Hot Wheels and a hot ticket, but no fish
The family of four — man, woman, two kids — walked through the entrance to the South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre last Sunday and bought four tickets to attend the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow.
They bought the tickets at a kiosk that said AutoShow. They passed through turnstiles staffed by people wearing vests that said AutoShow. They walked into a lobby where there was a huge photo of a Volvo XC40 on the wall. There were stacks of programs that said AutoShow. A sign said Volkswagen Children’s Centre, this way.
They got to the centre of the South Building’s lobby, in the middle of this environment that says AutoShow everywhere, and the mother suddenly stopped. “Where are the fish?” she asked. These parents had taken their children downtown to the Ripley’s Aquarium, right next door to the convention centre, but had walked into the AutoShow by mistake.
Although the show’s policy is no refunds, as in once you’re in you’re in, the staff made an exception in this case and returned the family its money. One even escorted them over to Ripley’s, just to make sure they didn’t make the same mistake again.
This is just one of many stories that takes place each year at the AutoShow. Some are funny, and some are sad. We’ll stick to nice, happy and funny today. Here’s nice and happy. Robert Peressotti of Port Colborne, Ont., went to bed a few weeks ago and had a dream he owned a Porsche 911. Peressotti had always wanted a 911 but hadn’t been able to pull it off, for one reason or another.
Every year, the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association, which puts on the AutoShow, donates a car to Prostate Cancer Canada to raffle off for research to fight this terrible disease.
This year, the TADA put up a 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. With $20,000 in custom TECHART upgrades from the experts at PFAFF Tuning, the 911 was valued at a staggering $176,251, making it the most expensive car ever donated.
So down in Port Colborne, Robert Peressotti goes to work, still dreaming about his 911 and he hears about the raffle. Of course, he buys tickets.
Last Friday at the AutoShow, they pulled Peressotti’s ticket. He didn’t just win a Porsche 911, he won one of the most magnificent automobiles you’ll ever see on the road.
And do you want to hear the really good news? On top of everything else, he’s a prostate cancer survivor. As he hung up the phone, TADA and Prostate Cancer Canada representatives heard Robert Peressotti whoop.
Which was a lot nicer than the reaction of last year’s winner of a muscle car who, when told the news, let loose with an expletive.
Maybe that’s just the difference between the muscle car crowd and people who drive Porsches. Here’s more nice and happy. There’s a boy in Kingston who just turned 12. For his birthday, he asked to go to Toronto on the train. Mom brought him, and they came to the AutoShow.
One of the extra-value attractions at this year’s AutoShow was the special presentation of the 50 Years of Hot Wheels.
The boy from Kingston was captivated and lined up to play with the cars. Mom wasn’t feeling well; she found a place to rest while her boy played with Hot Wheels. He was there for several hours. Not once did the staff at Hot Wheels suggest he should move on, there were other kids waiting. They let him play until his mother came to collect him for the train ride home.
They had to rush for the train and she didn’t have time to thank them. So, she phoned me and I went over to Hot Wheels to do it for her. Now I’m doing it in the paper. The woman who called from Kingston didn’t want her name in the paper, which is fine. “But please tell them thank you for me,” she said. “They were wonderful to my son.” Mission accomplished. The Canadian International AutoShow will close Sunday at 6 p.m. Next year’s show will run from Feb. 15-24.
I hope to see you then. Norris McDonald is the director of media relations at the Canadian International AutoShow