Paris Motor Show

The Paris Motor Show - the biggest for 2010 - shrugged off any lingering economic blues and presented an exciting array of new metal that screamed 'look at me'. The world's motor manufacturers showed a surprising optimism, with the now normal rash of electric and hybrid green machines overshadowed by a stampede of fast and downright exciting machines.

Cutting edge design, the marriage of new and traditional technologies, and a host of concept vehicles made the Paris show the automobile showcase of the year. The indisputable star of the show was the Jaguar C-X75 concept car, but for sheer audacity, Lotus stole the show with not one, but five delicious new offerings. These were not just improved versions of what has gone before, but five modern cars, each with its own personality.

Lotus is evolving into a luxury sports car maker, but certainly didn't have the catwalk to themselves with Porsche unveiling its new 911 Speedster, and Maserati the new GranTurismo MC Stradale - a long name, but a stunning car that Maserati say will be the fastest, lightest and most powerful car in the Maserati range when it goes on sale early next year.

Of course the wedge shaped Lamborghini Sesto Elemento deserved its time in the spotlight, as did Ferrari with its new topless 599.
Concepts that highlighted the shape of sporty roadsters of the future included the Audi Quattro Concept, Peugeot EX1 (see news story), the Fisker Karma hybrid and Bugatti Veyron.

Highlights of the show included:

Jaguar C-X75
The show stopping radical C-X75 is a drop-dead gorgeous two door supercar. The C-X75 has been designed to celebrate 75 years of the marque and provide a glimpse into the future of Jaguar and its commitment to producing beautiful, fast cars powered by sustainable means. Dispelling the notion of electric cars being unable to match it with traditional combustion motors, the C-X75 utilises two gas turbines spinning at 80,000 rpm to generate enough electricity to provide a range of 560 miles, with near negligible emissions. Powered by four powerful 145kW electric motors - one for each wheel - it produces an astonishing total torque output of 1600Nm. This delivers a 0-100km/h time of 3.4 seconds and blistering acceleration from 80-145km/h in just 2.3 seconds, on to a top speed of 330km/h, achieved in just 15.7 seconds!

Ferrari 599 SA Aperta
Ferrari showed off its new topless 599, despite the fact that all eighty of its limited edition models have already been sold. The show car celebrates the 80th anniversary of Ferrari design house Pininfarina. The roadster is powered by a V12 engine and is a true topless model with a raked windscreen and a light soft top only for use in emergencies. The eighty models each had a price tag of $550,000.

Porsche
Porsche introduced the new 911 Carrera GTS (coupe and cabriolet) and the 911 Speedster. The GTS features a 3.8-litre flat six engine with rear wheel drive. It has widened rear body styling to emphasise the rear engine configuration and a wider track to enhance chassis dynamics. The 911 Speedster celebrates the classic 356 model of 1953, a machine that quickly became synonymous with low slung, open top, two seater Porsche sports cars. The 911 Speedster is significantly different from other members of the 911 family, with the striking profile of a Carrera 4 body with shortened windscreen, sleek tail and wider rear end. It features as standard a seven-speed Porsche PDK gearbox, which transmits power via a limited slip differential to the rear axle. The Speedster will go on sale in 2011 with a $512,000 price tag.

Lotus
Lotus unveiled five new models, all of which will be built over the next five years. The five new models were the Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and Eterne. Lotus says the Esprit is the ultimate supercar, low and wide and powered by a 456kW V8 engine. The new Elan is equipped with a 4.0-litre V6, and is designed for road and track. The Elite has the same V8 as the Esprit and is a high performance sports car. The Elise is powered by a 2.0-litre four and is the entry-level car. Finally, the new Eterne (5.0-litre V8) is a four-door high performance sports car. The question remains how Lotus will fund the production of the new models, but there is no denying they have created plenty of interest in the struggling British sports car maker.

Audi e-tron Spyder
This concept of a topless sports car features a plug-in hybrid drive, equipped with a 21kW twin turbo V6 TDI at the rear axle and two electric motors producing a total of 64kW at the front axle. It has a claimed 0-100km/h of 4.4 seconds and a limited top speed of 250 km/h.

Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale
Probably one of the longest names for a car, the new GranTurismo was inspired by the Trofeo GranTurismo MC and the race winning GT4 motorsports models. This two seater is claimed to deliver 300km/h plus performance and is set to play a lead role in Maserati race programs. With 330kW, the GranTurismo MC Stradale generates more power from the 4.7-litre V8 engine than the GranTurismo S, while its 510Nm of torque is a 20Nm improvement. It uses advanced electronics to cut gearshift times from the upgraded MC Race Shift electro-actuated transaxle gearbox to just 60 milliseconds. This all helps to slash the 0-100km/h-sprint time to 4.6 seconds. With the removal of the rear seats, the GranTurismo MC Stradale becomes the first two-seat Maserati since the MC12. The GranTurismo MC Stradale has also benefited from new Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes, custom-developed Pirelli tyres, a unique suspension layout and rigid, lightweight, carbon-fibre race seats.

Source: JUST CARS, December 2010, Collectors Issue #178