Event
Auto
Mania
Imran
H. Khan
Last
Friday, the grounds of Gulshan Youth Club Field rocked as
vehicles circled, swirled and spun from all over Bangladesh,
into the dusty field to participate in the F1 Auto Fair
2005. F1, a new event management company, arranged this
event for the second time in two years after receiving much
kudos for their prior effort. The event lasted eight hours
from 12 noon to 8:00 at night.
F1 showcased
about 70 cars categorised into two groups: the classic,
with its debonair taste, and the 'souped-up', formally known
as the modified section. From the very beginning, the event
was in top-gear as it was graced with the presence of US
ambassador Harry K. Thomas. As the cars started to breeze
in, there were ecstatic gasps as members of the audience
spotted their dream cars. Private participants as well as
companies boasted their modified cars, some preferring the
classy, sophisticated look, while others went for the youthful,
sporty look.
In the
Classic corner of the ring, there were superstars in the
arena such as 'the' 1924 Rolls Royce, Mercedes 1962, Mercedes
1973, Mustang and many more. Other participants included
the high-end Jaguar, BMW and Mercedes, while the Japanese
giant Toyota was also present with their top-of-the-line
automobiles.
Among
other cars that had the spotlight on them were the Mazda
RX 7, BMW Z4, S500 Benz and the Jaguar S-class. There was
also a F1 showcase, which featured some of the 'coolest'
cars around, including the Nissan Skyline, Mitsubishi Evolution
and VW Beetle.
On the
creative side, there was the Modified section, represented
by the proud owners as well as some automobile dealers.
These cars had been 'upgraded' to suit the unique style
and outlook of the owner. The outcome: to switch the riders
into hyper-drive.
The
show had a dusty start as car after car started to pour
into the field. Through the "dust-screen", tantalising
shapes of cars were visible. It was like being a child inside
a candy shop. Every car lover that "one car" they
fantasize about and most of them were there at the event.
Tire and Rim shops were strategically placed around the
field to brag about the latest and the coolest. There were
also a handful of car stalls, with their latest imports
to catch the craving eyes of the car fanatics. Volkswagen
Club also had their little corner and their line of mini-cars.
A
fun addition to the event was a Performance Factor event
organised by Mitsubishi. This was a track at one corner,
somewhat resembling a 'driving test' arena, where participants
took turns to test their road skills. What was being tested
here was not speed but skill. In other words, not how fast
you got to your destination but how smoothly and carefully
you got there. The winner of the event was Islam, who took
home the prize money of Tk.5,000 and a T-shirt. He received
his prize to the thundering applause of the audience.
To increase
audience participation, each entry ticket included a voting
token and the ticket holder was required to vote for his/her
favourite car under each category. As evening set in, the
winners were made public. The winner of the Modified section
was the Ferrari F-71. This car was a modified look-alike
of the Ferrari F50 that had been built on a Honda Prelude.
The owner received a crest and a prize money of Tk.10,000.
Under the Classic emblem, the winner was the Ford Mustang
and the owner bagged Tk.15,000 along with the crest.
In
the concluding part of the ceremony, Professor Md. Rezaul
Karim, State Minister, Ministry of Liberation War Affairs,
made an appearance as the chief guest and distributed the
prizes.
Stalls
from Navana CNG, Orion CNG, Haq's Bay, Ideal Auto, Mobil,
Jamuna Lubricants and many other brands surrounded the field.
Other services, including car accessories, CNG conversion
and auto-loan facilities, were available on the fair premises.
The
F1 Auto Fair 2005 was jointly sponsored by Prime Bank Ltd
and Mobil, who also had stalls displaying information about
their latest schemes and products. The Performance Factor
part of the event was sponsored by Mitsubishi while the
ticket sponsor, Nescafe, gave away free coffee (a nice break
from all the dust) to the members of the audience who voted.
Unlike political voting, there was no opportunity for casting
more than one vote, so members of the audience had to make
do with one shot of coffee. The Daily Star and
ntv were the media partners of this glamorous show.
Copyright
(R) thedailystar.net 2004
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