Dear Ultimatecarpage.com visitor,

This weekend the biannual Paris Motor Show (Mondial de l'Automobile) opened its doors to the public. Despite the economic turmoil the mood on the show floor was remarkably optimistic. Pushed to their limits, most manufacturers focused on small and environmentally friendly production and concept cars. Machines like the Alfa Romeo MiTo, Toyota iQ and Fiat Abarth 500 took centre stage. Before the show the exotic manufacturers, like Lamborghini and Ferrari, attracted the most attention with high profile releases and previews. It is always amazing how different a car can look in person as compared to the pictures. Sometimes a car that looks stunning in the pictures can be a disappointment in the metal or the other way. We found some telling examples of this in Paris. Local marque Citroen 'stole the show' with the very exciting 'GT' concept car inspired by the popular Gran Turismo game. They also showed some good humor, by displaying a 2CV upholstered by Hermes. Imaging lining up next to a Hermes Veyron at a traffic light in one of those. I know who looks cooler!
Having spent the better part of two days on the always very hot showfloor to capture the magic, we can now present our full report and exclusive 220-shot gallery. All of the releases will be looked at individually later in the week.

2008 Paris Mondial de l'Automobile report and slideshow

Regards,
Wouter Melissen