On Tuesday evening, Time Journal attended the exciting launch of Grand Auto, the up and coming London motor show, which will make its highly anticipated debut at the Olympia London next July.

Let’s get the more important details out the way before enticing you with specifics of the show shall we? Grand Auto is one of the many brilliant and exciting motor shows organised by Brand Events, a company that has been putting the craving desire for live action first since 1999. Chris Hughes, the CEO of Brand Events has been successfully setting up and running a variety of shows for the public since the early noughties.

Some of the most popular include MPH Show (what later became known as Top Gear Live!), The London Classic Car Show and Car Fest, the second largest motor show in Britain. Brand Events’ successful past endeavors speak for themselves, and so without even knowing the details of Grand Auto, already we can tell the show is going to be something special.

Credit: Grand Auto

Grand Auto will take place at the historic Olympia venue in central London, a venue that hosted the last original London Motor Show over 81 years ago. Grand Auto is scheduled for a weekend in the peak of summer (July 5-8), and the best part is that everyone is welcome, whether you’re a car enthusiast, passionate historian, or curious about the future of motoring, Grand Auto is the event for you!

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about the exciting exhibitions, entertainment and everything to expect in terms of experience. The main theme of the event will focus predominantly on celebrating the past, present and future of the automotive world, therefore you can expect to see a vast selection of new cars, racecars, historic cars, futuristic cars and well, basically…a hell of a lot of cars!!

A number of reputable car dealers like Lamborghini, Bentley, Jaguar and Aston Martin have confirmed attendance (more dealers are yet to be confirmed) and will be exhibiting a range of models, from the older generations to the very latest . In addition to popular manufacturers, a selection of classic dealers and specialist tuners will be on hand to help all the staunch motor collectors out there!

Credit: Grand Auto (expected layout of the event)

What are the headline features?

Grand Runway

One of the reasons why Grand Auto is set to become a popular annual destination for car lovers is because of the ‘grand runway’. A purpose-built racing strip located in the center of all the action, the runway gives you the opportunity to enjoy cars the way real way…sitting in the drivers seat, taking in the feel, speed and sound.

Credit: Grand Auto

Future Tech

Does the future of motoring technology intrigue you? Well, Grand Auto will be sure to capture your imagination, and educate you on what life may be like with autonomous and connected vehicles on the road. Experts in the field will enrich your minds with the latest developments in motor engineering and materials.

Vision 2020

Ensuring that they cover all angles, Grand Auto will offer a number of seminars lead by industry experts to discuss predictions and expectations of what fascinating creations will be on the roads in the very near future.

Credit: Toyota

Decade-Defining Cars

Grand Auto has secured a panel of six influential and much loved motoring personalities who will be choosing, what they believe to be, the most iconic cars of their decade. If you are interested in hearing their opinions, make sure you attend!

With so much happening, you’ll most probably work up an intense appetite, but have no fear Grand Auto has got your dining needs sorted. Pop-up restaurants, which will be installed on the second floor overlooking all the hustle and bustle, will host popular Michelin Star chefs, who will be on hand to satisfy hungry visitors with regionally inspired menus from the homes of the world’s best cars.

Credit: Grand Auto and Great British Chefs

And finally, to top off the overall excitement, a number of hand-selected retailers will be in attendance selling a variety of luxury goods like motoring memorabilia, watches, photography, fashion, technology and much more.

Credit Luxe Watches and Grand Auto

Grand Auto is approximately 7 months away (sigh), but keep an eye out because next year new exciting information will be released! But in the meantime, why not browse the official sites of some of Brand Events other fantastic shows like Fast and Furious Live and Car Fest.