Michelin is our favorite tire company from now on. Without resorting to the cheap, albeit highly effective and entertaining, trick of hiring booth babes to draw attention to themselves, this French tiremaker still had one of the largest crowds of any vendor at the show. Accomplished with an elegant simplicity that had us drooling from the moment we saw the space. The plan was so breathtakingly simple that we hope others will follow their lead in the future. OK, we wouldn't complain too much if there were still some lovely ladies around as well, but this being an automotive show, putting cars above all else seems to be a pretty good idea.
What they pulled off went a little beyond the ordinary and deserves some kind of award. After working your way past dozens of individual wheel and tire booths with everything from clear rims to those 34-inch monster truck-worthy numbers, you round a corner in the tires and wheels hall and see one of the cleanest, most spectacular sights. Especially if you are a fan of exotics and supercars, but even if you're not, it's quite striking. More story and pics after the jump.
A Fisker and a Ruf sit at the top of an arcing ramp, high above the rear of the display. In front of them are a Saleen S7 tt and a Pagani Zonda, respectively. In front of THEM are a Koenigsegg CCX and McLaren F1, almost touching the ground And sitting in the center of the almost completed circle is a turntable. A turntable with a Bugatti Veyron slowly rotating on it. And if that isn't enough, a glance to the side will reveal a Caparo T1.
Now think about that for another few minutes while you look through the incredible high-res gallery provided to us by Drew Phillips of Fast-Autos.net. If these were heavyweight boxers you'd be looking at the likes of Ali, Holmes, Frazier, Tyson, Marciano, Louis, and Dempsey. All in one place at one time. True champions that still command respect.
The Fisker is a bit more of a looker than an outright supercar like the others, but can still manage some respectable speeds. The RUF and Zonda can crack 210. The F1 has done 241. The CCX and Veyron a little better still. The Saleen hasn't proven its top speed claims but should be able to manage something very close to the others, and the Caparo, being little more than a Formula 1 car with better aerodynamics might not set the top speed bar any higher, should provide thrills in every direction. Some of the worlds fastest cars, all on display together, latent energy almost palpable. Despite our pleas, our offer to run them out to Nellis for some quick testing, was politely refused. Thanks anyhow, Michelin. All the pics are clickable
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