The Castrol Autocar Performance Show 2005, India’s first ever display of high end, super performance cars kicked off on December 1, at the Nehru Centre in Worli, Mumbai. The four-day long show was inaugurated by India’s racing champion Narain Karthikeyan. Spread over two floors of the sprawling Nehru Centre, the Castrol Autocar Performance Show 2005 features over 36 motor manufacturers, designers and leading accessory manufacturers.
Speaking with media persons shortly after inaugurating the show, Narain Karthikeyan, ‘the fastest Indian in the world’ said, This is the first time that a collection of high end, super performance cars has been put together in India. Besides being a treat for enthusiasts, the show offers a fascinating glimpse at some of the most advanced vehicles in the world and is set to become the benchmark for automotive shows in India”.
The star attraction of the show was the Castrol World Rally Championship Simulator where a driver navigates the Castrol World Rally Championship winning car one of the rally courses, whilst sitting in Mumbai! This is the first time that a simulator of this sort has been brought into India.
“Castrol has had a long standing association with motorsport and Formula One and our association with this show is a natural extension of Castrol’s brand promise of superior performance. High performance cars and bikes demand superior lubricants and Castrol is uniquely poised to meet the grueling performance needs of automobiles in motor sport and high end cars. We are delighted that car and bike lovers will get this unique opportunity to get a close, up-front look at some of the most powerful automotive machines in the world”, said Sudhanshu Vats, Vice President-Marketing, Castrol India.
The thousands of people who thronged to the show during the day were treated to a great display of performance cars, including the Porsche Boxster, the Roadster, the Cayenne SUV the Porsche 911 Coupe, the 500bhp BMW M5 Sports Saloon the Rolls Royce Phantom, the 385bhp Range Rover Sport, the 286bhp Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX, the Polaris All-Terrain-Vehicle, the Chinkara ATV, amongst others. The bikes on display included the Suzuki Hayabusa-the fastest bike in the world, the green devil, the Kawasaki ZX 12R, the Moto GP-bred Yamaha R1, Honda CBR 600RR and the Harley-Davidson V-Rod.
Sharing the motivation behind the launch of the show, Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India, the organizers of the show said “This show is the ultimate destination for those who have a passion for cars and bikes. It is an excellent platform for the automotive industry to showcase exciting products and new concepts to a knowledgeable and influential group of enthusiasts. The show has received excellent support from all sections of the industry and it is heartening that in its inaugural year, it lives up to its promise of being the ultimate show for high performance cars in India”.
