As Victoria emerges from COVID measures, the Showcars Melbourne PPG Showdownevent has seen record numbers of fans witness an event of epic proportions.
Despite having run the successful event for 11 straight years, Elvis (Al) Barbieri was simply blown away by the response to thelatest edition of Showcars Melbourne PPG Showdown, held at the spacious Moonee Valley Racecourse (20th Feb 2022).
Elvis is a passionate car enthusiast, as well as being a spray painter with 34 years’ experience in collision repairs and custom work, and he created the event to give other enthusiasts a venue to show off their cherished machines. For 2022, the hard work of the 15-person, core organising team really paid off, says Elvis.
“The size of the show was amazing – it was huge! Entrants came from all around Victoria and interstate and we ended up with over 700 vehicles on display. There was a mix of street machines, hot rods, elite show cars and muscle cars, through to custom bikes, original rides and American classics and the quality was incredible. We were able to fit about 140 cars indoors, over two levels, and the rest werebeautifully displayed around the vast outdoor spaces. With so many of those cars painted in PPG, it was the perfect fit for PPG to be the event’s naming rights sponsor.”
Along with dazzling array of vehicles whose owners / builders had chosen PPG coatings, the PPG technical team was also on hand at the onsite PPG stand. Dale Parkinson (PPG Victoria Territory Manager) says he and Tim Fisher (PPG Technical Demonstrator) were kept busy throughout the event.
“PPG is proud to sponsor such a much-loved event as the Showcars Melbourne PPG Showdown. It’s not only a must-visit for car enthusiasts, it’s also a great opportunity for PPG to tap into the grassroots level of the show car scene. We had a wide range of people drop in to our stand for a chat. Whether they had a long-term dream or they were about to start on their dream project, they wanted to do the job right so they approached us for the solutions. We were able to explain the advantages of PPG’s automotive refinish range and, in particular, the Vibrance Collection which is designed specifically for this type of work and lets you stay within one paint system from primer to clearcoat, as well as offering an incredible variety of custom colour and finish options.”
The legend of the Showcars Melbourne PPG Showdown continues to grow and that can only be good for the future, according to Elvis.“It was fantastic to see so many people pouring through the gates this year and the quality of cars we had on display just blew me away – every year it gets better and better. We had great feedback from the public and all the sponsors are very happy. We are already planning for next year’s event and having the incredibility strong PPG brand behind us show that they really ‘get’ the show car scene.”