British motor show changes gear

It's been billed as "the year the British Motor Show hits back". It's often said that the motor show reflects the state of a country's car industry.

So it's hardly surprising that the British show in Birmingham has been something of a damp squib in recent years. With apologies to Shakespeare and Macbeth, it was full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

The poor efforts of recent years may have spurred the organisers on to accept that the big car launches are not going to move from Geneva, Detroit or Frankfurt/Paris to the heart of the English midlands.

Of course, the highlight of this month's show remains the new cars, and Birmingham will feature the Land Rover Discovery's European launch, the world debut of the Renault Modus - a taller and wider version of the Clio - and the British debut of the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and Maserati Quattroporte and GranSport Coupé among others. However, for yet another Birmingham show, BMW is not on the list of exhibitors.

Nevertheless, the organisers, who have moved the show from its traditional October home to the more sunny May/June date, are keen to offer visitors more than just a spot of tyre kicking. Top attraction is the Motropolis Live Action Arena, a purpose built outdoor theatre which will stage a 35-minute motoring adventure featuring chases and stunts and cars driven to the limit.

Other features include a British School of Motoring driving school for visitors aged 14 to 17 and a 4x4 experience set in 72 acres of woodland adjacent to the NEC. Off-road driving experts will take groups of visitors around the course in a variety of vehicles supplied by Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Volvo.

There are also taster test drive sessions, with several firms allowing visitors to test drive their cars in a special outdoor track. Drivers will be accompanied by a co-driver who will give guidance and answer questions.

All these may not match last year's Frankfurt show where you got the chance to take the wheel of the likes of a BMW M3, but it's still a sterling effort to involve the audience.

Entry is £16 for adults and £9 for children with discounts available for advance booking. Matched to a cheap flight and accommodation, it may be the best value available for Irish car fans, given the lack of a truly national car show here.

The show opens to the public from May 27th to June 6th.