Well, it looks like this idea is getting traction.
Here's a link to a web site that offers a ton of ideas and party supplies
http://www.orientaltrading.com/
Thanks Mike. The Mrs. has used that site before for the last couple of Carlisle themes. There's also a local party supply store we shopped at. She has a list of stuff already picked out. When I get around to it, I'll post up so others can contribute as well without duplication of efforts.
I do like the drag racing idea, and I'm not even entirely opposed to using my actual car as one of the contenders. I've always liked the idea of letting people explore the interior of a car. Nobody ever gets to do that at shows like this.. My only concern of course being wear on the interior..
It looks like your tree is just 12vdc, so really we could even run it off of a dedicated car battery source if we wanted to.
I think an actual vehicle rigged to the Portatree would be more authentic. We could do our best to make sure any vehicle used is given the 'white glove' treatment. We could even have a door valet to assist entry and exit to prevent door slamming abuse and fingerprints as much as possible. It may be better to leave the door open? Possibly use a protective floor mat to help it clean? (FWIW, I wouldn't be against one of my vehicles being used.)
The actual tree uses 120V incandescent lamps (though expensive LED bulbs are available), so I think there must be a power inverter built in or something?
I'll be sure to order and experiment with the setup to leave plenty of time for any details to be attended to.
I'm looking for a large image of the track from a racer's point of view in case you want to use that on the tent wall.
I don't know how much it would cost, but I suppose a graphic of some sort could be printed on a large banner for a backdrop?
Another neat option available for the Portatree is an LED display for the real time display of the reaction time.
It's a little pricey though and a bit more than what I need for my purposes.