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Stunning cars from the Paris Motor Show
Ferrari, Renault and Mercedes dazzle the crowds at this year's auto extravaganza at the Porte de Versailles
The biennial Paris Motor Show, first held in 1898, is one of the most popular events of its kind in the world. Over 1.2 million car enthusiasts poured through the doors at the last automobile show in 2014 and this year's event, which runs until October 16, promises to be just as thrilling.
Important debuts this year include the new Land Rover Discovery and the Skoda Kodiaq, as well as concept cars from Mercedes and Volkswagen that are designed to give a preview of their electric futures.
Alongside practical vehicles with mass market appeal are cars that most of us can only dream of, such as limited edition Ferraris.
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Here is some of the most jaw-dropping metal on show this year:
Renault Trezor Concept
A stunning new concept car by Renault, the Trezor is a huge 350bhp electric coupe with a powertrain derived from Renault's Formula E car, as well as autonomous capabilities. It's been created to highlight some of the design features and technologies set to arrive in the next generation of Renault models.
The Trezor has a number of extraordinary design traits. The car has no door, for example, just a large canopy peeling the entire front end of the car upwards. Underneath the scarlet visor-shaped windscreen is an equally scarlet interior, where "high technology and old-fashioned, natural luxury go head to head", says Top Gear.
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LaFerrari Aperta
It's been known for some time that Ferrari was planning an open-top version of its LaFerrari hypercar, and the LaFerrari Aperta, which took its official bow in Paris late last week, is unlikely to disappoint.
Behind the driver is the same powerunit you'll find in the coupe version. It's a 6.3-litre V12 with a Formula 1 inspired KERS system that produces around 950bhp. With that much power on tap, chopping the roof off hasn't softened the car's performance. It's still capable of 0-62mph in less than three seconds and a top speed of 220mph.
Built to mark the company's 70th anniversary, and limited to a production run of just 150 examples, all Apertas have already sold out. The car is likely to have cost its owner even more than the £1 million price tag of the LaFerrari Coupe.
Mercedes AMG GT C Roadster
Two new versions of Mercedes's AMG GT made their debuts at the show, both of them convertibles. The new GT C is the more powerful variant of the two.
Both of the new roadsters use folding fabric soft tops over folding metal roofs in order to keep weight increases down to a minimum, but both have extra strengthening to compensate for the lack of a fixed lid. This means that the GT C is 90kg heavier than its GT S hard top equivalent, but it's also significantly more powerful.
The twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 now produces 549bhp – quite a bit more than the 503bhp in the GT S coupe. 0-62mph is dealt with in 3.7 seconds and the top speed is clocked at 196mph.
Prices haven't been announced yet, but Auto Express expects the GT C to cost over £120,000.
Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 Concept
The Telegraph lists Mercedes's huge Maybach concept coupe as one of the most sensational cars to grace the stands in Paris. Unveiled at Pebble Beach in California earlier this summer, it's one of the star attractions of this year's show.
"The style is said to evoke luxury yachts and the Bugatti Atlantic, and the grille is claimed to be inspired by a pin-striped suit", says the newspaper.
Like many of the concept cars on show, it's fully electric with a 750bhp powertrain that Mercedes says is capable of 300 miles on a single charge.
