There are a lot of firsts in the auto industry these days. Most of them are related to speed and technology, but sometimes, that first is about the way that the auto enthusiast community crosses cultural and physical borders to celebrate its passion together. From November 21-26, 2019, the inaugural Riyadh Car Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will open its doors to the international enthusiast and manufacturing community to celebrate the world wide love of motorsports.
International business and trade is big news these days, and despite some uncertainty on the political front, most manufacturers recognize how important it is to connect with the international market, thus opening the possibility of expanding their brands and business overseas. This show is an opportunity to do just that.
The highlight of the six day show is the Global Auto Salon, produced by Bonnier Events, which “will feature world-class hot rods, muscle cars, exotics, classic cars, trucks, sports compacts, race cars and other specialty vehicles on display.” It is a chance for builders and manufacturers to introduce their brands to an international audience, and to experience Saudi Arabia and its appreciation for car culture. Names like Magnaflow, ROUSH, Aeromotive, Borla, GM, Classic Instruments, Forgeline (who skipped SEMA this year to go straight to Saudi Arabia), and more will showcase what they have to offer to a wide audience, just a few weeks post-SEMA.
Similar to the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show, the Global Auto Salon will connect buyers and businesses to the latest and greatest in aftermarket excellence, along with providing industry education from experts such as a class in customizations from West Coast Customs. Live Demos will allow businesses to show just what their products can do for this new audience, and of course, celebrities from the automotive world like Chip Foose, Vaughn Gittin Jr, Dave Kindig and Cruz Pedrago will be there to elevate the excitement.
Racing is definitely part of the event from drag racing to off-road endurance to street performance, with the NHRA broadcasting live from the Fox stage, SCORE presenting its hard-core off-road events to the audience, and the Optima Ultimate Streetcar Challenge crossing international waters to crown the OUSCI Riyadh Champion of autocross.
In collaboration with the General Entertainment Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Worldwide Auctioneers, the Global Auto Salon will also host an auction featuring over 400 “one of a kind historics, numbers matching originals, fully customized builds, vintage and pre-war cars, American muscle, supercars, and of course cars from the world’s premier builders including Dave Kindig, Richard Rawlings, Ryan Friedlinghaus, Ringbrothers, Rick Dore, Classic Car Studio and many more.”
With an expected attendance of 250,000 visitors, the Riyadh Auto Show and the Global Auto Salon look like the place to be next week.
I was there! It was amazing what they had done with a parking lot in a month, everything was built on site. They built a race track in the middle of it that (lollypop) hosted 2 drifting teams (hey Tess liked your driving!) , stunt shows, the Ferrari race team…. Monster trucks, go carts… concerts…
The cars that showed up were incredible! Everything from a Duesenberg to a Helicopter car. Bugatti’s were just laying around like Fords at a shopping mall…
West Coast Customs was there making history, WE modified 2 fan cars onsite at a live build at the booth. Until recently women could not drive, or until the show you could not modify a car. His Hellcat got a complete makeover including the interior which I did live just feet away from fans. Her biggest change to her Mercedes was the color, a PINK making a bold statement!
The people were great, very warm and proud of their city and country, I felt very safe. They went out of their way to speak English and thank us for coming.
It was a wonderful experience and I hope it happens next year!
I am putting together a list of things I want to do and see… Now that I have local friends to take me!
I want to thanks all who were involved for a memory of a lifetime!
TA