The first official event to be attended by the protagonists that will line up next year in the new FIA World Touring Car Championship, took place yesterday in the heart of the French capital, Paris.

They took centre stage on the occasion of the prestigious celebrations for the Centenary of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. Four FIA WTCC cars were exhibited in the Cour Napoléon, at the Louvre Museum.

An AutoDelta Alfa Romeo 156, along with a BMW 320i, a SEAT Toledo Cupra and the brand new Chevrolet Nubira were positioned in the foreground, on both sides of a carpet that the 800 guests walked along on their way to the crystal pyramid and the entrance to the Hall Napolèon, where they attended a gala dinner and the celebration.

The quartet of FIA WTCC cars were placed alongside Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 World Championship winning Ferrari F2004, the 2003 World Rally Championship title winning Citroën Xsara, and a series of cars that represented the history of the first one hundred years of the FIA’s activity (1904-2004).