Astonishing. That’s the one word that describes the 2015 Geneva Motorshow. Spread over 7 halls and featuring over 140 new car launches or concepts alone, you get the idea of the scale. Not only was every major manufacturer present, but also bespoke car builders as well as some of the most respected tuning houses in the world. Reallymeansounds was on hand to bring you all the cars you really must see.
Supercars provided the eye candy, and the cars on display from the likes of Koenigsegg, Pagani, Lamborghini and McLaren literally stopped the thronging crowd in their tracks. In addition to the rather mental Agera RS, Koenisgsegg had the the 1800 BHP Regera on show. On the Lamborghini stand, the Aventador SV stood out. In a world where most supercar manufacturers are moving to hybrids or smaller capacity twin turbos, it was a joy to see the V12 engine having one last stand.
Pagani displayed a range of Huyaras, whilst Bugatti unveiled the La Finale editions of the Veyron, which will signal the end of that record breaking car. Besides the new 675 Longtail, which we will look at in a little more detail, McLaren had the 650S on view and the striking P1 GTR. Bentley gave the public a first glimpse of the EXP Speed 10 concept. But given how well developed this car is, it would appear a production model won’t be far off.
The big news from that monolith of the supercar fraternity, Ferrari, was the premiere of the 488 GTB. We have highlighted that car for closer scrutiny in another article. The UK’s finest, in the shape of Lotus and Aston Martin had new models to talk about. Lotus has an updated Evora with more power and fresh looks. Whilst Aston unleashed the thunderous Vulcan and track-orientated GT3. Collect your RMS supercar spotter points if you’ve heard of the GTA Spano by Spania. An 8 litre twin turbo V10 and a carbon fibre monoque give this machine warp-speed performance.
It seems that all supercar manufacturers need to have a stripped out, lightweight model in their ranks these days. This was a trend that Porsche pioneered, so it was fantastic to see the new 911 GT3 RS make its debut, alongside the critically acclaimed Cayman GT4. Audi also announced the new R8 to a great fanfare, as well as the RS3 Sportback and the Prologue Avant concept. Audi’s great rivals, BMW, on the other hand, had a fairly muted stand with no major new models to shout about. M cars were barely present, with the big focus on promoting the Xdrive range. Whilst over at Mercedes, the large covers were taken off the car-cum-bungalow S600 Pullman. We’re big fans of the curtains. The AMG GT provided comfort that Mercedes still like making fast cars.
We are well aware that supercars are nice to look at, but a distant dream for most of us. Happily, for those with shallower pockets, fun performance cars were everywhere. None more so that the Renault Clio 220 Trophy. Quicker steering, revised suspension and more power make this an alluring everyday package. The Megane RS also remains a good looking, very capable and underrated car. Opel brought back the Corsa OPC which will come to us in the guise of the Corsa VXR. The small hot hatch sector is hugely competitive with the likes of the DS3 Racing, Abarth 595 Turismo and the Opel Adam S. Adam also gained a five door brother in the shape of Karl. But by the time he reaches us, he will be a Vauxhall Viva.
With so many major car launches from a wide variety of car manufacturers, you could easily overlook some of the more niche offerings on display at the Geneva motorshow. However, as RMS has its roots firmly in the world of car modifcation, we took a special interest in what the tuning houses of Europe were up to. Have a fast Audi and want to make it faster? No problem! ABT or MTM can see to that. The ABT RS6-R has an upgrade which raises power to an eye watering 730 BHP. That seems positively conservative when compared with the 791 BHP of the wonderfully named MTM S8 Talladega S.
Hamann, Kahn and Mansory had a range of cars which would probably be an acquired taste for most. Ruf continued their fine tradition of upgrading Porsches with a harder edge. Their new RGT is a thing of beauty. AC Schnitzer’s M4 has 510 BHP and a new aero package, whilst Alpina still concentrate on making performance missiles out of the ‘ordinary’ models. Both the B5 and B6 sprint to 60 mph in about 4 seconds.
The Alfa Romeo 4C, in either Coupe or convertible form is a fine looking car. But the premium price looks even harder to swallow when compared to the new Mazda MX-5. More elsewhere on RMS.
If you need to take the dog on a fast run to the park, Seat and Volkswagen have got you covered. The Leon ST Cupra 280 estate is big in space and big on power, as is the Golf R Variant. Belfast taxi drivers will be whetting their lips following the debut of the new Skoda Superb, which still offers well-equipped value and acres of rear leg room. Renault borrowed heavily from bedfellow’s Nissan for the Qashqai to create the Kadjar. Finally, Mitsubishi appear to have given up designing interesting cars of any shape or form. That said, the latest L200 looks like the perfect machine for light animal haulage.
Finally, no motorshow would be complete without outrageous concepts. Sbarro and Giugiaro fulfilled that brief with imaginative, future gazing machines, whilst the Nissan Sway and Infiniti QX30 concept were more grounded in reality. The Sway has been touted as the Micra replacement. Let it be so. If you believe the tired clichés, Peugeot are only capable of producing unexciting cars. One look at the Exalt and that myth is quickly dispelled.
That’s a mere snippet of the cars on show. For a complete look, check out the related stories and delve into the galleries for the best shots of Geneva 2015.
Thanks to Reinis Babrovskis for the photos.