I have never quite managed to get a ticket to the annual Charity event, CarFest. I have thought about it over the years but a combination of being too late, laziness and the fact that it has gotten more popular each year have meant it is still firmly wedged on my bucket list of things to do in life.
This magnificent festival was the brainchild of the legendary broadcaster Chris Evans. Initially, if my memory serves me right, Chris wanted an event that would raise money for Children in Need but do what it says on the tin.
MS-RT Vans In Good Company
What we got was a weekend with a feast full of cars, Chris’ ultimate passion. The broadcasting behemoth wanted vintage ones, rally ones, prestige ones, plus luxury and sport. At this point, in 2011, I don’t think high up on his list of priorities was having the MS-RT Custom and Limited Edition MS-RT Ranger in attendance, nor a celebrity chef, but these brands have come a long way in the past ten years.
The original concept snowballed with offers of help and assistance coming from all corners of the world of entertainment and as such CarFest kept its name but rapidly became a festival of motoring, track shows, live music performances, family fun, more celebrity chefs and even a fancy dress parade.
Fast forward a decade and I felt a deep sense of pride as the MS-RT team exhibited the MS-RT Ranger and Custom at the recent CarFest North, in Cheshire. If any brand fitted Mr Evans’s original concept then these beauties would be right up there, the top of must-sees.
MS-RT Putting On A Show
On the MS-RT exhibit stand the team had set up a Work Play area, inviting the public (and a few famous names), to try out a hanging bar challenge. I am not sure who eventually came out as the winner but I do remember seeing the name Theo at the top of the leaderboard with a time of four minutes three seconds.
That’s right, the chap hung there for that amount of time.
Impressive, I thought, although to be sure, I wedged a metal sweeping brush across the walls in my garden and had a go myself, just to see if the MS-RT team would have nodded their approval if I had been there. I managed forty-two seconds before collapsing in a heap, my arms looking like they had gone back six million years to the neanderthal era. Theo, I salute you!
Hang About…
The challenge niggled away at me for a couple of days so at a recent MS-RT Leasing marketing meeting I decided to broach the subject of replicating this fun activity for our clients, prospects and owners club.
“We could get them to send videos in from their gardens or workplaces, hanging from whatever makeshift bar they can cobble together,” I said excitedly. “We could offer a prize for the longest hang.”
“You are kidding.” Said a colleague.
“If you are going to ask them to do that, then the prize had better be worth winning.” Said another.
“How do we know they won’t cheat?”
This last comment was met with hard stares and frowns. As if an MS-RT client would ever contemplate such devious tactics…
Suffice it to say that the meeting moved swiftly on to other matters and my light bulb initiative sank without trace. Pity really, as I still think it’s a brilliant idea.
So, unofficially, if you have a spare couple of minutes and have the necessary equipment kicking about then please do accept the challenge and send your videos to the MS-RT Leasing team. I am sure they will be delighted to view them, although anything over forty-two seconds will be disqualified by the appointed judge, who just happens to be me…
Author: Roger Wilson Crane
