Dreams: The Auto Show and my Father In-Law

For most of us, the Canadian International Auto Show is all about dreams.

Sure, there are people who go to these things hoping to be better informed on new car purchases - auto shows wouldn't exist without these folks - but I think the majority of attendees are like me: we're there to see cars we have no hope of buying.

The biggest draw for me, in fact, was the Koenigsegg Agera RS, a $2 million Swedish supercar that smashed five public road speed records last year, including the top speed mark of more than 457 km/hr.

It goes zero to 400 in 33 seconds or so, if that means anything to you, and looks spectacular, as did all the other cars in the Auto Exotica room, the place where dreams of owning such automobiles are fantastical notions kept alive only by one's imagination.

"Humour me," one says to oneself when entering the realm of the supercar, as visions of being behind the wheel of a Lamborghini or McLaren or Bugatti - the car supplanted by Koenisegg as the world's fastest and one that is preparing to to reclaim its glory later this year - dance in our heads.

The super fast Koenisegg supercar

Me, I'm not under any illusion of owning an exotic in my lifetime. And while there might be a handful of well-heeled visitors to the Auto Show who could turn that dream into reality - nearly 175,000 attended the first four days of the show (including a one-day record of 54,000-plus on Sunday) so never say never - most of us soon turn our attention to the more mundane models on display.

Many visitors, as I mentioned at the top, use the show as a testing ground for a new car purchase, so the Honda Accord winning the AJAC Car of the Year carries some weight with them.

Me and my buddy

My budget for new wheels is more likely certified and e-tested for under two grand, so I'll stick to my dreams, and that's why I lingered a little longer at the Jaguar exhibit and the XF, a category winner this year in its own right.

With a base price of about $60,000, it is at least not an impossible dream. That's what I tell myself, anyway.

So I wandered the halls, checking out the thousand or so vehicles on display, including 41 making their North American or Canadian debut. I saw the 50 years of Hot Wheels exhibit (very cool) and the 70 years of Porsche, did some celebrity spotting (Willy Nylander!) and made plans (should I return later in the week) to catch panel discussions like driverless vehicles, the electric revolution and Women on Wheels.

And I thought about how I almost didn't make it to this year's Media Day at the Auto Show.

See, my days as a working journalist are long gone. It's been nearly two decades since writing was my sole source of income and my freelance career dried up a half-dozen years ago as well.

I miss those days, and it was those yearnings that prompted me to start blogging in 2013.

Leaf great William Nylander at
the Volvo press conference

But I still thought of myself as a journalist and I took advantage of any perk I could get, and the last perk I enjoyed was this event. Every year I would receive dozens of press releases about the show and instructions on how to print off my media credentials.

Until this year, when a new management team wanted a little information of what coverage, exactly, this writer (whose freelance career has been in the toilet for years) had been providing in return for my press badge.

Oopsie.

That prompted a back-and-forth email exchange with the lovely Stephanie over several days that ended with me promising to write about the show on this blog (a beer blog no less!) and expecting a sorry, maybe next time response.

Instead, I received this: Glenn, I can issue a pass on the basis of your blog posts. Please forward the links once they go live for our review. We look forward to your coverage.

I made it to one.
Not this one

I told you she was lovely. And my press pass even said 'IPA Tales.'

And after all that I was still touch-and-go to make it to the event. I worked later than expected for starters, and I had also arranged to stop off at Buster Rhino's for a little (but hugely important to me) side job before I headed downtown.

The backdrop to all of this was the deteriorating health of my father-in-law David, who was battling throat cancer and had been moved to Hospice care in Hamilton at St. Peter's. I had always felt blessed to know him, so it was tough to see his condition worsen.

But I knew David was a fighter and wasn't in a hurry to leave the mortal plane, so I re-scheduled the side job with Darryl for the evening, hopped in my non-supercar and headed into the heart of TO with the hope of making it to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre before the media room closed at 2.

I made it with half an hour to spare.

David Rozel, Husband, father, grandfather
and great-grandfather. 1936-2018

I had also planned to pop in after the event to C'est What, the iconic craft beer bar celebrating its 30th anniversary, but with everything going on I thought it best to limit myself to a complimentary Steam Whistle Pilsner at the media luncheon, held in Auto Exotica (because we needed reminding that keeping dreams alive is important to all of us) at the end of the afternoon.

And then I was back in the underground parking lot searching for my car so I could drive back to Oshawa and my crazy, stressful and unique life.

My father in-law fought for nearly an entire week before passing in the wee hours last night, just as Wednesday turned into Thursday.  He was my friend, my biggest fan and he will be sorely missed by many, many people. David may be gone but his dream will never die. I'll see him on the other side.

Rest in Peace.