Sleek and sexy, sports cars rev up Paris motor show
By Alexander Corne
THE PARIS motor show, which opens next Thursday, will be stacked to the doors with sexy new sports cars.
The enthusiast driver will have lots to smile about trawling the aisles in Paris. A new exciting convertible or coupe will greet the visitor at almost every turn as Porsche, Jaguar, Volvo, and Honda offer the European public some true glamour and glitz after two decades of mundane, saloon-based motoring.
Jaguar's XK8 is the company's first new sports coupe and convertible in 20 years. The XK8 appears to be a worthy successor not only to the XJ-S it replaces but also the immortal E-Type.
It uses a new 4000cc V8 engine designed by Jaguar, as well as an in-house designed five-speed automatic transmission. No manual gearbox is offered, despite pleas from die-hard enthusiasts.
The Jaguar will cost US$65,000 in America and about 45,000 poundsterling in Britain. The XK8 is the first of a stream of new products expected from Jaguar in the next five years, with the smaller X200 due next, a competitor for the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.
Volvo, known internationally for its staid but safe designs, has pushed the creative envelope another few notches and will reveal its svelte new C70 coupe, styled by English designer Peter Horbury. The C70 will be available as a convertible next year as well, and both will be powered by a choice of performance turbo- charged five-cylinder engines.
BMW's already highly-popular Z3, powered by a 1900cc four- cylinder engine will gain a more gutsy brother when the Munich- based company rolls out a six-cylinder version. The 2800cc engine comes direct from the 328i sedan and coupe and produces 142kW and 210Nm of torque.
BMW fans have been anticipating the arrival of the beefier Z3 for some time, needed to fight off competition from the Porsche Boxster and Mercedes-Benz SLK.
The $56,000 Porsche Boxster is powered by an aluminum alloy flat-six engine which for the first time in the company's history is water-cooled and not air-cooled. The midmounted 24-valve engine is bored to 2500cc and produces 150kW and 245Nm of torque. Top speed is about 250kmh.
The Boxster comes as a five-speed manual or a five-speed Tiptronic with gear-change buttons mounted on the steering wheel. MacPherson strut suspension all round is used instead of traditional Porsche double wishbones.
A hotter RS and even a Turbo version are likely in the next year or so, with larger engine capacities promised. The brand-new motor can be increased in capacity to 3400cc, and in this size, will feature in the new 996, which replaces the existing 911, next year.
The Boxster has been designed as a practical sports car with two luggage compartments. The engine can only be serviced from under the car, there is no engine cover on top, so replenishing fluids is done through a panel in the rear boot.
On a more affordable level, Honda will unveil its replacement for the 4-year-old Prelude. The new large Honda coupe will be powered by a range of upgraded engines, including the powerful VTEC variable-valve timing system.
Peugeot will use its hometown show to unveil to the world its new 406 wagon and coupe. The 406 sedan is due to go on sale in Indonesia in January next year, powered by a 2000cc 16-valve four-cylinder engine. At this stage it is unlikely that the shapely wagon or coupe will join the sedan in Indonesia. Versions with V6 engines are also unlikely to transfer from France to Indonesia.
In the people-mover sector, Renault is set to regain some of the ground it has lost to a morass of European and American impersonators. The Renault Espace launched in 1983 rewrote the rule books on large capacity car design, and set the standard for the European car industry.
The Paris show is the launch for the first all-new Espace, which uses a traverse engine for the first time, and retains its composite material body panels. Interestingly, Espace uses a range of four, five and six-cylinder engines, with the five-pot borrowed from Volvo's 850.
Speaking of five-cylinder engines, Volkswagen, the biggest German carmaker, is to introduce perhaps the most curious engine of modern times. The acclaimed 2900cc 15-degree narrow-angle VR6 engine first seen in the Golf, and subsequently in the Vento, Passat, Sharan and Caravelle over the past five years, has had a cylinder lopped off.
The new 2200cc VR5 engine is shorter, lighter, more frugal and beats French and German tax barriers.
The 110kW engine will go on sale in Passat models next year but is expected to be seen first in the revised Golf/Vento ranges due to be launched at next September's Frankfurt motor show.
Volkswagen will introduce a new version of its largest car, the Passat, at the show. The car is based on the Audi A4 floorpan, which arrives in Indonesia early next year, and uses a mix of VW and Audi petrol and diesel engines.
The Passat is likely to make an appearance in Asian markets later in its life but initially, VW will be concentrating on the large Caravelle and Golf five-door hatch-back in these markets.
Ford, the second biggest carmaker in the world, will show its most adventurous design since the curvy Taurus.
Aimed at the European city market as well as congested Asian urban areas, the Ka (pronounced car) is a small three-door powered by a 1300cc engine.
The "swoopy" looks, coupled with an unforgettable face, finished off with distinctive triangular headlamps, goes on sale in Europe within weeks, but Asian debuts are not expected for a year or so.
The Ka breaks the mold for Ford's small cars, after generations of dull boxes.