Brussels’ 2014 Motor Show: Dreams and Frustrations in Hall 12

Do powerful and luxurious cars make up your ultimate fantasy? You’re not alone, and the Brussels Motor Show Hall 12 has what it takes make your dreams come true. That is, until these dreams are abruptly torn away by a “no public access” sign in front of the luxury car stands.

Frustration

Who has not dreamt of climbing into the front seat of one of these magnificent supercars and caressing its fine leather seating? Then taking a firm hold of the steering wheel, imagined taming this exquisite beast whilst cruising along a sunny highway?

Such extravagant daydreams quickly get swept away by Hall 12’s pompous manufacturers, who prohibit luxury stand access to the lowly common man. That is, to enter this Promised Land, one must show credentials or claim to know someone; lacking this gets you a rigid smile from the hostess and polite order to stay behind the glass barricade.

Some dreams are still within reach…

Fortunately, two luxury manufacturers still grant public access to paradise. Tesla, not one to make a fuss, displays two of its cars on a barricade-free stand. The manufacturer has begun breaking down the barrier between dream and everyday reality, all while keeping its iconoclastic image. Catalogues are also available to everyone – a particularly useful source of information when the provocatively dressed model is not around to offer her marketing spiel.

Porsche is also allowing public dreaming for free. Guards and barricades may still be present, but only for crowd control – understandably so after witnessing the incredible chaos at the Tesla stand.

Porsche’s generously proportioned stand welcomes all – from onlookers having come to admire the latest Macan model, to religiously committed 911 model amateurs. What’s more, the cars are open; and as spectators look on in childlike amazement, man’s undying passion for automobiles is upheld. The proof: last Sunday’s 40-minute line to see this Holy Grail of 911 Porsche models.