Hidden treasures of the Geneva motor show

Away from the glitz and glamour of the major car unveilings, we unearth the most interesting sights from the rest of the show

by Richard Dredge

6 March 2019

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The Geneva motor show 2019 has just started, and we've seen many debuts from high-profile manufacturers.

But there's another side of the event - that's where smaller companies show their smaller-scale wares, which are often nonetheless as fascinating as they're varied. Let's take a look:
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ABT RS4

Worried that your Audi RS4 is a bit limp? Then worry no more because ABT can now sell you 503bhp edition called the RS4+. Like its predecessor the RS4-R, the RS4+ is limited to 50 examples and if you dig even deeper you can have a 523bhp edition – the standard car has ‘just’ 444bhp.
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Bentley Blower

Bentley is celebrating its centenary this year and it’s marking the occasion in style with its own example of what must be the most valuable road-going Bentley ever made – a 4.5-litre Blower of the type that conquered Le Mans during the 1920s.
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Citroën Type A

Citroën is also commemorating 100 years of car production this year. That’s why it has a classic car show going on in the centre of its stand, at the heart of which is an example of its first car, the Type A...
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Citroën Traction Avant

Launched in 1934, the Citroën Traction Avant was utterly revolutionary with its front-wheel drive and semi-unitary construction. But development costs bankrupted the company, leading to it being taken over by Michelin.
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Devinci

French electric car maker Devinci is displaying these retro-styled roadsters priced between €49,500 and €99,900 (US$56,000 – US$112,000). Production is limited to 200 units.
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Dizaynvip

Forget your Range Rovers and S-Classes – if you want discreet but seriously luxurious transport you need one of these Mercedes vans, complete with huge TV and ultra-luxurious seating. You’ll need about €150,000 (US$170,000) to secure one though.

Turkish company Dizaynvip builds about 300 of these hyper-luxury vehicles each year; each one of the cars at Geneva has a different exterior finish including matt and semi-chrome. Or there’s this one – with a red suede covering.
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Dizaynvip

The red suede is a wrap that had to be brushed down periodically, and it comes with a two-year warranty. However, once those two years are up you’re expected to rewrap the vehicle. We’re not convinced suede wraps will go mainstream any time soon...
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E-fuel

Swiss company EMPA is developing synthetic fuels – petrol and diesel – from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The production process isn’t a problem but making the fuel at a price that can compete with fossil fuels is the big hurdle. To prove that its synthetic fuels are as good as anything that comes out of the ground, it showed this air-cooled Beetle which runs on E-fuel.
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Ertex Maybach van

Another Turkish Mercedes van converter. This time it’s Ertex and if you want something that’s, er, really eye-catching, you need to buy one of these. Just as luxurious and similarly priced to the Dizaynvip vehicles we’ve already seen, the Ertex Merc isn’t quite so easy on the eye.
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LaFerrari

Can’t quite stretch to a real Ferrari LaFerrari? Then how about one of these 1:1 scale models made of reconstituted bike and car components? It’s a snip at just 58,000 Swiss Francs (US$58,000).
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Lamborghini tractor

Ferruccio Lamborghini made tractors before he moved into supercars, so what better way to mark his 100th birthday (although he died in 1993) than by creating a tractor that’s more than just a bit special? Although it looks like a cross between a tractor and a top-fuel dragster, the Lamborghini Centenario packs all of three cylinders even though – for some reason – there are six exhaust pipes...

These days the supercar arm is part of Audi, while the other side of the company makes tractors to this day as an independent company. Its best tractor? That’s called the R8, which we like to think is an in-joke as well as a coincidence.
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Lego Chiron

We have no idea how long it would take to build one of these, but we’re guessing it would be quicker than to build a real one – or indeed to work the man-hours to afford a real one.
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Mansory Aventador

German modified-cars firm Mansory has been in business since 1989, and always brings its wildest creations to Geneva. This is its take on the Lamborghini Aventador Roadster.
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Mansory Cot

It will also make a child seat for you, colour-matched to the interior of its modified Mercedes S-Class cabriolet.
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Mansory S-Class cabriolet

If you want a S-Class Cabriolet in pale blue, you need to call Mansory.
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Mansory Cullinan

The new Rolls-Royce SUV was only launched last year, but it was perhaps inevitable that Mansory would have its own individual take on the new car.
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Mansory Urus

We reckon the sight of a standard Urus in your rear-view mirror will be enough to persuade you to let it pass, so Lord knows what other drivers will make of this.
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Maserati-e-bike

