camper for the modern age, the six-seat Combi is just 4cm longer than a Golf and is powered by an 85KW electric motor, with a theoretical range of 186 miles. What are the chances of VW actually making it, unlike the Microbus concept it first showed in 2001? Time will tell. Other interesting concepts at the show included the BMW
Vision ConnectedDrive, which aims to ally beautifully resolved roadster styling with some of the most advanced technology ever seen in a car, all of which combine to organise and prioritise all the information a driver needs when at the wheel; the Audi A3 Concept, a preview of the way the next A3 will look, and notable for the fact that it showcases a new saloon variant of the A3 model range (joining the hatch, Sportback, Convertible and a possible Avant) and Audi’s commitment to bringing the interior quality of its larger executive saloons to its smaller cars; the Skoda Vision D, which was the host car for a new design direction for the Czech division of the VW Group; and the Jaguar B99, designed by the Bertone styling house, a sleek, elegant small saloon that harks back to previous Jags, but not in an obvious retro way. Which can’t be said for the quirkiest car of the Geneva show,
the Morgan Three-Wheeler. It’s difficult to know where to start with this bathtub-like oddity: made from aluminium and strongly referencing fighter planes of a bygone age, it’s powered by a 115bhp V-Twin engine. At £25,000, it’s an expensive toy, but judging from the reaction from some show- goers, it just might be popular enough to become a favourite of those who like to own an unusual hobby car with more than a hint of eccentricity. No motor show would be complete, of course, without a
liberal sprinkling of sleek and sexy sports cars and supercars. Geneva was no different, with not only a new Ferrari, but also a Lamborghini, an. Alfa Romeo and a Pagani. A new Ferrari is always a special occasion, but the latest car
bearing the famous prancing horse badge is doubly interesting, as the FF is not only a shooting brake (a sporty form of estate car), but is also the first production Ferrari with four-wheel drive. The radical (for Ferrari, anyway) design has echoes of the BMW Z3M Coupe from 1998. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, for sure, but this Pininfarina-designed car certainly uses a very different shape as the basis for the Italian sports car maker’s famed curvy, sensual designs. Lamborghini played its cards close to its chest about the
launch of the new V12 monster, the Aventador LP700-4 – until the internet intervened and someone leaked pictures of the car a week in advance of the show. However, they didn’t do it justice, as in the metal this new Lambo is an impressive beast. Looking like the product of a coupling of the super-exclusive Reventon from 2007 and the Sesto Elemento concept from last year’s Paris show, the Aventador is a low, muscular supercar with styling that hints at the powerful performance on tap from the 690bhp engine (the company claims a 0-62mph time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 217mph). As buyers won’t get much change from £202,000, it’ll be a car for the kind of people who caused the recession, rather than anyone now suffering from its effects. The potential clientele of the Pagani Huayra will be of a
similar ilk to the Lambo’s – if not even richer. This million-euro supercar succeeds the Zonda as the Italian boutique carmaker’s standard bearer and is powered by a bi-turbo 6.0-litre V12
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Rolls-Royce 102 EX April / May 2011 | driving
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