Melbourne Motor Show 1998

Motor Show: adults $12, times Friday 27 Feb 1998: 5pm - 10pm Saturday 28 Feb to Sun 8 March: 10am - 10pm, Monday 9 March: 10am - 6pm. Good food can be had at the many "Southbank" cafes and restaurants near the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. As usual, the show overlaps with the Australian Formula One Grand-Prix held at the Albert Park Lake circuit (Sunday 8 March 1998).

The stuff of fantasies - Lamborghini Diablo VT roadster all-wheel-drive - 5.7L V12, 390kW, 607Nm, and only $598,429+orc.


Melbourne's Four Wheel Drivers got get their first look at the Lexus LX470 4x4 [here], Toyota (or is it Lexus) enlisting the help of mountaineer Tim McCartney Snape who abseiled from the roof to remove the covers.

Mercedes Benz had the M-class, Mitsubishi the Challenger, Suzuki the new 1998 Vitara, Subaru the turbo Forester to be released later this year, and Land Rover the Freelander (there was one at the New Images show in 1997 and also at the 1998 4WD Field Day).

Below - at the Ford stand; it must have been a very good year.

Right - Chris K', alias Kia, whips the press into line for Hyundai Automotive chief executive Mr.C.K.Liew.

Mr. Liew went on to stress that Hyundai was in good shape despite the Asian financial crisis and was not cutting back on research projects and future plans. On the stand was the FGV-1 hybrid car - the wheels are driven by an electric motor but a small petrol motor cuts in to provide extra power for overtaking and to charge the batteries to provide petrol powered range. Mr. Liew announced that Hyundai would have at least three new cars in Australia by the time of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games - a people mover, a new flagship saloon and a recreational four-wheel drive to compete with Honda CRV and RAV4.

Go to the 1997 and Motor Show cross-reference pages