This beautifully made carbon fibre e-bike is inspired by Maserati's sports cars, and produced by a joint-venture between Maserati and Holland's Accell Group. Top speed can be limited to the EU legal limit of 25 km/h (16mph) or when unleashed it'll do 45 km/h (28mph).
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Mercedes SLR Moss

German Mercedes specialist Kienle is well known for its exacting restorations, but it also sells cars too. It’s got this one up for sale – an SLR Stirling Moss that’s one of just 75 made.
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Mercedes-Benz 300SC

Also on the Kienle stand is this gorgeous Mercedes 300SC, a restored example of the luxury roadster Mercedes W188 produced between 1951 and 1958. Don’t let the conservative styling fool you - the car shared design innovations and mechanicals with the rather more famous Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing", including its engine, suspension, and chassis.
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PAL-V

Flying cars always seem to be just around the corner, but this Dutch-built flying car is now slated to go into production at the end of next year. Price is €300k (US$340,000) for the standard car, while this launch edition is €500,000 (US$565,000).
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Porsche 911

Porsche used the show to launch the cabriolet version of its latest ‘992’ 911. But we reckon the original is still pretty special.
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Porsche 917

This epic racer took pride of place on the TAG Heuer stand. 50 years ago, the 917 was shown at the Geneva show shortly after its first appearance. The 917 project was co-led by Ferdinand Piëch, later chairman of Volkswagen, and grandson of Porsche’s founder.
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Abarth display

The Fiat subsidiary Abarth celebrates its 70th birthday this year and to mark the occasion there’s a huge – and very impressive – display of some of the company’s greatest hits. Let's take a quick detour:
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Abarth 500 record car

On 27 September 1958, this Fiat Abarth ‘500 Record’, fitted with an ultra-streamlined body by Pininfarina, set off on a 10-day run at Monza, during which it would cover 28,000km (17,000 miles) at an average speed of 116.4kph (72mph), breaking an impressive 23 international speed records in the process.
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Abarth 750 Spider

This year’s Geneva Salon is awash with classics but surely the prettiest is this 750 Spider. While the Zagato-bodied 750 coupé is relatively well known, the Spider is much rarer. It was also built by Zagato, in 1957.
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Motorworld Traction Avant

Geneva might be just a small show but the organisers have found plenty of room this year for an array of classic car displays. On the Motorworld Museum stand is this well-worn Citroën Traction Avant, which contrasts nicely with the pristine example on the Citroën stand.
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RCH

Greek car company RCH Automotive is displaying at Geneva for the first time, even though it’s been going since 2007. The company focuses on Porsche 356 and 550 replicas, all powered by air-cooled Volkswagen engines.
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Sahara

One of the undoubted stars of the show, even though it was created in the 1950s, is this joint project between Goodyear and custom car king George Barris. Based on a 1953 Lincoln Capri, this one-off Jet Age show car, is making its debut after being extensively restored.
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Sahara tyre

For the Sahara II project Goodyear created a set of translucent tyres made of synthetic rubber. Called Neothane, the material can be lit from inside; Goodyear experimented with the idea of lighting up the tyres when the car was braking or in bad weather to improve visibility.
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Singer

Michelin is displaying this rather marvelous Singer Porsche 911.
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Tesla wagon

Based on the Tesla Model S, this shooting brake was commissioned by Dutch car collector Floris de Raadt, an avid fan of shooting brakes who has owned several unique cars. Mr. de Raadt was also an early adopter of electric cars, having bought his first in 2008.

Niels van Roij Design was responsible for the Shooting Brake design. The project was supported by Dutch tyre manufacturer Vredestein.
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Topcar Urus

Mansory wasn’t the only company to show a hotted-up Lamborghini Urus; Russian tuning company TopCar also had one on show. After the Mansory edition the TopCar Urus looks remarkably restrained.
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Techart GT3 RS

German Porsche tuning specialist Techart always unveils something fresh at Geneva and this year it was the GTstreet RS, based on the 911 Turbo S. limited to 10 units, the STstreet RS has a 759bhp flat-six with 678lb ft of torque – enough to take the car to over 211mph. it can also get from 0-62mph in just 2.5 seconds.
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Sbarro El Richo

Swiss eccentric Franco Sbarro can always be relied upon to come up with something, er, unconventional. This year it’s the El-Richo, a bizarre three-wheeler with ‘interesting’ proportions.
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Qooder

