by Casey Bayandor
Strolling through the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, it once again hit me just how many supercar manufacturers have such a splendid talent for combining genius in both design and technology.
Below I’ll share a rundown of a few of my favorites from the show, but first like to pose the question: what would high-powered cars like these be without the right tires?
One of the biggest issues of the new Bugatti Chiron – which was perhaps the most talked-about launch of the 2016 Geneva Motor Show – was working out how to make road tires capable of doing 450 kph (280 mph).
Tires, the watch straps of the car world, do struggle for attention. And as such, their producers do their best to remind you of their importance with generously proportioned stands at the open-to-the-public show.
And thank you, Pirelli tires, for the Pirelli calendar girls who “tirelessly” hang out on the stand in their short skirts and high heels, providing photographers with a great smile just for the asking.
Sorry, I got lost in thought there for a moment. Here, without further ado, are my top picks for supercar introductions at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
Bugatti Chiron
This is the long-awaited successor to the Bugatti Veyron, a car epitomizing everything that everyone loves about supercars. What I love about this car – and the Bugatti brand in general – is that it’s one of the oldest auto manufacturers in the world, and it’s still all handmade. The Chiron is the fastest and most luxurious road car ever produced.
More information at www.bugatti.com/chiron.
Quick Facts Bugatti Chiron
Horsepower: 1500 HP, 4 turbos
Engine: 8 liter, 16 cylinders
Torque: 1600 Nm
Speed acceleration: 0 – 62 mph in about 2.5 seconds
Top speed: not yet known, limited to 420 kmh / 258 mph
Limitation: 500 pieces, one-third reportedly sold
Price: €2.4 million / $2.6 million
Koenigsegg Regera
I have just one word for this automobile: brutal! The Koenigsegg Regera is perhaps the most insane – and powerful – hybrid car ever created.
More information at http://koenigsegg.com/regera/.
Quick Facts Koenigsegg Regera
Horsepower: 1500 HP
Engine: plug-in hybrid twin-turbo 5.0 liter V-8, and three electric motors
Torque: over 2000 Nm
Speed acceleration: 0 – 62 mph in 2.8 seconds
Top speed: estimated 250 mph
Limitation: 80 pieces produced, 40 have been sold as of March 2016
Price: approximately $1.9 million
Pagani Huayra BC
Italian design coupled with German engineering . . . well, at least for the engine! The Pagani Huayra BC is pure, unadulterated exclusivity. What more can one ask from life?
More information at www.pagani.com/huayra.
Quick Facts Pagani Huayra BC
Horsepower: 789 HP
Engine: 6.0 liter V12, twin turbocharged AMG engine
Torque: 1100 Nm
Speed acceleration: estimated 0 – 60 mph in 2.8 seconds
Top speed: 354 kmh / 220 mph
Limitation: 20 pieces produced, all have been sold
Price: €2.35 million
Porsche 911 R
Based on the GT3 RS, the 911 R was elaborated for Porsche purists to include a manual gearbox and a lighter, aspirated engine. It feels like a collector’s item is born.
More information at www.porsche.com/911-r.
Quick Facts Porsche 911 R
Horsepower: 500 HP
Engine: four-liter naturally aspirated flat-six engine with six-speed manual transmission
Torque: 460 Nm
Speed acceleration: 0 – 100 kmh in 3.8 seconds
Top speed: 323 kmh
Limitation: 991 pieces, all sold
Price: approx. €190,000
Rimac Concept S
Based on Rimac’s Concept One, the Croatian Concept S supercar is lighter, faster, and more powerful than its predecessor.
More information at www.rimac-automobili.com/concept_s.
Quick Facts Rimac Concept S
Horsepower: 1384 HP
Engine: Fully electric 4×4, 4 independent motors, manual (sequential) and automatic gearbox
Torque: 1800 nm
Speed acceleration: 0 – 100 kmh in 2.5 seconds
Top speed: 365 kmh
Remark: remote after-sales service, enabling Rimac to make adjustments to the car from the factory in Zagreb
Lamborghini Centenario
A tribute to company founder Ferruccio Lamborghini, the Lamborghini Centenario celebrates the one-hundredth anniversary of his birth.
More information at: http://www.lamborghini.com/en/models/centenario.
Quick Facts Lamborghini Centenario
Horsepower: 770 HP
Engine: V12; 6,498 cm³; 4×4, petrol
Torque: 690 Nm
Speed acceleration: 0 – 62 mph in 2.8 seconds
Top speed: approx. 350 kmh / 217 mph
Limitation: 40 pieces, all sold
Price: €1.75 million / approximately $1.9 million
So which one of these would I pick? If I had to choose, given a choice, I’d take one of each.
As that’s not an immediate option, my vote would go to the most reasonable one: the Porsche 911R, which would not pressure me into upgrading my house and other belongings to match the car!
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