Peek into history with a free classic car show in the CBD this weekend

Get a close-up look at some extraordinary modern and historic vehicles at a free classic car show at the ANU’s Kambri precinct this weekend.

In an age when car design can lack a certain flair and sense of adventure, it’s no wonder classic vehicles are such head turners. Whether it’s memories of trips to the coast sitting on a scorching hot vinyl bench seat or childhood dreams of owning a sports car, old cars evoke passionate nostalgia.

But you don’t have to own a classic to enjoy a classic. Just get to Kambri at the ANU for the first ‘Classics at Kambri’ car and bike show this Sunday.

Read more: https://the-riotact.com/peek-into-history-with-a-free-classic-car-show-in-the-cbd-this-weekend/357210

Kicking off the New Year in top gear – Summernats starts today

Summernats, Australia’s biggest car festival opens in Canberra today and runs through until Sunday.

The Street Machine Summernats 33 is expected to attract more than 100,000 passionate attendees, as well as 2,000 entrants who have come from all over Australia and all over the world, to share their love for cars.

The iconic annual celebration of all things on wheels officially kicked off today at 12:00 pm with the City Cruise through the streets of the CBD, a reminder also that there are likely to be road closures around Northbourne Avenue for this short period of time.

Read more: https://the-riotact.com/kicking-off-the-new-year-in-top-gear-summernats-starts-today/347913 

The All Japanese Car and Bike Show is on again this Saturday

What cars and motorbikes did you dream about when you were growing up?

Did you stare up at posters of legendary Australian Holdens and Fords on your walls?

Or did you gaze longingly at the classic Jaguars, MGs and Aston Martins that starred in all your favourite action and spy movies?

Maybe it was pure, raw American Muscle – Mustangs and Chevrolets – that caught your eye and made your heart beat a little faster?

Just as many of us remain sentimental about the music that was the soundtrack of our teens and 20s (ahem, Backstreet Boys, anyone?), there’s little doubt the motor vehicles we admired in our youth hold a special place in our hearts as adults.

And for a generation of Australians today, it’s the finely engineered Japanese cars and bikes that changed the automotive world – Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, Mazdas and more – that have become their classics and the icons of their driving lives.

Read more: https://the-riotact.com/the-all-japanese-car-and-bike-show-is-on-again-this-saturday/334086

Achtung Canberra! The 2017 German Auto Day is happening this Sunday

Want to get up close and personal with a polished-up Porsche, beaming Beamer, magnificent Merc, or a kool Kombi?

If you want to check out some awesome cars and get your wiener fix at the same time, the annual German Auto Day is on again this Sunday 17 September, from 10am to 3pm at Pialligo Estate.

A joint initiative of the local Porsche, BMW, VW and Mercedes-Benz Clubs, in partnership with Pialligo Estate, the event celebrates the feats of German engineering on two wheels and four.

Read more at https://the-riotact.com/achtung-canberra-the-2017-german-auto-day-is-happening-in-canberra-this-sunday/216619

When a woman goes to Summernats

“Gee, you’re brave …” That’s what the majority of friends, family and colleagues said, when I told them I was going back to Summernats. Alone.
Let's just ponder that for a moment. Why would that be the case? Why would it be considered ‘brave’ to go to one of Australia’s largest car festivals? Isn’t that just extraordinary in itself?

If you’re a car enthusiast, chances are you‘ve heard of Summernats. And if you’ve heard of Summernats, you’re aware of its reputation, which generally precedes it in all corners of the country, and indeed, the world.

It’s been many years since I’ve been to Summernats, but as a motoring writer now based in Canberra, I felt I had to give it another chance. And I was confident that attending during the daytime, armed with a Media Accreditation, would offer a very different experience to some of the dark nights (figurative and literal) that I spent there as a young woman.

Read more at https://practicalmotoring.com.au/voices/when-a-woman-goes-to-summernats/

That was Summernats 2017 ... how was it for you?

The roar of engines is turning into a distant rumble, the smell of petrol and exhaust fumes is fading, and the rubber smoke is clearing.
Summernats is over for another year. And what a year it was, with a record number of 119,000 people attending and around 2,500 cars participating (about 600 vehicles more than the previous record).

Read more at https://the-riotact.com/that-was-summernats-2017-so-how-was-it-for-you/192713

I'm going back to Summernats ... how about you?

I haven’t been to Summernats for a very long time.

I attended the annual celebration of fuel, fumes and flaming rubber when I was younger and wilder – because Summernats then was a place for the young and wild. And I have to say, what I saw fulfilled every cliché of the darker side of Australia’s most notorious motoring event.

From alcohol-fuelled violence to disturbing mob behaviour towards women, and just plain old stupidity – sadly, my observations were far from unique.

Read more at https://the-riotact.com/im-going-back-to-summernats-how-about-you/192304