Kylie kick-starts Coupe fest at Paris Motor Show

Coupes dominated the first day of the Paris Motor Show yesterday, when Kylie Minogue kicked the day off releasing the new Ford SportsKa, Peugeot released the 307 CC concept car - a genuine coup' and cabriolet with seating for four adults - and Citro'n released the Pluriel, a car which can be transformed quickly into five different body styles.

Streetka, the Ghia-built star of the 2000 Turin Motor Show, finally evolved from concept to production reality. The Streetka, described by Ford as "a modern interpretation of the traditional two-seater roadster inspired by classics like the MG Midget and Austin-Healey Frogeye Sprite." will go on sale in Q3 next year.

Designed by an in-house Ford team, Streetka was engineered from the ground-up in a new relationship with the renowned Italian design house and coachbuilder, Industrie Pininfarina. Working closely with Ford, Pininfarina has taken Streetka from show car plinth to production reality in around 24 months.

As befits its status as the style flagship of the Ka range, Streetka is powered by a new 1.6-litre Duratec engine that develops a lusty 95PS at 5,500 rpm and 135 Nm at 4,250 rpm. Built in South Africa, the 8-valve engine has been designed to deliver muscular mid-range response, imbuing Streetka with exceptional urban agility and motorway overtaking capability. Nearly 90 per cent of maximum torque is available between 1500-4500rpm.The engine is a four-cylinder, 8-valve unit gives it a top speed of 175 kmh, with combined cycle fuel consumption of around 13 kml.

Expect pricing around the AUS$40,000 mark and be make sure you get your order in early.

Though the roof on the Streetka is manually operated, it can be converted to roofless in less than half a minute in a seven-step operation that can be easily undertaken by one person.

The 307cc is designed to build on the success of the 206 CC, and uses the same method whereby the steel roof folds electrically under the boot lid to create the drop-top. Still in its concept form, this Coup'-Cabriolet offers four true standard-size seats and is being shown in Paris with a 2.0 litre, 16-valve, 180hp 4-cylinder motor but by the time it goes on sale, any number of existing engines from the 307 range could be offered.