current FCX. This car was the most expensive car on display, estimated to be costing around one million Australian dollars.
A British-built sports car that looks and goes like a Formula One car for the road was one of the star attractions at the Melbourne International Motor Show.

The Caparo T1 promises a top speed beyond 300 km/h with blistering acceleration and so much aerodynamic down force that it could drive upside down in a tunnel. The fastest car at the show was Lamboghini Murcielago Coupe, and with its bright yellow colour known as 'Giallo Evros' it was attracting an audience like moths to flame. The Lamboghini is a 12 cylinder V60 with a 100 Liter fuel tank. With a top speed of over 340 Km per hour and a Torque of 660 Nm@ 6000 rpm, it reaches 100 Km at a staggering 3.4 seconds.

It is estimated to be around 660,000 Australian Dollars. Also was one of the fastest cars at display was the '599 GTB Fiorano' by the legendary Ferrari. With its sleek beauty, and Metallic silver and red bodies, the Fiorano stopped my heart and impressed me with its 12 cylinder engine, and ability to reach the maximum speed over 330 Km per hour and a performance of reaching 100 Km within 3.7 seconds. Living up to its name of making the world's best race cars, the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano is valued over 730,000 Australian Dollars.

Bold, confident and daring, the ultimate beast on the road the 'Hummer' was also on display. Normally about the size of two domestic cars, the Hummer is not yet approved on roads in most parts of the world.