January / February 2015
22
than Bartle Hall. Was this
old Midwestern boy ever so
wrong. Behind and to its'
sides were seven, that's right,
seven more grand halls, some
two stories tall. The French
do have a long history of
building lavish buildings for
their art, kings and queens,
and now their exhibitions
shows.
Inside were monster
displays, often half a
football field long, of the
worlds' major automotive
manufacturers' creations.
There were also brands I
had never heard of, perhaps
new ventures from China
or other parts of the world.
Sprinkled in with street duty
cars were several Formula 1
racers, some touchable as if
on track, while others were
suspended on walls.
Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari
and Peugeot were among
the grandest exhibitors.
Mercedes displayed its'
new 911 fighter, and Ferrari
paraded forth its' latest
dancing horse creation, The
America, center body racing
stripes and all. To view the
latest Peugot one had to
scale their sloping carpeted
floor, while overhead, ever
changing colored globes
continually bobbed from
the ceiling, synchronized to
some New Age music. The
From the curbside ticket booth, the exhibition hall looked to be no
different than Bartle Hall. Was this old Midwestern boy ever so wrong.
Photos by
Jim Rand
