Geneva Auto Show.

So here are my impressions on the Geneva auto show. I decided not to take any pics, since all the pics I wanted to take were already posted, so there…

The Exposition hall:

HUGE exposition hall divided into 7 sections. EACH of the sections seemed as big as the entire Montreal auto show. Just the section no7 which had booths for mechanic schools, tuning parts expositions, modified cars, car care products, accessories, was BIGGER then the entire Montreal show.

Loads of restaurants, including a gourmet French one (guess which one I went to), no reheated week old hot-dog joints.

I could not go during the week, so it was very crowded.

Note, all the exotic car makers except for the truly rare ones like Spyker, Bugatti and Pagani (which were closed to ALL) had big waist-high glass enclosures/barriers to keep out the proletariat. Unless one had a special pass. Which I did.


The Show:

I would not bore you with the description of crappy car stands, since they are of no consequence (Kia, Daewoo, Toyota etc)

Alfa-Romeo.

The Brera was fantastic, and really made me want to trade in my car. However I still think my GT is more beautiful, but the Brera will undoubtedly be more sporty.

The 159 was a pretty traditional Alfa design to an extent that it was pretty similar to the sensuous 156, but with traditional rear door handles. All wheel drive seemed to be a good idea when mated with the new 260hp 3.2L v6.
Still, the demise of the 166 is regrettable.

BMW.

Nothing truly new there. The ///M5 and 6 were present, but were in prototype form and not open to the public.

The 130i was an interesting car, the 100 series finally getting the power it’s chassis was built for (258hp)

The new 3 series looks really good in real life, even more aggressive then the current one and by all accounts seems to be a smashing drive.

FERRARI.

No this one was a biggie for me.

I had a special pass/invitation from a local dealership to visit the stand.

A relatively big stand with a large balcony/mezzanine over the show floor. All Ferrari current line-up was present. 612 Scaglietty, 575M Maranello with Fiorano handling pack, 2 430 Spiders, 430 Barchetta, 575 Super America and an F1 car.

The show floor was surrounded by hundreds of shouting, jostling screaming people, bathed in a myriad of photo flashes. At the entrance, a burly doorman handled the velvet rope. After barely squeezing to the entrance and flashing the magnetic pass, the rope parted and I was invited into a world of privilege, adrenaline, refinement and sex-appeal.

A large number of show girls, ALL blond and surgically enhanced, in crimson red overalls so tight you could see if they had a full Brazilian or not (they all did) milled around looking pretty next to the cavalinos (no not the cars, me and a few horny Italians).

The trattoria on the mezzanine served chilled champagne (courtesy of the house of course) and amuse-bouche. The ineptness of the girls who served me with in direct inverse correlation to their stunning looks which was expected really.

The dealer gave me a personal tour of all the cars on display, the 430 spider being one I was very fond off. It was a little awkward walking around the empty enclosure (pun intended) with hundreds of people staring (who the **** is that guy) and numerous flashbulbs going off (not at me I presume). But it is very telling of how a star would feel (not that I am one… yet).


Maseratti.

Standard fare I already experienced when I test drove them in Montreal. The Qutraporte which I like a lot, the Grand Sport which I also liked, since the looks are now much more muscular.

MC-12. I got to briefly sit in it. Basically an Enzo with a Maseratti body. Very nice car.


LAMBORGHINI.

Again as with Ferrari, hard to get into.

The Gaillardo proved a little disappointing, inside and Audi TT with a very reclined seat.

The Gaillardo twin cockpit concept was a little bizarre and did not impress. It was up to the Murci to salvage the Lambo experience.

It did not disappoint. Hard to get in, pretty uncomfortable to sit in, ass to the ground the usual Italian baboon like driving position (pedals are too close, wheel is too far.) Glorious.

The surprise of the visit was when the effeminate male Versace model who masqueraded as a sales rep, led me through the back door (Pun NOT Intended) for a private viewing of… No No No… The ROADSTER.

Black in this case was beautiful, and the Murci roadster is quiet sublime. Although in practicality terms it makes the Coupe a Passat wagon.

On an interesting note, the private room also had a little table/micro cafeteria which the importer stocked full of various Italian delights. Cheeses, cured hams extra-extra virgin oils etc. Unfortunately I was VERY pressed for time so had to leave.


Audi.

Very boring except for one thing… The RS4

That car in the parlance of our times is DOPE. The race seats, the aggressive yet understated styling, beautiful mags (even if ripped off BMW). I think I have my next every day car and the price is sort of reasonable 112000.00 CHF or around 110000CDN.

Bentley.

Again, loads of classy looking broads giving the tour of the cars, nothing new, but the new Flying Spur (GT with 4 doors) surprised me with a CAVERNOUS trunk.

Aston Martin.

The V8 prototype was beautiful, but that was expected, the rest is the familiar Aston line-up I am so intimately familiar with (I visited the old Aston factory too)

Morgan.

I was prepared to keep an open mind, but this was just laughable. The Aero 8 is IMPOSSIBLE to get into, since the seat extends literally half way into the door aperture. Even a skinny cracker like myself had to pull feats worthy of a Cirque de Soleil freak to get inside. The door felt like it weighed 50 grams and was made from aluminum chewing gum wrappers (which it probably was) and was about to be torn from the hinges with the merest hint of a breeze.

Bare metal with ugly welds could be see everywhere.

The v6 model (yes it still uses ash wood frame) was even worse with a huge razor thin wooden wheel that was wobbly and seemed not quiet screwed on right.

These cars are automotive jokes. You buy one when all the Paganis and Bougattis are boring you to death. The fact that these cars are LITERALLY assembled in a backyard garage is evident.


LOTUS.

The Exige Mark2 is one I liked a lot. Very difficult to get into (I had to suffer the indignity of crawling into the car backwards on my knees) the real, homologated race buckets and a 4 point centrally licking race-harness are very snug fitting. The windows are manual of course and the dash is Alcantara all the way. I am also giving a serious thought of getting one early next year.

All in all well worth splashing out on a air ticket and simply going there yourself, although you guys in the States have some awsome auto shows too.