Published: March 8, 2017, 9:50 AM
Updated: November 21, 2021, 3:18 PM
Both beautiful and bizarre
More than any other global auto show, Geneva attracts a mesmerizing mix of the beautiful and the bizarre. Many – though far from all – come from automakers well outside the mainstream that may not even appear at any other show. Here’s a sampling of fare from both sides of the ledger.
By Peter Lyon
▲
Both in the same car
Sometimes, the beautiful and the bizarre can appear in the same car, as can be seen in this Lamborghini Centenario. In most cases however, they fall clearly into one column or the other. Here’s a sampling of fare from both sides of the ledger, as we see it.
▲
BEAUTIFUL: Aston Martin Valkyrie
Faster than an F1 car, the $4-million-plus (CDN) Aston Martin Valkyrie is a newly renamed version of the AM-RB 001 concept car that appeared recently at the Canadian International Auto Show. Destined for limited production, its carbon-fibre structure will be constructed in Canada by Multimatic, which also builds the Ford GT. The Valkyrie is powered by a high-revving V-12 engine, built by Cosworth, and packs as much F1 technology as you can squeeze into a road-legal car.
▲
BIZARRE: Sbarro Tracto-Sphere
The Tracto-Sphere from Swiss specialty-car builder Sbarro is a truly bizarre 400cc three-seater prototype, which has a six-speed manual gearbox and a hybrid powertrain.
▲
BEAUTIFUL: Renault Alpine A110
The sleek-looking A110, which revives the name, and style, of Alpine’s most iconic car, is powered by a turbocharged 247 hp 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine and linked to a seven-speed paddle shift transmission. It will be on sale by next year.
▲
BIZARRE: Renault Trezor
Also from Renault, but tipping the cale towards the bizarre, the Trezor is a two-seater electric GT concept car that boasts a single-piece, canopy-style door spanning the width of the car and stretching from the nose to the rear bulkhead. A ghost of concept cars of the 1950s?
▲
BEAUTIFUL: Artega Scalo Superelletra
Llittle-known German car company, Artega commissioned Italian coachbuilder Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera to style this electric-powered Scalo Superelletra. Claimed to produce 1000 hp, the car is said to sprint from 0-to-100 km/h in 2.7 seconds and have an operating range of with range of 500 km.
▲
BIZARRE: Maybach G650
At $500,000, the Mercedes-Maybach G 650 is the most expensive – and dare we say, perhaps the ugliest – production SUV in the world. It’s Daimler AG’s latest extension of the top-of-the-line Maybach marque. Scheduled for a limited run of 99 units, it will have a V-12 engine and a landaulet style roof, with a front row that’s covered and a retractable fabric roof in the back.
▲
BEAUTIFUL: Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e
The 2-seater, electric-powered Bentley EXP12 Speed 6e mixes traditional Bentley design cues – such as the mesh grille and strong rear haunches – with new low-nose proportions for a very un-Bentley-like look of grace and subtlety.
▲
BIZARRE: Catecar Dragonfly
In complete contrast, Swiss company Catecar revealed its anything but graceful Dragonfly concept, sitting on a French-made Beta Epsilon platform. It’s a bizarre looking 4-seater Mini Moke-style of vehicle that delivers off-grid electric mobility and features roof-mounted solar panels.
▲
BEAUTIFUL: Spyker C8 Preliator Spyder
While its Saab dreams may be dead and buried, Dutch sports car maker Spyker keeps on going. It has deployed a Koenigsegg-developed 592-hp V-8 in this C8 Preliator Spyder, which was revealed at Geneva. It is said to accelerate from 0-to-100 km/h in 3.7 sec and reach a top speed of 323 km/h (201 mph).
▲
BIZARRE: Tamo 001
India’s Tata Corporation, parent company to JLR, revealed the Tamo Racemo, a sub-4-metre long, two-seater sports car powered by a 186-hp, mid-engined, 1.2-litre turbocharged Revotron aluminum engine with 6-speed AMT paddle shifters.
▲
BEAUTIFUL: Pininfarina Fittipaldi EF7
The 600-hp Pininfarina Fittipaldi EF7 is a naturally-aspirated V-8-powered track car, launched in partnership with twice-F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi and the famous Italian design house, now owned by India’s Mahindra Group.
▲
BIZARRE: Scilla
Legendary Italian brands Quattroruote and Pininfarina challenged students of IED Turin Transportation design college to create a next-generation semi-autonomous driving vehicle. With a 1 1 seating layout, the Scilla concept is powered by an electric plug-in powertrain combined with brushless rear-wheel motors.
▲
BEAUTIFUL: McLaren 720S
The svelte Mclaren 720S will replace the 650S as the brand’s new core model. It is the first of 15 new-generation McLarens promised by 2022, half of which will be hybrids. A 710-hp turbocharged V-8 is said to accelerate the 720S from 0-to-97 km/h (60 mph) in just 2.8sec and 0-to-200 km/h (124 mph) in 7.8sec, with a top speed of 341 km/h (212 mph).
▲
BIZARRE: Airbus Vahana
Airbus has been talking about its Vahana flying autonomous vehicle project for a while now, but at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, it’s showing off a concept design created in partnership with Italdesign.
▲
BEAUTIFUL: Ferrari 812 Superfast
As Ferrari’s fastest and most powerful road car in history, the 812 Superfast is powered by a 6.5-litre V-12 engine that produces 788 hp and 530 lb-ft of torque.
▲
BEAUTIFUL and BIZARRE: Morgans!
Beautiful in the context of their origins but bizarre in the modern world is this array of Morgans with their purist designs.
▲
BIZARRE: Morgan EV3
Definitely on th bizarre side of the ledger is the Morgan EV3, which inherits its ancstral Morgan lines but is powered by a 41.8 kW electric motor with a range of 193 km and is said to have a 0-t0-100 km/h time of 9 seconds.
▲
BEAUTIFUL: Kia Stinger
Not all the beauties were concepts or exotic cars. One of the most eye-opening sedans to ever come out of Korea, the Kia Stinger made its world debut in Detroit but it looks equally as good here. Not just a concept, it is a surprisingly good looking production-ready model that we be in a showroom near you very soon. The standard model will arrive with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 252 hp with the ‘Stinger GT’ twin-turbocharged 3.3-liter V-6 packing 365 horsepower.
▲
BIZARRE: Italdesign Zerouno
Italdesign Automobili Speciali, as the new bespoke brand is now known, will be building five Zerouno supercars by year’s end. Powered by a 5.2-litre V-10 sourced from Audi, Italdesign claims performance figures of 3.2 seconds to 100 km/h and a top speed in excess of 322 km/h (200 mph).
▲