Tuesday 14th September 2004

Fetish to be unveiled in Paris

Venturi comeback likely at motor show in a fortnight.

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French sports car maker Venturi has launched a teaser campaign for its new sports car to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show on 25 September, some ten years after the arrival of the well-received and regarded but rare Atlantique 300.

The new car may be the production version of the Fetish, shown at the Paris Motor Show 2002 (see first and second pic). The concept used a mid-engined layout powered by a four-cylinder two-litre powerplant providing 180 bhp at 6,500 rpm and 204 lb/.ft of torque at 5,400 rpm. Performance is claimed to be 5.9 seconds for the 0-60 mph dash and a 140 mph top speed -- adequate but not stunning. However, two years have passed and, as we all know, concepts often differ markedly from production vehicles.

It's likely to be a far cry from the fibreglass-bodied Atlantique (see third pic), which used a Garrett turbocharger coupled to the all-alloy three-litre V6 to generate 281bhp at 5,300 rpm, giving a claimed 0-60 of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 172 mph. The interior was finished in wood and leather, aiming for the luxury rather than the stripped-out effect.

We first reported on the Fetish in 2002.

[Murcielago]

Looks like they just strapped on the front of a VX220.

[t1grm]

Hasn't there been another Venturi since the Atlantique? Bought out in the early 90's about the same time as the Bugatti EB110, XJ220 et al when the supecar market was going barmy. It had a fairly unsucessful run at Le Mans one year IIRC.

Edit: Actually it looks like I was talking about the Atlantique:



Strange, I remember it looking much more super-car-esque when it originally came out than the green one in the pics.

Edit again: I was right. I was thinking of the 400GT which I think is what the car above is.





>> Edited by t1grm on Tuesday 14th September 14:15

[nobbybombshell]

I did a stereo install on one of those 400 thingies. Pretty cool car this one as it had been decked out in Desert storm camo colours. Some Arab guy had ordered it and stuck 50% down and had it custom painted but never went to collect it from the dealer so thay sold it on for half its retail price. Mega stiff suspension set up on it, we reversed it out of the workshop down a slope then backed out left and one of the rear wheels came clean off the ground. Nice looking car though.