[January
14-23 2005]
The Montreal International Auto Show opened
its doors to the public for the 37th time on Friday,
January 14 at downtown Montreal's Palais des Congrès.
This year's edition was exceptionally appealing
as several new and updated models made their Canadian
debuts and manufacturers brought along vehicles
for the smallest of budgets to those with unlimited
funds.
The impact that the sport compact aftermarket
industry has had on carmakers was evident from
the moment spectators entered the show. The sport
tuned Altima SE-R was front-and-center in the
Nissan booth, stationed next to their Sentra SE-R
Spec-V. The Altima SE-R is further proof that
companies like Nissan are well aware that yesterday's
riceboy is now today's young professional with
money to spend on a powerful yet practical performance
vehicle.
Not to be outdone, Mazda's 2005 roster had not
one, but two Mazdaspeed-tuned rides in their allotted
space. The highly anticipated Mazdaspeed6 and
highly surprising Mazdaspeed Miata were given
prime locations, the Miata facing the masses head
on and the Mazdaspeed6 literally taking center
stage. Flanked by a duo of "average"
Mazda6's, Mazdaspeed's latest creation sat atop
an elaborate rotary themed, rotating platform
(no pun intended). Speaking of rotary, Mazda's
pocket-rocket RX-8 continues to captivate consumers
with its sleek lines, impressive power output
and innovative interpretation of the four-door.
Despite the Evo VIII's absence on Mitsubishi's
Canadian lineup, the Diamond Star Corporation
unveiled a Ralliart inspired Galant to go toe-to-toe
with the Mazdaspeeds and SE-R's. Slated for release
in 2006, this 3.6l 260-hp sedan sports a six-speed
transmission, PIAA driving lamps, Recaro driving
seats (and optional Recaro child seat), high-powered
sound system and a plethora of performance goodies
courtesy of Ralliart. Pricing is yet to be determined,
but with the amount of brand name parts used during
the construction of the Ralliart Galant, Given
the price point at which the car is set to compete,
it will be a pleasant surprise if these high-ticket
items make it into production,
For further evidence of the sport compact phenomenon
one had to look no further than the entire room
dedicated to sport compacts hosted by local
radio station CKOI and Team SCP. After another
successful event at Olympic Stadium, Team SCP
invited the
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cream of the crop
to showcase their rides for the first time
since SCP. Jaws
were dropping as spectators were greeted
by Chico Zetino's infamous tri-turbo Volkswagen
Golf, followed by Johnny Papacristos' "Mine
Was Turbo Before Dodge's Was Turbo"
Neon. Also in attendance was TWM Performance's
WRX and Cobretti Tuning's Acura Integra,
with Chris Nankoo's ever evolving Chevy
S-10 and Richard Thibodeau's supercharged
S2000.
The list of enthusiast and motorsport-inspired
vehicles presented by the manufacturers
has grown exponentially in recent years,
and this year was no different. 2005 marks
Year Two on Canadian soil for the venerable
Subaru WRX STi. Arguably one of the greatest
tuner cars ever sold (and until the EVO
VIII passes Canadian crash tests), the STi
continues to captivate speed freaks of all
ages. Having easily repelled Dodge's first
attempt at unseating the STi from top spot
with the SRT-4, Daimler Chrysler continues
to up the ante with their Hemi-powered Chrysler
300C and Dodge Magnum. Ford's new Mustang
can hardly be considered a sport compact,
but pricing, power and the availability
of aftermarket parts just might be enough
to lure tuners away from a scene once dominated
by Japanese 4-bangers.
If there's one thing a car enthusiast might
learn from this year's International Auto
Show, it's that building a car on a limited
income no longer means having to purchase
a low-buck econobox and start from the ground
up. Today's tuners can now go to their local
Nissan or Subaru dealer and roll off with
more than 200hp worth of street cred without
having to get a second job or sell vital
organs to do it.
Some think that the acceptance of performance
upgrades by major manufacturers might soon
render the aftermarket obsolete, but as
long as there are people like Chico, Chris
and Johnny around, companies like Subaru,
Nissan and Ford can keep pumping out tuner
cars. We sport compact enthusiasts will
just keep making them better.
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