For those with a passion for trucks, vans, motorbikes, motor racing and – most of all – cars, there are a couple of events going on in SL that might interest you.

The first, The History of the Vehicle, is taking place at LEA 2. Billed as being six months in the making, the exhibit is curated by Sapphire Hotaling as a celebration of wheeled vehicles in Second Life from 2005 through to the present day, with some 130+ individual vehicles from almost 50 designers and creators on display,

With the exception of the main building, located on the north side of the region, and a large display area to the east, the majority of the museum space is open air, with various display areas clearly marked and reached via footpaths, and a landscaped park extending to the south and west of the region, linking the main vehicle displays with a memorial to vehicle racers and designers who have passed away, and a stage area which will host live events at the weekends throughout the time the exhibit is open – check the display boards within the exhibit for details.

There’s no set route for exploring the region – just go where your feet / the footpaths take you. Individual display areas are clearly enough marked, and while nothing is for sale within the region, there are plenty of note card / LM givers to the in-world and SLM stores for the designers displaying their latest wares.

The displays are interesting enough, and some do indeed give a feel for how vehicles have visually evolved over the years; however, I have to confess that I toured the exhibit unable to shake the feeling it’s more car show that historical piece. Outside of the “Evolution” exhibit, there is precious little information chart the actual history of vehicle development in SL – the evolution of scripting, capabilities, etc., which to me is a bit of a shame, although I fully understand that putting something together like that isn’t necessarily easy – not everyone is interested in scripting evolution, etc.

Even so the range of vehicles on display is impressive, and the park like layout helps to make the exhibit feel less crowded, vehicle-wise, even allowing from the large east side display area; once you step off of the main path and onto the grass with its wooden walks, it’s easy to relax and find a place to sit a while.

All told, History of the Vehicle makes for a visual treat for car and vehicle fans.

Cars of Second Life offers another region-wide exhibit for motor vehicles, this time organised by Jules Catlyn. Billed as “the most comprehensive car exhibit in Second Life”, it features over 130 cars, trucks, racers, funny cars, vans, etc., from a range of SL designers and creators.

As with the LEA 2 exhibition, this is an open-air set-up, with up to nine vehicles at a time displayed across a series of connected circular display areas surrounding a central park. Up to three designers are displayed in each of the circular areas, with signs providing landmarks to their stores, while within the park sits a circular club house, the venue for music events.

Exploring the display areas is a matter of personal choice and whatever catches your eye on arrival / what you see as you progress around them. there’s a fair mix of mesh and sculpted designs, so some of the latter might take a little time to pop into shape.

The layout of the region makes the displays uncluttered and easy to roam; in fact, it’s hard to believe just how many cars are on display until you start to tot them all up. There is something of a historic element to the display as well – not in terms of SL history, but in the span of decades the vehicles offered here represent – from around WW2 right up to the present day. There are also some fun designs to be seen as well- I have to admit to loving Cherry Arrowmint’s “KBrones Jr” funny car (see the end of this article) – it is an absolute delight.

While none of the cars display at the show are for sale – again, use the LM givers to visit the stores – Cars of Second Life is supporting Autism Awareness, and there is a special Boss 302 by Gregorian Lytton that is available for L$500, with 100% of all proceeds going to the charity.

The History of the Vehicle is set to remain open through until May 31st. Cars of Second Life is set to remain open for as long as the region (a grandfathered full sim) can be maintained (so donations are very welcome – use the white sphere near the Autism Awareness car).

For anyone interested in road (and track and off-road) vehicles, both are very much worth a visit, offering the mains to see multiple designs from different creators in two locations, thus allowing them to be compared. In addition, The History of the Vehicle lets you take something of a look back over the history of ground vehicles in SL.

SLurls