– Words by Anestis Mantzouranis, pics by Geneva Motorshow
The Geneva International MotorShow – The Top MotorShow of the World !Each year, hundreds of thousands of people around the world – if not more – eagerly await the Geneva International Motorshow ! Regarded by many industry professionals as the top motorshow of the world, the pinnacle of all that the European, American, Asian and Oceanic manufacturers have to show, and the ultimate in bold conceptual Known as the Salon International de l’ Auto, (the International Show of cars), the Geneva MotorShow is an annual event held in the Swiss city of Geneva in early to mid March. The show began in 1905 and was launched by the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles, (Organization of International Motor Manufacturers). It is currently the only remaining motorshow in Europe and it’s founders consider it And why wouldn’t they ? In it’s 106 year history, the Geneva International Motorshow has seen every conceivable automobile design; be it driven by a combustion engine, a steam engine or an electric battery powered source. Every possible Super Car design, exotic or practical, has been seen here first, and every concept, daring or eco-friendly has been launched to receptive and adoring crowds in Geneva before any other Motorshow on Earth, through the 20th and 21st Century! This of course has lead to many a debate between journalists and editors as to which design and prototype represents the future driving experience. But in the end, with it’s combination of exotics, and staple offerings, displayed & presented by some of the If we were to call a Top 10 list of the world’s best and most exotic SuperCars of the 2011 Geneva Motorshow, there’s no question our number one entry would be the Koenigsegg Agera R. Being a local manufacturer (Koenigsegg is a Swedish brand), the expensive Swede is ever present as they do not have far to travel from the hangar at the airport. At this years’ show, it is the Agera R that makes a graceful presence for Koenigsegg – just as much as the Koenigsegg CCX makes a dominating presence at every Australian International Motorshow ! The name Agera means Ageless Beauty, & in this case, Koenigsegg makes the claim true by the elegant lines & the stylish appointments of the car. The specific example at the Geneva show, is focused more on the performance of the car, by the trim colouring and design which highlight the particular aerodynamic nature of the body. See more of the Agera as featured in Edition 30. Lamborghini were the first to unveil their all-new car for the 2011 Summer season with the LP700-4. This is a 700Hp SuperCar called the Aventador and makes a welcome departure from the LP560 and LP570 variations that have dominated most autosalons and shows. The car boasts of being the pinnacle of the world super sports car market and of being in possession of `brutal power, lightweight engineering and phenomenal handling’. We don’t know about that, but the V12 6.5ltr motor is certainly more than capable of an Stephan Winkelmann, The president and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, said that the Aventador was `a jump of two generations in terms of design and technology’. And that was backed up by examples such as the innovative monocoque made from carbon-fiber. Read more on the LP700 Here. Ferrari of course were also present – showcasing two existing models and revealing the all new Ferrari FF – featured later in this edition. The two current models were revealed at last year’s show and are the California and the 599 GTB Fiorano which were huge successes. The new Ferrari FF, (which stands for Ferrari Four), is described as the company’s most powerful, versatile four-seater ever, as well as its first ever four-wheel drive car. This car leads Ferrari into a totally new GT Sportscar concept which sees a trend in most super sports manufacturers to find markets in four seat or family categories. Last edition, for example, we featured the Lamborghini Estoque which is also a four seater saloon. The Ferrari FF showcases an impressive 6.2ltr V12 engine that together with the transaxle dual-clutch F1 gearbox travels 0-100k in 3.7seconds. Impressive for a car that comfortably seats four adults as well as their luggage ! More than just a performance car though, the FF is actually practical! The big American, Chevrolet, was also present, and with it an entire family of sedans, saloons and it’s own super sports cars! In total, 11 models – Aveo, Camaro, Corvette, Captiva, three Cruze variants, Escalade, Orlando, Spark 100 and the Volt were all there ! The Camaro un-veiled as new for 2012 (although will be available from Summer ’11) – also featured later in this edition – is tipped as the fastest and most powerful ZL1 in Chevrolet’s history, whilst the Corvette Grand Sport is the latest in the long running Both cars share a common running gear, the super-charged 6.2ltr V8 engine, paired with a TR6060 6spd manual and rear wheel drive producing 550Hp at the fly wheel. Cadillac were also present with three variations of the current CTS-V; the standard CTS-V, CTS-V Sports Wagon, and the CTS Platinum. When it came time for Pagani to shine in the limelight, the crowd were aptly impressed with the Huayra – the replacement for the Zonda. The Huayra is aimed primarily at the US market and is a 700Hp SuperCar that borrows it’s Gull-Wing door design from the similarly named Mercedes. At only 1.350kg’s, the Huayra is the lightest SuperCar in it’s class. It has however, some big shoes to fill, as the car it replaces, the Zonda was much loved and much celebrated as Performance Car of the Year in ’01 and ’02. Further, in ’07, it set the world Nurburgring circuit record for road homologated cars and still holds the lap time. But moving forward to the Huyara, the press release makes claim that the car named after Huayra Tata, an ancient God of wind, merges `the past, present and future in a timeless interpretation of automotive art’ ! Bold claims ! But plenty of development went into the car as eight scale models were created, as well as two 1:1 models, each an evolution of the previous in a never ending quest to perfect the form and refine the substance of what was un-veiled in Geneva! The same PR goes on to say that the central monocoque on the Huayra is an entirely new design made from carbo-titanium. With gull wing doors cutting deep into the roof, much research was done to achieve the highest levels of rigidity through the application of new advanced composite materials and technologies. Many more were of course present, with Aston Martin displaying the V8 Vantage S and the Virage, Audi with RS3 Sportback and their Q5 Hybrid and BMW with a dozen or more of it’s family. Ford brought it’s family along as well, with the Vertrek Concept front and centre in it’s conceptual 4WD offerings! The Veyron 16.4 Super Sport made Bugatti proud as did the Continental Flying Spur Series 51 for Bentley ! 100 manufacturers in total are present making this the pinnacle motorshow event of the world !< ________________________________________________ Full photo catalogue of the Geneva Motorshow available here; Click Here Now :- http://www.salon-auto.ch/en/en-images/index.php?idIndex=332 ________________________________________________ This is article has been an excerpt from Edition 36 – The International Edition. Be sure to download the entire edition to see the full high res version of the pics and the article. Of course, you’ll also see cover girl Lana Dealessi, and feature models Rachie Buckley and one of LA’s most popular, Tina-Marie Desaro ! Plus, new car press releases and motorsport news ! All Editons are FREE after registration. Click Here Now :- ________________________________________________
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