The best new supercars at the Geneva motor show

Thursday, 7 March 2019

This week at the Geneva Motor Show has proved nothing if not glamourous. And, like the lady serving $40 hamburgers at a roadside diner put it, 'Life in Geneva is expensive.' She might have been talking about the burgers, but the statement applies to the cars here, too.

Amid a flurry of quirky electric concepts and people-movers from primarily European brands, big-brand names in the hypercar world-Koenigsegg, Bugatti-have produced multi-million-dollar production-ready cars to bolster their street cred.

Meanwhile, storied brands like Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini and Ferrari delivered next-generation and upgraded models of surefire hits: The Vanquish Concept, the Cullinan SUV, the Huracan Evo Spyder, and the F8 Tributo, respectively.

And two newcomers with long histories-Pininfarina and Hispano-Suiza-joined the fray as well, each bringing electric supercars costing roughly US$2 million and a lot of patience before they are actually built.

* Aston Martin takes aim at Ferrari

* Move over Ferrari, move over Lamborghini - the most powerful Italian supercar will be an EV called** Battista

Of course, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche were there too, in full force. Most of theirs even dipped below the six-figure mark.

Pininfarina will only make 150 Battistas and they will cost more than $3 million each.

In short, where the auto shows in Detroit, New York and Los Angeles have felt shallow and empty lately, Geneva was anything but. If you're planning to attend when it opens to the public, bring your camera-and a healthy bank account.

Here is a look at the most interesting things we saw.

Bugatti made just one La Voiture Noire and it is already sold.

Pininfarina Battista

This is the first production model from the newly formed Automobili Pininfarina, the car-making entity that shares branding with the classic design house founded in 1930. It's named after the company founder, Battista 'Pinin' Farina, and packs a wallop: All-electric with zero emissions; 1,420kW, 0-100km/h in less than two seconds, and able to charge to 80 percent in 40 minutes on a supercharger outlet.

The Koenigsegg Jesko packs more than 1,000kW and should arrive in 2021.

Look for it to join the crew of hypercars from Koenigsegg, Ferrari, Bugatti and Lamborghini that attract the world's wealthiest connoisseurs. Only 150 of them will be made; half are already sold. Production begins in 2020. Pricing starts at US$2.2 million (NZ$3.3 million).

The Hispano-Suiza Carmen revives the historic car maker with an all-electric supercar with a 250km/h top speed and a 400km range.

Bugatti La Voiture Noire

Difficult for non-French speakers to say, the name simply means 'The Black Car' in French. It's meant to be a modern take on the Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic from the mid 1930s. (Fashion designer Ralph Lauren has famously owned one).

British manufacturer Ginetta's new Akula was one of the 'cheaper' supercars at Geneva, at just $785,000.

Only one of the new ones was made, and yes, it's been sold, reportedly to Ferdinand Piech, the former CEO of Volkswagen Group.

Koenigsegg Jesko

The Ferrari F8 Tributo is the replacement for the 458 and will be available next year.

Named after the beloved father of Koenigsegg founder and CEO, Christian von Koenigsegg, the Jesko combines 954kW (or 1,193kW when fuelled on biofuel, as customers may choose) with a new nine-speed transmission and a top speed of 480km/h, the company says. Inside is a cabin for two with creature comforts like parking cameras, infotainment, and power-automatic seats. (These are big luxury gets for a car so focused on basic speed.) Look for it to start production in 2021.

Hispano-Suiza Carmen

The Aston Martin Vanquish Vision is the 4th car in the company's mid-engined line up.

Based on the 1938 Hispano-Suiza H6C Dubonnet Xenia, and named in honour of the granddaughter of Damian Mateu, the founder of Hispano-Suiza, the Carmen is an all-electric car that has more than745kW and a US$1.7 million (NZ$2.5 million) price tag.

No electric motors or turbos for the Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder - just a big naturally-aspirated V10.

While its numbers aren't stellar compared to the super-electric car debuted by Pininfarina, it will still do 0-to-100km/h in around three seconds, with a top speed of 250km/h. With 375kW and a range of roughly 400km on one charge, it still promises top-end performance, reliable electric power, and an unconventional design-all built in Barcelona, Spain. Look for production of the Carmen to start in June 2020. Nineteen of them will be made.

Ginetta Akula

Not very reserved for a car made by an old British company, the US$532,000 (NZ$785,000) Ginetta Akula screams for attention at any angle. Its V8 engine is mounted in the middle of the car and paired with a six-speed transmission with rear-wheel drive.

Plus, it boasts 447kW and a 320km/h top speed. It's all very extreme-legal to drive on the street but made for the track. Ginetta, which is based in Leeds, England, says it will build 20 of them in 2020.

Ferrari F8 Tributo

This is the new mid-engine V8 from Ferrari, replacing the stellar 488 GTB and 458 Italia models. Among its subtle new styling cues are fresh headlights, big round tail lights, and updated aerodynamics. Better yet, it has an exciting clear engine cover on that mid-mounted engine.

Performance numbers are roughly the same as before, with 537kW and 770Nm of torque that get it to 100km/h in around 3.0 seconds. Top speed is expected to be well over 320km/h - after all, the 488 Pista can do 340km/h without breaking a sweat. Pricing has yet to be announced, but deliveries begin early next year.

Aston Martin Vanquish Vision Concept

As Aston Martin's first mid-engined supercar, the Vanquish Vision Concept joins the likes of Ferrari's new F8 Tributo as gorgeous high-performance vehicles sold for what will be highly expensive prices. It's the latest of many concepts and 'visions' the recently-public automaker has debuted, though few of them have yet to make it to full production. A production version may be debuted by early next year.

Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder

The 470kW Huracan Evo Spyder continues the excellent Huracan line with a 5.2-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine and a 0-100km/h time of 3.1 seconds (that's just 0.2 sec slower than the hard-top model). Top speeds are the same between the coupe and spyder version as well, at 325km/h. The main difference here is that the Huracan Evo Spyder comes with a power automatic top that deploys in 17 seconds.

With myriad traction and stability controls including a rear-wheel steering, all-wheel-drive system and adaptive dampers, plus multiple drive modes for street, sport or track, the new drop-top Lambo promises the kind of extreme driving thrill that only an old Italian exotic brand can give. It's nearly a dying breed.