Montreal Auto Show gears up for 80th edition kicking off Friday

The Montreal International Auto Show is celebrating their 80th edition — and all the action kicks off Friday.

The Palais des congrès is geared up to welcome car-enthusiasts, like Christina Zoumboulakis, who is giving CityNews her insight on all this automotive action.

“I love cars because I find each car has their own signature,” she said. “Each person can express themselves from their car.”

“And show how they feel.”

“I grew up with two brothers,” explained Zoumboulakis. “So I wasn’t the type to play with Barbies, I played with cars.”

“And I love it here,” she added while standing next to a Ferrari at the Auto Show. “I love to see the cars close up.”

As the founder of CCR Automotive, Zoumboulakis works with cars daily.

“I have a shop with my husband,” she said. “I do the wrapping, he does the mechanics so we get to live our passion every single day.”

The duo took a pause from their shop to visit the largest automotive event in Quebec.

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“We have the Luc Poirier collection with 35 cars,” said Bertrand Godin, race car driver, road safety expert, and spokesperson for the event for the 23rd consecutive year. “We have almost all the story of Ferrari because we have from 1962 to today.”

Zoumboulakis was impressed by the collection — and shared that she did not wrap one of Poirier’s cars, but she did wrap his helicopter.

“I was nine months pregnant and I wrapped, I did the stickers on your helicopter underneath,” she told him, smiling. “I barely fit underneath but I did them.”

“Wow, I can’t believe it,” said Poirier.

“The F40 and the Enzo those are two of my favourite Ferraris,” said Zoumboulakis. “They’re gorgeous.”

“I bring them here to show to people,” said Poirier. “You cannot normally see that kind of cars.”

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The 2025 edition of the show, driven by a new brand image and slogan – “We only exist when we move forward.”

The Auto Show said that this reflects the “avant-garde spirit and constant evolution that characterize this grand celebration of the industry.”

“The upcoming edition of the Montreal Auto Show, with its new identity and all the innovations it offers, convinces me of one thing: its incredible appeal and its constant drive to push boundarie,” said Godin.

“The attention to detail and commitment to reinvention by the organizers,” he added. “Make it a flagship event in the global automotive industry.”

The 12 best vehicles in Canada for 2025 are also displayed for visitors on Level 5 of the event.

Alongside that will be the latest car models, electric and hybrid vehicles, traditional cars and trucks, muscle cars, vintage cars, race cars, and more is expected.

All this action is fueling the city from Jan. 17^th to 26^th.

“There’s a lot of variety,” said Zoumboulakis. “We get to see all the cars up close.”

“All different brands in the same place,” she added. “That’s amazing.”