History and Facts

The Melbourne International Motor Show is a flagship event for the Australian automotive industry.

The inaugural Melbourne International Motor Show was officially opened on 30th April 1925 and is one of the longest running Motor Shows in the world and by far the longest running in Australia.

The Melbourne International Motor Show - Victoria's biggest indoor event - features Australia's passenger car manufacturers and major vehicle importers.

Over the past ten years the Motor Show has attracted over 2.3 million visitors to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre and such is its growth that the Show occupies the total floor space of the Centre, inside and out.

The Motor Show occupies the entire 30,000 square metre pillarless exhibition hall together with the 8,000 square metre glass-walled Concourse and various outdoor exhibit areas.

INTERESTING SHOW FACTS

The Melbourne International Motor Show has a history dating back to 1925. Since that time 73 Motor Shows have been held. The Royal Exhibition Building was the venue for the first sixty-two Melbourne Motor Shows until it moved to its home at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre in 1996.

The Motor Show established an attendance record of 257,563 visitors in 2004. On average over 245,000 people have visited the Motor Show each year since 2000.

Over 160 lost children will be reunited with their parents or guardians during the course of the Motor Show.

Males accounted for over 78% of all Motor Show patrons at the 2004 Motor Show.

Over 36% of visitors to the Motor Show in 2004 were aged under 30 years with 7.3% aged over 60 years.

Over 60% of patrons surveyed in 2004 intended to visit the 2005 Melbourne International Motor Show.

The proportion of patrons attending the Motor Show for the purpose of gathering information prior to making a vehicle purchase decision is 38%.

Females attending the Motor Show are more likely to attend the show for the purpose of gathering information prior to making a vehicle purchase decision than males.

The Melbourne International Motor Show continues to be held in high regard by patrons with high levels of patron satisfaction. Patrons continued to rank the event well giving it a rating of 7.8 out of 10.

Over 300 semi trailer loads of equipment is delivered to the MEC to build exhibitor stands for the Motor Show

Over 450 people work on site during the move in to get the Motor Show built such as riggers, electricians, tilers, carpenters, sound and lighting engineers and plumbers.

Last year, almost 150 mobile phones were found in and around the Motor Show.

Almost 8km of staging truss for lighting grids and 65km of electrical cable are used in the construction of exhibitor stands and audio visual.

Over 23,000sqm of floating floor and carpet used in exhibitors stands.

Approximately 500 motor vehicles will be displayed when the Show is completed!

MOMENTS IN MOTOR SHOW HISTORY

The 96-page catalogue for the 1925 International Motor Show sold for sixpence, (5 cents) and contained many articles on the automotive industry's first 25 years of existence.

Featured at the front of the 1929 Official Catalogue was this quotable quote: "Nothing does more to banish ignorance and to encourage the spirit of charity that makes the whole world kin than a system of good highways providing easy transportation, banishing distance and isolation, and enabling the whole people of the State to enjoy fellowship with their neighbours."

In 1927, the road to the Melbourne Motor Show was lit, from the Windsor Hotel to the Royal Exhibition Building by 1600 lamps supported on Venetian masts. For the first time, the great dome of the Royal Exhibition Building was also illuminated.

Although the Second World War ended in 1945 it wasn't until 1949 that there was sufficient supply of cars to warrant a motor show. May 12th, 1949 saw the Royal Exhibition Building open its doors after a nine-year lapse, and car hungry Melbournians poured through the doors.

An aftermarket and accessories exhibitor at the 1949 Motor Show sold children's steering wheels which fitted to the dashboard with a suction cap, recommended by the Road Safety Council because it would stop the child from distracting the driver. Price? 18-11d with gear lever, 13-11d without!

Launches hosted by Melbourne Motor Show during the 1950s included the Porsche 356 in 1952, Hudson Super Wasp in 1954, Ford Thunderbird in 1956 and Mercedes 220s convertible in 1958.

The 1957 Motor Show attracted its first television news coverage.

At the 1959 silver jubilee motor show the public viewed 132 different models from 47 different makes of automotive vehicles.

A prize of £5 was awarded each day at the 1962 Motor Show to the person presenting the oldest current driving licence.

The 1975 Melbourne Motor Show marked an important turning point in Australia's technological history because it heralded the introduction of the first true luxury car made in this country - the Ilinga AF2, an Aboriginal word meaning "towards the horizon".

The 1978 Melbourne Motor Show saw the James Bond Lotus Esprit Submarine car make its appearance straight out of the latest blockbuster movie.

In 1979 a scale model of the Space Shuttle and space lab, which was to be launched from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida later that year, was displayed at the Motor Show. Organisers wished to commemorate the inaugural launch of NASA's Space Shuttle orbital program and to make Australians more familiar with the intricacies and technological advances of space travel.

At the 1984 Melbourne Motor Show, the most valuable car in the world, at the time was on show, was the 1907 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, which was insured by Lloyds of London for one million pounds.

Launches hosted by Melbourne Motor Show during the 1980s included the Toyota Celica in 1982, the Mazda 626 in 1983 and BMW Z1 roadster in 1989.