Payne: Fall-a-palooza: Motor Bella and Detroit 4Fest rev up the auto show future

Posted by Talbot Payne on September 23, 2021

Holly — Metro Detroit will get an auto show double-header September 25-26 as Motor Bella and Detroit 4Fest roar into Oakland County.

Motor Bella — aka, the revamped Detroit Auto Show — will showcase 400 of the latest production cars, sportscars, EVs, and exotics at M1 Concourse car club in Pontiac. Just 30 miles up I-75, Detroit 4Fest sponsored by Jeep will be a playground for the latest off-road warriors as 600 vehicles each day descend on the 192-acre Holly Oaks ORV Park. Attendees will be able to sample the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler in their natural habitat.

A Jeep Gladiator Rubicon navigates a gulch in Holly Oaks ORV Park's latest, 71-acre Northern playground. The North will open at the 2021 Detroit 4Fest.

Ahead of their September auto-palooza, the twin events released details this week. With non-stop action, displays, and activations, both events aim to be the future of auto shows bringing vehicles in their natural asphalt and off-road habitats.

“There will be something for everyone in Oakland County this fall,” said Tom Zielinski, event coordinator for Detroit 4Fest who gave The Detroit News an exclusive look at a 71-acre off-road addition to Holly Oaks ORV Park that will host 4Fest. “You can see today’s off-road models do their stuff here in Holly, or watch performance models do their stuff on track at M1.”

Holly Oaks’ southern, 121-acre area has already become one of the nation’s premier off-road destinations since it opened last fall. The county facility hosted two previous 4Fests before the park opened. With a sprawling, 192 acres now at its disposal, the show will go to another level this year.

Holly Oaks ORV Park's northern, 71-acre off-road playground will open to the 2021 Detroit 4Fest. Combined with the park's southern, 121-acre sandbox, participants will have over 190 acres to play on.

The venue will be an arena for today’s premier off-road gladiators, the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco, that headline an industry shift to more off-road capable SUVs. Detroit 4Fest (which also boasts sponsorships from Fox Shocks, Dana, Magna, and Drive One) will be crawling with everything from Detroit Three pickup trucks to Subaru Outbacks, reflecting a marketplace now dominated by trucks ‘n’ utes.

Wrangler has long dominated the dirt and will showcase models from the V8-powered 392 to the electrified, 4xe model. Bronco is determined to expand consumer offerings in the overlanding space and will showcase its two-and-four door models — two of the hottest vehicles in 2021. Ford also will offer spectators rides to show off Bronco’s abilities around Holly Oaks punishing landscape.

Note to be outdone, sources say Jeep will introduce a new vehicle during two media days before gates open to the public, September 23-24.

Some 600 registered off-road vehicles will then flood the park along with spectators. In addition to Bronco rides, attendees can follow their favorite off-roaders across the park, picnic from food trucks, or visit a variety of vendors at 4Fest’s midway overlooking the park’s south rim.

Further south in Pontiac, Motor Bella also will feature Jeep and Bronco rides along across M1’s 87-acre campus. Its centerpiece is a 1-mile race track that will be open to the public for Motor Bella.

The Bronco will be one of three Ford activations, including the F-150 and Mustang Mach-E electric car. A specially-constructed off-road course is also on offer for ticket-holders to ride in Jeeps and the Ram TRX supertruck.

The 2021 Motor Bella will combine The Gallery exotic show - featuring supercars like this Ferrari - and production vehicles from 39 brands.

Motor Bella, sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Michelin and Michigan Economic Development Corp. and presented by PNC Bank, takes place in Pontiac this year as a stand-in for the North American International Auto Show which was canceled in Detroit due to concerns over the pandemic.

The outdoor M1 venue is meant to alleviate COVID-19 concerns (the venue hosted big crowds for the Woodward Dream Cruise’s August Roadkill Nights and Dream Show events) while previewing a new era of interactive, outdoor Detroit auto shows compared to static, indoor shows of Januarys past.

The 2021 Motor Bella show is coming to M1 Concourse Sept. 21-16.

Like Detroit 4Fest, Motor Bella will open to the media with two press days, Sept 21-22. Ford and Toyota will introduce new products amidst a sea of 400 production vehicles from 39 brands. The 25,000-square foot AutoMobili-D exposition will showcase future technologies and the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) award will announce its 2022 semifinalists.

The venue will then open to the public September 23-26, when the action will really get started. Both Motor Bella and Detroit 4Fest will be alive with vehicles demos.

At Holly Oaks, Zielinski gave a demonstration of the off-roading challenges Detroit 4Fest attendees will encounter.

Tom Zielinksi is operator of the 2021 Detroit 4Fest in Holly.

He piloted a rugged Jeep Gladiator Rubicon pickup through impossible gulches, trails, and 30-degree slopes showing off the SUV’s twin-locking differentials and extreme approach and departure angles. 4Fest attendees also will encounter swamps, 200-foot elevation changes, and Mt. Magna’s formidable suite of Moab, Utah-like off-road obstacles like Potato Salad Hill and Gravy Bowl.

Bulldozers are still working over the new, 71-acre addition as Detroit 4Fest approaches.

At M1 professional drivers will be on hand to give attendees hair-raising rides around the race track. EVs have been a staple of past Detroit shows as attendees descended to the basement for slow rides. Motor Bella will take it up a notch by offering EV rides down Woodward adjacent to M1.

In addition to new vehicles, Motor Bella will host The Gallery, a collection of exotics from Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and McLaren that normally are exhibited in a separate, invitation-only soiree.

GM will have a healthy presence at Motor Bella, showcasing its giant GMC Hummer EV and an exhibition of its racing history. Its halo Corvette supercar also will get plenty of eyeballs. Aftermarket shop Lingenfelter Engineering will debut an electrified Corvette, and a “Lost Corvettes” show will display 12 refurbished ‘Vette classics (1953-1989), originally from the Peter Max collection.

All Corvettes will be given away as part of a national sweepstakes to benefit the Stand for the Troops non-profit charity.

Schedule:

Motor Bella, M1 Concourse

1 Concourse Dr, Pontiac, MI 48341

Sept. 21-22 – Media Preview

Sept. 23-26 – Public Days

Detroit 4Fest, Holly Oaks ORV park

13536 Dixie Hwy, Holly, MI 48442

Sept 23-24 – Media Preview

Sept. 25-26 – Public Days

(vehicles must pre-register at https://4festevents.com/detroit-4fest-detroit-mi-off-roading-event)

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

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