100+ YEARS 
OF ICONIC CARS

At the GIMS 1952, Fiat presented the Fiat 8V. At the end of the WW2, Fiat had many projects, including the creation of an American-style V8 saloon for the US market. Dante Giacosa, the famous in-house engineer, although not very favourable to the project, began the development of an innovative 70° V8 engine. But struggling to meet the high demand for cars in the domestic market, Fiat abandoned the US saloon project a few months later.

At the GIMS 1972, Volvo unveiled the concept car VESC (Volvo Experimental Safety Car). From a design viewpoint, the VESC hinted at the design language of the forthcoming Volvo 240, launched in 1974 and later became Volvo’s longest-lasting model ever (19 years, ca. 2.9 million cars produced).

At the GIMS 1977, Matra-Simca presented the Rancho. Rancho is the brainchild of a genius engineer, Philippe Guédon, and a visionary businessman, Jean-Luc Lagardère both working for Matra. In the mid-1970s, the demand emerged for a "green", simple and affordable leisure vehicle, capable of venturing onto roads that were more or less passable. Apart from the Range Rover, there were no 'civilised' 4x4s and most off-road vehicles were derived from the famous Jeeps.

At the GIMS 1977, Porsche presented the Porsche 928. In the wake of the 1970s oil crisis, Porsche was considering adding a more fuel-efficient luxury touring car to the line-up. They also considered that the 911, the then-current flagship model, was reaching the limits of its potential... The future of Porsche relied upon GT cars with conventional engines rather than unconventional sports cars, according to Ernst Fuhrmann, the Managing Director.

At the GIMS 1982, Bentley presented the Mulsanne Turbo. Since the mid-50s, Bentley and its parent company Rolls-Royce mainly practiced «badge engineering», marketing identical models under different brands. Bentleys were Rolls-Royces models with a Bentley grille and logos. Although its name evoked Bentley’s glorious past at Le Mans in the 20s, the Mulsanne, launched in 1980, remained a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit behind its grille. The Bentley Mulsanne Turbo will help to further differentiate the brands.

At the GIMS 1987, BMW unveiled the BMW 750i, the first German 12-cylinder luxury model in half a century and which also set new standards in the typical German «Überlimousines» segment. The BMW V12 was the result of 15 years of testing and development. With a displacement of 5 litres in its first version (M70), it delivered the power – impressive at that time – of 300 PS. BMW claimed that this engine «combined unlimited power with silky-smooth running». The BMW 750i also introduced the Electronic Damper Control, which proposed 3 damping settings.

At the GIMS 1992, Alfa Romeo presented the Alfa 155. The 155 was a transitional model for Alfa Romeo, which definitively abandoned the transaxle architecture introduced in 1972 with the Alfetta, and on which the Giulietta Nuova, the 90, the 75 and the SZ were based.

At the GIMS 1997, Ford presented the Ford Puma. In the mid-1990s, Opel launched the Tigra, a small sporty coupe in the B-segment, based on the Corsa. Except for the Honda CRX since 1983, the segment didn’t exist. It was not until 1997 that the competition started to show up, led by Ford with its Puma based on the Fiesta (Mk IV) platform.

At the GIMS 2002, Audi presented the Audi RS6. After the success of the RS4 (B5) launched in 1999, Audi and its subsidiary Quattro Gmbh – which has since become Audi Sport – tackled the upper segment by offering a high-performance version of the A6 (C5). The idea was to mark a notable difference with the S6 (340 PS) and to knock out the competition, while keeping a discreet aesthetic like “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”.

At the GIMS 2002, Volkswagen presented the Phaeton. One man’s vision, it had to be the best car ever made. In response to the downscaling of Mercedes-Benz (A Class) and BMW (1 Series) in the late 1990s, Ferdinand Piëch ordered VW to compete with them at the top of the range.

At the GIMS 2012, Hyundai presented the i-oniq Concept. At that time, battery capacity and charging technologies were still limited, so the appeal of electrified and EV vehicles was also limited. GM, with its Chevrolet Volt/Opel Ampera, BMW with its i3 and Fisker with its Karma had commercialised the "Range-Extender" concept, a small combustion engine acting as a generator and thus increasing the range of these electrified vehicles.