SEMA Auto Show

The first automobile show in the world was held in Paris in 1898 at the Tuilleries Gardens. Only a handful of the new-fangled "automobiles" were exhibited at the outdoor location. To prove the validity of this new mode of transportation, exhibitors had to drive their vehicles from Versailles to Paris. Although he opened this first Paris Motor Show, the President of France was openly skeptical about the automobile and punctuated his opinion by leaving the auto show in a horse-drawn carriage.

By 1922, a number of current automobile makers were on hand at the Paris Motor Show, actually then called the Salon de l'Auto by those fluent in French. Peugeot, Renault and Citroën showed off their new models, as did lesser known (and now extinct) makes such as Unio. Citroën, anticipating the use of cars by women, displayed the "5 CV," which was geared towards use by those of the fairer sex.

From 1939 to around 1946, the Paris auto show went on hiatus due to World War II. Finally, at the 1948 show, some genuinely new models debuted, including the iconic Citroën 2CV, an economy car whose design seemed inspired by a lobster. The mid-'50s saw the debut of the Peugeot 403, the first volume-produced diesel car from France, and the Austin-Healy "bug eye" Sprite.

During the 1960s and 1970s, the Paris Motor Show thrilled viewers with the introductions of the Porsche 911, Plymouth Barracuda, VW Golf (Rabbit in the U.S.). In 1976 the decision was made to make the Paris auto show a biannual event, alternating with the Frankfurt show in Germany. In 1988 the Paris Motor Show changed its official name from Salon de l'Auto to Mondial de l'Automobile. Having been the first auto show ever held, the Paris auto show holds a special place in auto maker's hearts, and as a result many world debuts happen. In more recent years, many incredible cars were first shown in Paris, including Porsche's 605-horsepower Carrera GT supercar, Bentley's Continental GT and Ferrari's $670,000 Enzo.

The 2004 Paris Motor Show brought out some of Europe's biggest names and there were a number of important debuts from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. At the Audi stand, the German automaker unveiled two important new cars. The 2005 Audi A4 showed off a new face and a new engine as it geared up to compete against the fully redesigned BMW 3 Series. The 2005 Audi A3 hatchback highlighted the German automaker's push for less expensive cars that still delivered Audi style and performance.

BMW was eyeing the low-cost market, too, as it introduced its entry-level 2006 1 Series at the Paris auto show. Shown in hatchback form, the 1 Series will eventually expand into the sedan and coupe segments as well. A little higher on the price scale was the 2006 BMW M5. Its 500-horsepower V10 engine promises blistering performance that few sedans on the planet can match. If the M5 is tops for performance, then the 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG looked like it had the style crown wrapped up. With 476 hp of its own it wouldn't be far behind the M5 in a race and it would look great doing it.