Hot Air Balloon and Mercedes at Palace of the Golden Horses

Hot Air Balloon Fiesta to include music, fireworks and exhibitions

Stories by Oh Ing Yeen
ingyeen@thestar.com.my
Photos by Mohd Sahar Misni

Saturday March 17, 2012

In flight: Hot air balloons in various designs flying over the Sri Saujana bridge during the 4th Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012.

VISITORS to the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2012 will see the “night glow” event at 9pm today, when the balloons light up in a synchronised manner to the sound of music and culminate with a fireworks display.

Visitors are advised to go early to the fiesta grounds to secure a good spot to catch the event that only lasts for less than half an hour.

Taking centrestage: Hot air balloons flying over Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin mosque during the fiesta.

They can also look forward to activities such as a para motor exhibition, a bicycle exhibition, helicopter joy rides, tethered hot air balloon rides (priced at RM10), a remote-controlled aeroplane model demonstration, meet-and-greet sessions with the participating balloonists and the Mountain Dew Extreme Zone for the adventurous visitors.

The participants are from the United States, Vietnam, New Zealand, Belgium, France, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Thailand, and Britain.

There will be 28 hot air balloons in various designs at the Monumen Alaf Baru in Precinct 2, Putrajaya.

The show begins at 7am and ends tomorrow.

For details, visit www.myballoonfiesta.com

Historic showcase of Mercedes-Benz classics

THE most exclusive of Mercedes Benz classic cars in South-East Asia with an estimated value of over RM80mil converged at the Palace of the Golden Horses for the Historic Mercedes-Benz Concours 2011 recently.

It was to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the invention of the automobile.

Mercedes-Benz and classic car enthusiasts feasted their eyes on 125 groomed cars, as the proud owners sprang feverishly into action to buff away dust specks and carry out last -minute inspections to ensure that their years of painstaking restoration met the discerning standards of the panel of judges.

Historic event: Some of the 125 vintage and classic Mercedes-Benz cars on display at the grounds of the Palace of the Golden Horses.

On show were cars from a bygone era including a 1936 Mercedes-Benz 500K Roadster estimated to be worth RM24mil, a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gull Wing worth about RM5mil and a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 320B all vying for the top prize in the vintage (pre-1960) category.

Two other categories were the classics (1961-1975) and modern classics (1976-1989) models.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia president and CEO Roland S. Folger said the concours also provided visitors a lesson in automotive history.

“When Carl Benz registered his Benz Patent-Motorwagen on Jan 29, 1886, nobody could have imagined the triumphant march the modern car would embark upon over the next 125 years.

“One hundred and twenty five years after inventing the automobile, we are continuing to re-invent the car. We need to meet the challenges of the future for eco-friendly cars which are efficient, safe and boast the best that technology can offer.

Excellent condition: The winners of the three categories with Folger (second from left) and their iconic Mercedes-Benz cars.

“Be it combustion engines, hybrids or fully electric vehicles, the inventor of the automobile is still ahead of the game,” he said.

“The showcase was a proud reflection of Mercedes-Benz’s history, longevity, build quality, leading edge technology and design together with the painstaking efforts of the owners to maintain the rare collectibles in pristine, classic condition.”

The panel of judges including Frank Reichert, sales and marketing head of the Mercedes-Benz’s Classic Car Centre in Stuttgart, Germany appraised the cars on preparation, condition, correctness, cleanliness and originality in the following categories namely engine and engine compartment, exterior, interior, trunk/booth and undercarriage/suspension wheels.

Owners of the top car in each of the three categories won an all-expense-paid vacation for two to the renowned Mercedes-Benz Museum and Classic Car Centre in Stuttgart.

Mercedes-Benz Malaysia will roll out a host of other activities to continue the anniversary celebrations in the coming months including dealer openhouses, a Facebook contest which will run until June 30 and CRM dining events for loyal customers.

The concours was jointly organised by Mercedes-Benz Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Historic Motoring Ventures Sdn Bhd.