Another new arrival in Geneva was the Qooder electric bike – with four wheels. Claimed to combine the stability of a car with the thrill of a motor bike, the battery-powered Qooder features four wheels and a hydraulic tilting system for greater stability in corners.
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Nobe

Looking like something that burst onto the scene in about 1957, the three-wheeled Nobe is meant to represent the ultimate in sustainability. The battery pack is easy to upgrade as new technologies emerge, the body panels can be easily swapped if they weather or get damaged.
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Mole 4C

The Alfa Romeo 4C isn’t a car you see every day, unless you own one of course. But if you want a 4C that really stands out from the crowd, you need to go to Mole Costruzione Artigianale which will be happy to fettle your car until it looks like this. Your cash goes exclusively on the bodywork though, as the mechanicals are left untouched.
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Mole sports car

Mole Costruzione Artigianale is also working on this new sports car which is currently at the concept stage. The company claims that the car, called the Almas, is powered by its own mid-mounted engine; any further details are sketchy.
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Ginetta

Ginetta unveiled its new Akula supercar at Geneva but alongside was this classic from its back catalogue. It’s an ultra-rare G10/G11 hybrid from the mid-1960s, powered by a 4.7-litre V8 and with strong MGB overtones.
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Gumpert Nathalie

Taking the prize for the most weirdly named car at the show (and there was some stiff competition), the Gumpert Nathalie features four-wheel drive and an electric drivetrain. Gumpert claims that the Nathalie uses “a technology that offers unlimited range without the need to plug in.

The Nathalie also keeps going when the battery is empty. The battery is merely the buffer between the methanol-powered fuel cell and the motors”. Sounds intriguing...
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E Go

German company E.Go plans to sell around 3000 electric cars per year once it’s up to speed. This four-seater city car called the Life will be priced from around 15,000 euros when it goes on sale at the end of this year. There are 20Kwh, 40Kwh and 60Kwh battery packs available, but the latter boost the performance more than the range.
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E.Go bus

As well as the Life, E.Go plans to launch a 15-seater urban bus very soon. A prototype is up and running but this concept of a bus of the future is much more interesting, in a brutalistic kinda way.
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Engler quad bike

Claimed to be “the world’s first super-quad”, the Engler hails from Slovakia and is claimed to pack a rather mad 850bhp punch. That’s supposed to be enough to take the quad bike to what’s a rather invigorating 217mph. Presumably at that speed you’d be advised to wear some goggles.
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Chiron engine

Ever wondered what a Bugatti Chiron W16 engine looks like in the raw? Well here it is in all its glory, complete with four turbos. We’re wondering how long it takes to change all those spark plugs.
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Bugatti Cobra chair

The original Cobra chair was created by Carlo Bugatti (Ettore’s father) in 1902. Representing the most iconic piece of the Bugatti Home Collection when it was revived in 1916, this is a limited edition Cobra chair created to celebrate the 110th anniversary of Bugatti.
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Arcfox racer

Chinese company Arcfox unveiled three cars at the show, including two versions of its GT. The Street is road-ready while the Track edition (shown here) is built for racing. All Arcfox cars are electric; both versions of the GT are the same mechanically (1000bhp, 973lb ft of torque), but the Track edition has tweaked aerodynamics for better downforce.
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Arcfox ECF

Sitting between the two versions of the GT was the ECF, a concept for a premium SUV of the near-future. Arcfox reckons something like the ECF could be on sale within the next five years, although it would have the concept’s 1600bhp (but only 590lb ft of torque) remains to be seen.
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Audi battery pack

More and more new cars are powered by electricity rather than fossil fuels but few of us have ever seen what a battery pack looks like when it’s split open. So here you go – a sectioned Audi e-tron high-voltage battery. Looks rather more complicated than a fuel tank, doesn’t it?
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Aramco

Saudi oil giant Aramco is working with Mazda and PSA on a compression-ignition engine that runs on petrol rather than diesel. Featuring a spark plug and a compression ratio of around 16:1, the engine is about two years away for PSA but Mazda will launch its powerplant by the end of this year.

Aramco is also developing an engine that features a spark plug within its own chamber. It looks vaguely like a fuel injector so the chamber has tiny holes allowing the spark to ignite the petrol/air mix more fully resulting in much-reduced emissions. Called Turbulent Jet Ignition, there’s no timescale yet for the tech to reach production.
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Citroën 2CV

Last but not least… launched in 1948 but initially developed before WW2, the Citroen 2CV was one of the cars that put the French on wheels in the post-war years. One of the most charismatic cars ever created, the 2CV remained in production right the way through to 1990.

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