All these years on the panel at the car show, and we’ve never had to make a decision like this. Never even thought it would come up, if I’m being honest. But there we were, reviewing applications for the vehicles to be shown on the centre stage, and also on the various sub-stages throughout the complex, and this…THING rolls up. Cars always roll up in a fashion, what with them having wheels and all, but this one actually…’rolled’ up. This fellow had created a…vehicle that he was referring to as a car. It was entirely circular; just a metal ball with motors and an inner compartment. We didn’t know a single thing to say.

I was responsible for setting up the judging criteria for car servicing mechanics near Ringwood that continues to this very day, and THAT was fifty years ago. I’ve been on the board for the car show for thirty years, and I’ve seen a LOT of cars. That sphere is…it’s not one of them, I’ll say that much. So began an intense debate amongst every member of the panel over whether a car can be spherical. We looked in the rulebook, and there’s nothing about the shape of the car. We asked quite a few of our contacts who actually operate auto repair and automotive services establishments, in the hopes that this is some new trend that they may have dealt with, but no one seemed to know of its existence. This unprecedented sphere simply rolled into our midst, and we’re running out of reasons to claim that it isn’t a car. It has an engine, and it transports people via motor, and the main form of locomotion is still rolling, albeit with four wheels instead of its entire self.

It was even MADE from several cars, and somehow, it managed to achieve a roadworthy certificate. Ringwood is a place with a great reputation for high quality mechanics, they would not have passed the roadworthy unless the car was solid. Otherwise that would require some investigation. Perhaps we can use this vehicle as a special draw for the show this year…?

-Louis