Bermudian car enthusiasts' heads have no doubt been spinning this week as they scramble to take in both the past and the future of automobile design.

Today, for example, one of the largest and most comprehensive vintage car tours ever organised concludes its Bermuda stint, capping off a showing here of some 49 antique automobiles, one motorcycle and a pre-World War I bus.

And just as they'll be shaking off the dust of the distant vehicular past, local motor buffs will also be able to head off on Sunday to "Show n' Shine `95,'' a car and motorbike extravaganza that promises a peek at the latest innovations -- both in terms of exteriors and interiors -- that are and someday will be available to motorists.

"It's going to be an opportunity, for example, to take a really serious look at the latest in leathers and upholsteries,'' Ms Keetha Lowe of Atlantic Upholstery, a "Show n' Shine'' sponsor, said of just one aspect of the event, which takes place at Number One Shed in Hamilton from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"We want to show the public the newest looks that are on the Island now,'' she said.

"As recently as earlier this year, there wasn't too much available in terms of expertise or material.

With this show, we've done everything in our power to bring the best products to the public. You're going to see a lot of interesting stuff down there.'' One of the most "interesting'' of the "Show n' Shine'' attractions will no doubt be the prominently featured Rockford Fosgate "demo van,'' which came "all the way from the USA'' and is intended to show off some of the amplifier and speaker manufacturer's more "immaculate'' stereo products.

"It is awesome,'' main organiser Mr. Anthony Peets, of Anthony's Auto Styling and Hobbies, said of the demo van. "It's like a rolling concert.'' Other attractions at this year's "Show n' Shine,'' which costs $2 per adult to attend and $1 for children, will include some of the dernier mots in interior and exterior accoutrements, from the latest in paintwork and body modifications to customised acoustics and other internal goodies.

Past automobile designs -- the exclusive domain of this week's antique car and bus tour -- will also be represented at "Show n' Shine'' with a number of vintage and older models.

Newer samples, like the latest from the Peugeot line and the only 1995 BMW 318 on the Island, will likewise be on hand.

"As with most things on this Island, we have naturally been limited in what we can drive and bring in to Bermuda,'' Ms Lowe, who credits Mr. Peets with scouring the world of foreign car shows to bring Bermudians the latest in car innovations, said of the local motor scene.

"It has, until now, taken a while for the Island to catch up, but it is in fact doing so.'' Indeed, Ms Lowe said, the feature that most characterised the second annual "Show n' Shine'' exhibition last year was the surprising degree of untapped mechanical talent that exists among young Bermudian motor buffs.

As they did in 1994, "Show n' Shine'' organisers have made the recognition of that talent a primary highlight of Sunday's event in Hamilton.

This year, prizes will be handed out to car owners in such categories as best paint job, best interior, best "street look'' and best body modifications.

Motorbike owners, who must pay a $5 fee to register their bikes, will similarly be judged in categories like best spray job, best seat work, best modifications and best paint concept and design. To enter their vehicles for competition, car owners must pay a registration fee of $10 per automobile.

"There is a lot of untapped, undeveloped talent out there,'' said Ms Lowe of Bermudian car buffs. "This ("Show n' Shine'') is one of the few venues they have to showcase and share that talent.'' Of the cult that surrounds the car, she added: "One of the things that impressed me most about last year's show was the broad spectrum of Bermudians who are car enthusiasts.

"We saw young and old, male and female. It was really quite diverse.'' While it may be just as diverse, this year's extravaganza also promises to be one of the largest in its short history.

Already, Mr. Peets told Taste yesterday, some 60 car and bike owners have registered to display their vehicles, with an indeterminate number expected to show up on Sunday.

While he felt that Number One Shed should be large enough to accommodate all of the participants, some of the unregistered owners may have to be turned away, the organiser warned.

Even if they are out of the competition, however, they should nonetheless, as committed car and bike enthusiasts, have a roaringly good time.

QUITE A SHINER -- Mr. Dwight Richards of Anthony's Auto Styling and Hobbies gives a finishing polish this week to chrome work on a Suzuki Vitara that -- appropriately enough -- will be featured in this Sunday's "Show n' Shine'' exhibition at Number One Shed in Hamilton.

FACE OF THE FUTURE? -- Mr. Anthony Peets photographed the futuristic Arex prototype at a Las Vegas show.