Montreal, PQ -- The ninth annual Sport Compact Performance Show (SCP9) was held from October 17 to 19 at the Montreal Olympic Stadium. With over 300 cars on hand, the event was attended by more than 60,000 visitors, making it the biggest show of its kind in North America.

The show-stopper at SCP9 was the Cadillac CTS Top Tuner, designed by Elite Tuners of Canada and its direc

Diversity is the operative word here. Surrounding the new 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 ($125,195) were older yet still attractive models like the HHR Concept, a two-door, low-roof wagon that was introduced at the 2005 SEMA show. A couple of feet away, a Monte Carlo from the '80s sitting on 26-inch wheels and extra-low-profile tires seemed to trade visual jabs with a nearby Dodge Ram Rancho from DynoMax.

Among the group of customized Ferraris and the many Americanized Japanese imports (some with a right-hand drive) was a genuine post-WWII hot rod nicknamed "T-Bucket". There were also unique motorcycles created by Zeel Design, two Aeros 3S (an odd full-fairing variant of the T-Rex), and even a massive Peterbilt 379 "Coga" riding on a lowered suspension!

Must-see attractions
Obviously, a tuning show like this one also included "Hop Off" demos from the Luxurious Lowrider Club. At one point, it was like standing in a field of grasshoppers!

SCP9 again held the popular Ms. SCP bikini pageant, the largest such event in Quebec. This year, two young and hip celebrities co-hosted the contest: DJ Shortcut and Babu.

Exhibitors brought their cars for the Bud Light Show'n Shine. There were over 300 entries for the Best of Show award, which came with a $10,000 prize and other gifts.

"The prestige of winning at SCP is what motivates people," says Ben Woo, National Director and co-creator of the event. "Tuners work for months and months on these cars because they know that if you win here, you can win anywhere."

"This event is the only one of its kind in Canada, and it features a huge collection of the craziest cars around," said Marsha McLaughlin, Marketing Communications Manager, Wakefield Castrol Canada, one of SCP9's major sponsors. "Trends in car design change all the time, and this show is essential for anyone who wants to keep up with them."

SCP9 showcased a diversified selection of tuned-up models, including this Aero 3S, a full-fairing variant of the T-Rex.

Featuring Intel
For the first time ever, SCP featured a leg of the Intel Extreme Masters Global Challenge. Montreal was the third of nine overall stops in this international competition.

Professional gamers battled each other in hope of winning the $80,000 prize. Bleachers had been specially set up to make sure fans would not miss a single second of the action.

SCP featured a leg of the Intel Extreme Masters Global Challenge.

"High performance cars need high performance gaming!", said Doug Cooper, Country Manager, Intel of Canada. "At Intel, we're all about speed and performance. Gaming companies like Ubisoft harness the power and performance provided by the Intel Core family of processors, and we think there's no better place to showcase leading edge games than with the fastest, newest and most exciting cars in the world. We're as passionate about gaming as people are about their cars."

Starring a juiced-up CTS
The icing on the cake came from the third installment of the Castrol Top Tuner Project: a Cadillac CTS producing more than 1,000 horsepower! Elite Tuners of Canada (ETC), led by Toronto's own Tajai Das, is a team made up of numerous designers, coachbuilders and motorists such as Chris and Lee Nankoo from Montreal, Quebec, Serge Léger and Pierre Leblanc from Shediac, New-Brunswick, and Edmund Manasan and Simon Rowe from Toronto, Ontario.

The new Cadillac CTS was a perfect choice for this year's transformation, according to Robert Pagé, Communications Manager at GM Canada: "The car is fresh from a new makeover and it just won the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award."

It's estimated that this highly-customized CTS is worth over $650,000. Up to 10,000 hours of hard work were necessary to complete the project. Fortunately, the team got some help from such partners as GM Performance Parts, Pirelli and Baer Brake Systems.

"It's a real tough job to completely dismantle a car and build a whole new machine in just four months, especially since there are no aftermarket parts and accessories," explains Mr. Das. "It was a huge challenge, indeed. For our partners, though, the project was a golden opportunity to experiment and develop new products and new solutions."

The show-stopper at SCP9 was the Cadillac CTS Top Tuner, designed by Elite Tuners of Canada and its director Tajai Das (middle of first row).

The Castrol Top Tuner Project is designed with one goal in mind: to create some of the boldest and most exciting show cars in the world. It started in 2006 with the Pontiac Solstice Top Tuner, a $500,000 venture involving about 30 different OEM companies from Canada. Last year, ETC presented the Saturn Super Sky Top Tuner, a unique three-seater with the driver sitting in the middle. The body was made from carbon fiber and the mid-mounted LT1 engine was derived from the Corvette.

"The CTS Top Tuner is the expression of a culture and a passion," said Tajai Das. "Tuners are basically the 'hot rodders' of the modern era. They display their passion for cars and power through their various masterpieces. Since the rise of tuning, many different sub-cultures have emerged. The third Top Tuner Project showcases one of them: the 'VIPs' -- a generation of young, high-rolling executives who are envied by all their colleagues."

The Saturn Super Sky Top Tuner, a unique three-seater with the driver sitting in the middle.

As Mr. Das points out, the 2006 Solstice Top Tuner was born from the 'sport compact' sub-culture, whereas the 2007 Super Sky belonged in the high-performance world of exotic cars.

"For SCP10, the Top Tuner Project will unveil the ultimate All-Canadian Muscle Car," he adds. We'll design not one but two ultra-high performance Camaros. The first will be powered by a conventional engine while the second will use either a hybrid powertrain or a fully-electric system. Our goal with this one is to show people all the potential of electricity in terms of performance and pure power. It will be quite a challenge!"

While the first two cars from the Top Tuner Project sported a bright green finish ("Castrol Green" might be more accurate), the CTS Top Tuner looks more upscale with a two-tone bodywork (black and red). If Team ETC is indeed planning an environmentally-friendly approach, we might just witness the return of green paint!

To find out, don't miss SCP10 in October 2009!