Looking like something straight out of Gran Turismo 3, we found the most menacing Skyline GTR ever to prowl the Parisian streets. Unfortunately, information was scant, but the owners were claiming to have a quad turbo, 1,000bhp V-12 under the yellow bonnet and boasted a top speed of about 210 mph. The GT widebody was constructed from carbon-fiber and accommodated 18x13-inch race rims, as well as carbon brakes. Even if this car was normally aspirated and had 150 bhp, it looked meaner than a junkyard dog and totally intimidated the stunning RX-7 that shared its enclosure. This car was also unaccompanied, so details are vague, but the reversed graphics on one side confused us momentarily. Using a mirror, we managed to discern that this FD wore a PsyPro kit and an APR rear wing. The wheels were 19-inch Lensos, and the custom orange interior belied its race car appearance-that and the twin JBL subs mounted under the glass hatch.
We've seen Nissans, Mazdas, and Euros, but where was Toyota? The current Celica is an underrated car, so it was good to see a heavily modified example belong to World Tuning Center (www.worldtuningcenter.com). Finished in a blackberry paint, it sported a VeilSide kit, gullwing doors, Lexus rear lights, a carbon wing, and 18-inch Work Seeker rims. Equally appealing was the interior, created by French specialists Espace Sellerie 3000 (www.sellerie-3000.com), which was responsible for the upholstery in the majority of the French show cars. In the Celica, it used a combination of cream leather and perforated red suede to stunning effect, while the trunk was home to a pair of nitrous bottles, a centrally mounted sub, and amp rack.
Probably the only other Japanese car of merit was the 350Z from British tuner Nemesis (www.nemesisperformance.com). It featured VeilSide's Version 3 body kit, complete with VeilSide's 20x9 and 20x10-inch Baccarat rims. The same company was responsible for a widebody VeilSide DTM Evo and was designing its own widebody kit for the Lexus IS200. This would have a 550bhp, triple-rotor RX-7 engine with six-speed sequential 'box and would cost the owner almost $180,000 when completed.
The company was also working on a 700bhp S13 race car with an SR20DET engine as well as a body kit for the Civic Type-R. It was also hoping to boost its 200bhp V-TEC engine with an additional 60 bhp, before adding 150 bhp of nitrous.
The French have always been individual thinkers, and while parts of their tuning industry may be facing an identity crisis, the remainder is still committed to building some of the most imaginative cars on the planet. This makes the Paris Tuning Show well worth a visit. It takes place at the Parc Des Expositions in Le Bourget, Paris around the end of February. For more information, try www.paristuningshow.com, although you may need a French phrase book to help you order a Big Mac at McDonald's, or to try to pick up Les French chicks at Le university. On second thought, what do we need that stupid book for?