Anybody who knows me knows that I'm mad keen on cars. Really into carburetors and gaskets and whatnot. I'm what Jeremy Clarkson would call a "proper petrolhead... on acid". So it was only fitting that I was present at the 2012 Toronto Motor Show, where ladies look at Minis and men decide which pick-up got the best mileage: the 31mpg Ford F150 or the 49.89kpg Buick Somethingorother.
I must have sat in at least eight different cars, my particular favourites being the most economic and realistic: the Fiat 500, the Mazda3 and the Nissan Leaf. I also happened to notice Toyota launching the IQ under their budget Scion brand, whereupon some weirdo filmed me getting in and out of the back just to "see how it was done". I should have made the bugger delete the footage: there wasn't a release form in sight... All pictures enlarge with a click!
BMW Concept. Glass tube thing is a 3D HUD
A view of the afternoon
Woodpecker: what a refreshing change!
The Triumph side-exhibit: huzzah!
Minimalism: en vogue
Some kind of Acura, possibly?
Asked to take it for a spin but was told: "No professionals"
I said: "I'm not a professional"
Yes, it's an Acura. And these photos aren't in order.
The 2013 Passat CC. Possibly the worst car I've ever seen.
A Dodge Ram (aren't they two different manufacturers?)
Soft top Fiat + Japanese tourists = photo
Whatever this was, you weren't allowed near it
Low-slung Beetle
Just off the top of my head, this is a 2013 Nissan GT-R
And that was that; my vehicular interest taken care of for another year or so. The rest of the day involved a five-dollar footlong, a gormless hour or so in front of UFC and a hair-raising drive (i.e. me behind the wheel) to the closest bar with a pool table - the exotically-named and African-themed Safari! Sadly, there are no photographs. To tide you over, here's the ad for the aforementioned footlong: an ad that, thanks to its extraordinary key change, has been stuck in my head since I got here (it's a sort of half-step to a minor chord, you see, which is not what you expect of a jingle). Enjoy!
