Georgian College Auto Show officially underway in Barrie

Georgian College Auto Show kicks off The popular Georgian College Auto Show got underway on Friday with an opening ceremony.

The Georgian College Auto Show is officially underway in Barrie.

The opening ceremony Friday morning kicked off the three-day auto show at the Barrie campus.

The event attracts thousands of car enthusiasts from all over Ontario each year, and features family-friendly activities, food vendors, and over 18 different brands of cars.

"For Saturday, the kid zone is going to be full and ready to go, we have mini dirt bikes for them to ride, obstacle courses, we have tanks coming and some firefighter demonstrations as well and a dog show. We got the Porsche 911 track ready to go, so if you're looking for some excitement, make sure to come down and take a ride with a pro driver and do some laps," said Luke Reymer, the auto show's marketing and media director.

A unique unveiling also took place at this year's opening ceremony. Students and faculty with engineering and technologies, interior design, and other programs unveiled a 1972 Volkswagen bus retrofitted as an electric vehicle.

Roughly 30 students participated in the project, which took nearly a year to complete.

"We knew that it didn't have an engine in it, which is perfect for us because we were just going to take it out anyway, and then once we got started in that, it was kind of just how do we do that, what's the logistics, how do we get a motor in it, how do we hook it up. After all the work and that kind of beating your hands up and just all the frustrations, and then now having it here and people enjoying it is a good feeling," said Hunter Moore, mechanical engineering technologist student at Georgian College.

The bus will be on display at Georgian College for years to come.

Tickets are available online or in person.

Admission is free for those ages 12 and under.