motor

AlienDB7 · 01-26-2006, 08:27 AM

See Vegas in a Corvette, if you're sober

GM announces plan to open a hands-on driving experience on the Strip

Susan R. Pollack / The Detroit News

Before visitors sample Las Vegas' newest attraction, they'll have to take a Breathalyzer test. And that obviously means staying sober, at least for a time, in Sin City.

General Motors is betting folks will give it a try.

In its latest marketing ploy, the giant automaker announced plans to open a hands-on driving experience this spring on an 11-acre tract at the north end of the Strip behind the Sahara Hotel & Casino.

The idea of the two-track driving course is to entice some of the city's millions of tourists from the gaming tables, slot machines and celebrity shows long enough to slip behind the wheels of Corvettes, Cadillacs and Hummers "without any pressure to buy," says Steve Tihanyi, general director of marketing and entertainment alliances for GM.

Named "The Drive," the attraction will feature two courses: a high-performance paved loop and an off-road adventure trail with a tunnel, hill climb and obstacles. Accompanying each "test driver" will be a professional driver, riding shotgun in the passenger seat, to enhance -- and, no doubt, safeguard -- the experience.

Besides showing off GM vehicles, "The Drive" is designed to boost the expensive -- and underperforming -- Las Vegas Monorail system.

As part of the estimated $6 million deal, GM becomes a marketing and advertising partner of the monorail company.

"The Drive" is guaranteed to run at least six months (and likely through 2006, says GM publicist Christi Conti). The general hope is that it will become a permanent tourist attraction, although in a different form.

Las Vegas tourism boosters are thrilled with the project, scheduled to open in March or April. "There's nothing like it anywhere in the world, except maybe Autopia at Disneyland and that's not the same as driving a Hummer through a tunnel or a Corvette around a track," says Bryan Allison, marketing director of the travel-promoting Web site

Vegas.com.

To make way for "The Drive," the Sahara's classic neon sign was removed Wednesday from the casino's parking lot, loaded on a giant truck and moved to a storage facility. Hummers escorted the caravan.

Admission to both tracks of "The Drive" will be $10 to $15 a person. The attraction is open to visitors 18 and up who have a valid driver's license and can prove they're sober.

Hope the "high-performance paved loop" mentioned in the article isn't just an oval. But either way, $10-15 is a small price to pay for a brief drive in a 'vette. Too bad it'll most likely be slushbox only

Now... if the plane ticket is actually free....

RC45 · 01-26-2006, 11:42 AM

11 acres is about the size of a mall parking lot.

This is simply the GM Auto-show in Motion staying in a single place instead of moving from city to city.

Nothing special, it is a tiny parking lot auto-X track - and they don't take to kindly to people getting wild behind the wheel... I got kicked out for "reckless driving"...

ANd - what apity, this has to happen- a Vegas landmark replaced by a stupid parking lot show.. :roll:

To make way for "The Drive," the Sahara's classic neon sign was removed Wednesday from the casino's parking lot, loaded on a giant truck and moved to a storage facility. Hummers escorted the caravan.

RC45 · 01-26-2006, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by dani_d_mas

Originally Posted by RC45

I got kicked out for "reckless driving"...

Was there any Z06 to trash??

That what I was driving

coloradosilver · 01-26-2006, 09:16 PM

Yeah, they came through Denver as well with this Expo as well. It was just a small auto cross course set up in the Pepsi Center parking lot where you seldom even got out of 1st gear. It was really boring and I would never pay money for that. I suppose if you're really hard up to drive Z06 that would be your opportunity, but they are quite anal about what you can and cannot do and it really isn't worth it.

T-Bird · 01-26-2006, 09:17 PM

does it have REAL Hummers? or shit box wannabes?

coloradosilver · 01-26-2006, 09:31 PM

Originally Posted by T-Bird

does it have REAL Hummers? or shit box wannabes?

H2 and H3 only.

So no, no real Hummers. In my opinion, the H1 is the only Hummer worth owning. And thats only if you're going to use it as it was intended to be used, hardcore offroad.

AlienDB7 · 01-28-2006, 06:48 PM

This is sad, I was expecting a slightly scaled down race track (1km min.) so you can reach 100mph at least

FoxFour · 01-29-2006, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by coloradosilver

Originally Posted by T-Bird

does it have REAL Hummers? or shit box wannabes?

H2 and H3 only.

So no, no real Hummers. In my opinion, the H1 is the only Hummer worth owning. And thats only if you're going to use it as it was intended to be used, hardcore offroad.

That's a shame really, testing a military spec HUMMER would be a real treat to the civilian driving public. Have a course set up with mines, they could demonstrate the armor plated floorboards. Hey, it's Vegas, where they go all out.