It is termed the biggest spectacle for automotive fans in the world for obvious reasons as the Geneva Motor Show, quite simply hit the ball out of the park this time around.
On display were the usual array of cars and many unusual ones, often in the good sense. There was the most expensive production car in the world, then there was the car that could possibly hit the fabled and out-of-reach 300 mph.
Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and many other carmakers whose names are best spelt by experts, showcased the very best of their capacity to date. And, yes, there were the electric monsters that were on the rotating stands as well.
News Today brings you the very best of the lot, to feast your eyes and the inner nine-year-old car enthusiast.
As if Bugattis aren’t expensive enough
Yup, that is the reaction that people had when they heard about the La Voiture Noire from Bugatti. However, when they saw it though, things changed completely.
The car was unlike many others Bugatti made in recent times. Sure, the one-off costs $ 12.5 million before taxes but the pedigree it comes with is much more.
Nope, it is not the W16 8-litre 16-cylinder engine, which develops 1,500 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque, but it is the modern interpretation of the French automakers legendary Type 57 SC Atlantic, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.
Bugatti, aren’t ones who muck about. So, although the car comes with the underpinnings of the Chiron, it is lower, sleeker and has 250 mm added between the wheels.
Before you ask it, yes the car is sold and the lucky chap who has got it might well keep it under wraps for the rest of its life. Let us hope it does not get solitary confinement.
Love you, daddy
Christian von Koenigsegg, the founder of Swedish supercar maker Koenigsegg made an announcement about a car that stunned the crowd at Geneva.
The car in question was the replacement to the Agera RS, which incidentally is the fastest car in the world right now. It can do more than 277.9 mph, not said by us, but by the record gurus themselves.
To be ultra rare (only 125 units), the Jesko will come in two formats, one with more than 1,000kg downforce in its attack mode and another with 300 kg downforce that can allegedly crack 300 mph.
The Jesko, according to its makers has an all-new 5.0-litre twin-turbo V8 capable of producing 1,280 horsepower on standard gas (1,600 horsepower on E85 biofuel) and 1,106 pound-feet of torque. However, the car has the lightest crankshaft ever fitted to a series production car at 12 kg and even has a 20 litre gas canister to keep the turbos spooled up for more power.
The name, however, is the most intriguing. Because, the $ 2.8 million Jesko is the name of Christian’s dad who held his son’s hand and helped set up what is admittedly the most evocative carmaker in history. The fastest car in the world is also a love letter to a dad.
Son of Valkyrie
Aston Martin unveiled the previously code-named Project 003, the AM-RB 003 at the motor show with an intent to tell the people at Woking and Maranello that they are to take the fight of hypercars very seriously.
The third model in Aston Martin’s mid-engine lineup, joining the stunning Valkyrie and extreme Valkyrie AMR Pro, the all-new vehicle will slot below the Valkyrie and is dubbed as its prodigious son.
Though a lot of the vehicle’s design language is shared with the Valkyrie (the rear diffuser and air tunnels appear to be nearly identical), the AM-RB 003 sports a more traditional mid-engine supercar layout, with high-exit exhausts, a jet fighter-style canopy, and active aerodynamics and suspension.
The 003 is propelled by an all-new V6 engine that will feature ‘some’ level of hybridisation and turbocharging to aid performance. Aston Martin won’t comment on power output but rumour has it that it produces 1,000-plus horsepower.
Though AM-RB 003 will be limited to 500 models and when it hits production, it will have a real name. Maybe that of the Norse god Valhalla. We are only speculating at the moment.
Entering the ring is Battista
Nope, it is not the WWE star who also acts in Marvel movies but is the name of the car that is made by legendary Italian car designer Pininfarina.
The fabled designer is getting set to launch its line of supercars under the banner of the company’s new car-building division, Automobili Pininfarina. Its first offering is this spectacular-looking electric hypercar.
Known as the Battista, its powerplant will develop 1,900 horsepower and 1,696 pound-feet of torque. That’s enough get-up-and-go to reach 62 mph in less than two seconds and achieve a top speed of 217 mph.
The Battista will go into production in 2020. Only 150 units will be built at an estimated price of $2 million.
Bonus:
Roofless is good
Only a few months after Lamborghini introduced the Huracán Evo Coupe to the world, the house of the raging bull is chopping the top to create the Evo Spyder.
As with the hard-top coupe, the convertible is motivated by a tweaked version of Lambo’s 5.2-liter V10 engine, which now produces 640 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque just like the race-inspired Performante model. With the help of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and an all-wheel drive, it can propel the Huracán Evo to 62 mph in 3.1 seconds and on to a top speed of more than 202 mph.
Evolution of evolution
Ferrari launched the F8 Tributo, the successor to the 488 GTB, which itself was the successor to the 458 Italia. According to the Italian car builder, the F8 Tributo is every bit as powerful as the company’s more performance-oriented 488 Pista, but tuned with more focus on drivability and comfort.
The F8 Tributo features a twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 that produces 710 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque, making it the prancing horse’s most powerful mid-rear-engine production car to date. Those figures are identical to those of its rival, the McLaren 720S, and are suitable for a top speed of 211 mph and zero-to-62 mph romp of 2.9 seconds.