Rally de Paris 2011 - Supercar heaven !!

Rally de Paris 2011!


Although I had already assisted to Rally de Paris in 2009, I missed the one in 2010, therefore missing a beautiful Lamborghini SuperTrofeo as well as a Pagani Zonda (damn it)! But there also was a tragic accident last year, where the driver of a Porsche and the passenger both died while speeding to the track, where the participants take their supercars for a spin. Which is probably why this year they were really strict on "careful driving", and they're absolutely right. Nevertheless, this year's Rally de Paris was a very good event packed with supercars. The all began to arrive quite early on Friday morning (march 18th), to park their cars at the Palais Chaillot, near the Trocadéro and right in front of the Eiffel tower. What a beautiful scenery. As the day went by, the cars kept arriving: some were alone, others were in group. The official start was saturday morning around 7h30/8h, and the cars were supposed to go to the Magny-Cours F1 track. And then on saturday, drive through Orléans to reach the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans.
Also, there was an official presentation of the new McLaren MP4-12 C, but I didn't go. I did have an invitation to go to the unveiling party thanks to a thoughtful friend (AntoineP75 from YouTube), but I had already made other plans! So I didn't get to see my first McLaren MP4-12C up-close, but I did see it from a far inside the McLaren tent (and my first impression was positive)! Another time, hopefully in the wild? :)

The diversity of supercars there was quite astonishing: pretty much every brand was represented! The official list of the Rally announced around 200 participants. But not all of them stayed at the Palais Chaillot, some passed by to pick-up their documents than left, and others arrived on saturday march 19th for the official start of the Rally (which wasn't a sure thing, considering last year's accident = participants were advised to go to the track on their own). Among all those amazing cars, here is a short list of those that impressed me the most., for many different reasons.


First of all, the red Gumpert Apollo! I had never seen that car in real life, so it's a first for me, and a very very agressive-looking car. Some say its looks are too old, squarish, and far from elegant. I respectfully disagree. When I saw that beast arriving, I felt something inside that only a car-spotter would understand. That little special feeling, heart pounding fast and a lot of admiration! It's very massive, the wheels are enormous! Pretty much like the huge spoiler in the back that makes the car that much more "sport". The rear diffuser is also pretty impressive (ake a look at pic #2).

-- CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO 1 --
-- CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO 2 --

Also, a rosso corsa Ferrari 599 GTO with black roof, followed by a silver Porsche GT2RS. Twice the surprise. Not only was this my first sight of a Porsche GT2RS (and that thing is pretty wild), but it's also my second Ferrari 599 GTO I spot! And I'm pretty happy about that lol. The 599 GTO is a brilliant car that makes an extraordinary noise and downshifts (take a look at the video). There also was a second Porsche GT2RS, in a beautiful red robe (I kind of prefer it like that, to be honest. Boring silver isn't my thing...). I couldn't help but notice the plates on both cars: 599 for the 599 GTO, and 620 (that's how many horse power the GT2RS has) for the silver GT2RS. Now that's class.


The Jaguar XJ220! That car is a legend and itself, and spotting one on the road is even better !! Less than 300 models of this car were made. And this is my second XJ220 ever hehe. The first one was dark blue, and this one is emerald green (or dark green). Although it looks a little bit "old" and vintage for nowadays car, I maintain to say that this very long Jaguar has an exceptional feeling to it...

-- CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO --

THE RUSSIANS.
This year's Rally de Paris was, as every year, packed with russian supercars. Seeing as it's still winter during that time up north, their cars stay in the garage. Which is why russians love the Rally de Paris which takes place a little bit before spring = they can take out their cars and go for a spin without having to face the snow! And this is for our biggest pleasure: russians do it with style. Not only do they always bring AMAZING supercars (Porsche Carrera GT, Ferrari 430 Novitec Rosso...), but they also drive them in a particular way that makes me happy = they rev the engines and do impressive accelerations! And their cars have got to be the loudest of the Rally de Paris. What's nice about russians, is that they arrive and depart massively and always in group : the resulting noise is, to put it simply, orgasmic.

I mean check this Corvette's incredible sound:
And what about that Ferrari 430 Novitec Rosso ??

I don't know about you guys, but those cars are pretty insane. There were around 20 russian supercars this year. Here are a few of them I spotted: Porsche Carrera GT by Edo Competition (makes a lovely sound), Ferrari 430 Novitec Rosso (wrapped with a tiger... didn't erally like the design, but the sound makes up for it), a modded Corvette C5 (I don't know the exact name, and I don't think there actually is one. But it is rumored to have +900 hp...), Ferrari California x2, Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano x2, Lamborghini Gallardo Hamann (R.I.P. Richard Hamann), a quite rare Spyker C8 spyder (probably modified, the sound was intense), a crimson Aston Martin DB9 Volante (loved the color), a Porsche 997 by TechART...


From Russia, with love.


And here are more videos from Rally de Paris 2011:

Ferrari F40. Notice the front lights open? This is the second or thirds different F40 I see, and I've never seen it like that! It's pretty cool, if you ask me. Although it makes the car look way older than what it is.


Lamborghini Murciélago. It's always nice to spot a Murcielago first generation on the road! Although the "murciélago" inscription on the side isn't necessary. Seriously, I don't get why owners do that. I had never seen a yellow one to be honest! Only LP640s.


Lamborghini LP560 X3. That's quite an impressive video, but sad. Three amazing white Lamborghini LP560-4 with black rims. The sad part? They're all white with black rims. Comes to show how little imagination or "dare" the owners have nowadays. Thank god the middle-easterns and sometimes the russians dare a bit more originality to bring us colorful and pleasant cars (most of the time)! :)


Some russian cars. This is just a quick video to show how the russian ballers roll. In group and with style. They're massive, and always arrive or leave together, making a HUGE noise in  the city, for my biggest pleasure. It's nice when you see 2 Ferraris next to each other, but when you see 2 Ferraris, 1 Porsche Carrera GT and other stuff leaving.... it's simply impressive! :)










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