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3 Winners Awarded Cars At Washington Auto Show

1 January 2001

Three Lucky Winners Awarded Cars in 'Gripping' Hands-On Contest Finale At Washington Auto Show

    WASHINGTON - After 128 hours clinging to Toyotas at the Washington Auto Show: 
Hot Wheels(R) 2000, Lloyd Diggs won a Tacoma, Jonathan Pak won a Rav 4 and 
Nadia Shihab won an Echo.  Contestants got "touchy" beginning at 10:00 a.m. on 
Wednesday, December 27th when participants took their place around the vehicles 
positioned in the lobby of the Washington Convention Center.

    At the end of the contest at 6:00 p.m. today, eleven contestants endured
the six-day struggle to earn the chance to try to unlock -- and drive home --
a free car.  The contestants received keys to attempt to open the door and
determine the winner of the three cars.  Consumers hoping to get in touch with
a new car for the New Year were pre-selected through contests on 94.7 Classic
Rock, WARW FM.

    The Tacoma winner, Diggs, 35, is a salesman from Wheaton, MD.  Rav 4
winner Pak, 31, of Lincoln Park, NJ, is a medical scientist.  Echo winner
Shihab, 20, of University Park, MD is a junior at the University of Maryland,
College Park.

    The contest began in 1997.  The one-car give-away has grown to include
three vehicles now, while the contest mandates a full-time security detail,
round-the-clock medical coverage and a excruciatingly detailed list of rules
to ensure fairness to all.  First and foremost, participants must maintain
some type of physical contact with the vehicle at all times.  The only
exception is a regular break of exactly fifteen minutes scheduled every three
hours.  Don't dawdle -- if you're not back on time, you're out.  A blanket is
allowed, but the rules prohibit electronic devices, reading, writing or
drawing materials.  There's no smoking, no alcoholic beverages, no offensive
language and no physical contact between contestants.  Family, friends and on-
lookers were encouraged to visit during show hours, but were not allowed
within the confines of the contest space.  One final rule remained unchanged
-- contest officials reserved the right to require a shower break!

    The Washington Auto Show Hands On- Contest was sponsored by WANADA, the
Washington Area Toyota Dealers and WARW.

    The Washington Auto Show:  Hot Wheels 2000 will be open tomorrow from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For information, call 202-371-5060, or visit online at
http://www.washingtonautoshow.com .