WALK UP TO THE WILD SIDE
Geneva’s niche cars sure could fly — and others could even take to the air T
he upstairs hall of the Geneva motor show is a walk on the wild side. As mainstream car makers vie for attention downstairs, above them the fast and the curious niche car makers try to outdo each other with outlandish concept cars.
This year was no exception. Among the hypercars and gorgeous styling concepts were two flying cars and a range of over-the-top people-movers that wouldn’t look out of place in a rapper’s driveway.
There was even a stand with refurbished 1960s Minis, fitted with updated satnav screens and all the mod-cons.
Here are some that caught the eye: This Croatian-designed electric hypercar produces simply stunning numbers. It is claimed to reach 100km/h in 1.8 seconds and 300km/h in 11.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 412km/h.
Its four electric motors — one at each wheel — produce 1408kW of power and 2300Nm of torque, while the maker claims a range of 650km/h.
To assist a range of automated driving functions, there are eight on-board cameras, a lidar, six radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors.
A special feature allows the driver to upload racetrack layouts so the car’s computer can suggest the ideal line through corners. Only 150 will be built. If you’re looking for something a little more exclusive, Danish supercar maker Zenvo will build only five examples of its TSR-S each year.
The TSR-S’s twin supercharged V8 has peak power of 878kW, although it can be tuned to produce less if necessary. The maker says it is capable of a 2.8 second run to 100km/h.
A trick rear wing adjusts itself on the run, lifting to provide more downforce when entering a corner and tilting to give more grip through the apex.
Elsewhere, extensive use of carbon-fibre and other hybrid composites keep the weight down. Dual settings in the gearbox provide smooth shifts in traffic or lightning quick responses on the racetrack. The price tag is likely to be more than $2 million. The Fenyr is the United Nations effort of the supercar world. Made by W Motors, which had its origins in Lebanon before setting up shop in Dubai, it features a version of the boxer engine in a range of Porsches and has a body made by Magna Steyr in Italy. The mid-engined, reardrive Fenyr turns up the wick on Porsche’s flat six, extracting 588kW/980Nm.
W Motors plans to start delivering the Fenyr early next year and is aiming for annual sales of 25 cars, at roughly $1.6 million each. This American-built supercar has one goal — to break the 300mph barrier (that’s better than 480km/h) and become the world’s fastest car.
The record belongs to Koenigsegg’s Agera RS, which toppled the Bugatti Veyron with a top speed of 278mph, or 447km/h.
Hennessey reckons its $2 million supercar is more than capable of the feat. Only 24 cars will be built and 10 are already spoken for. Famed Italian styling house Italdesign has pulled the roof off its Zerouno coupe to create the Targa-topped Duerte.
The open-air supercar is powered by the same 5.2-litre V10 as the Zerouno — an engine borrowed from Audi thanks to a tie-up with Volkswagen — although it is down a little on top speed against the coupe. It still nails the 0100km/h dash in 3.2 seconds.
The company plans to build five of the convertibles by the end of the year. The bodywork is carbon-fibre, while the underpinnings are a mix of carbon-fibre and aluminium to reduce weight. The price is believed to be more than $2.5 million.
Italdesign is also responsible for one of the whackier exhibits at Frankfurt — a half-car, half plane designed jointly with Audi and Airbus. A passenger module can be attached to a set of wheels or, to avoid traffic snarls, a drone. In a similar vein, the PAL-V combines land and air capability. The car can be driven on the road or converted to a small helicopter — the changeover takes about five minutes.
In helicopter mode it can travel at roughly 180km/h at about 1200m. The company plans to sell about 90 examples but the price might be a sticking point — the pioneer edition will start from roughly $890,000.