Top range cars

An important player on the exhibition front, the Salon International de l’Auto of Geneva has demonstrated, again this year, that it is the major platform of manufacturers for showcasing their most important new creations. It’s impossible to create a list of the best and worst, because there were so many new and different models and concepts. But the car that probably impressed sector operators the most was the first suv in the history of Bentley, given the difficult to remember name of EXP 9F, and which has earned the title of most opulent, costly and luxurious in the world. The W12 engine and hand-crafted materials in the interior, as is tradition, will make this concept very popular with Sheiks and the Chinese. A surprise from the UK was Aston Martin, which, to mark 50 years of working with Zagato, presented a new V12, the car maker’s flagship automobile of the year. Only 150 very exclusive examples will be built of this grand 6 litre with 510 bhp, but the project is interesting due to its exclusive details which will increase its price to even double that of some of the other well-known continental supercars. Remaining on the theme of very expensive models, we took a look at what was on offer at the Italian stands. Pagani presented new interpretations of the Huayra and the Pininfarina Cambiano, a working concept car that breaks away from the mould and marks a possible new era for the historic Italian design group. And then there were the classics: Ferrari presented the eagerly awaited F12 Berlinetta, which once again betters itself and sets new standards in the sector. Heir to the superlative 599, it again proposes the concept of extreme car but with anterior engine, and demonstrates that it wishes to be respected and known throughout the world for its impressive power: 740 bhp, which, to date, are

In apertura. Mercedes-Benz C250 Coupé, prestazioni superiori, stile raffinato e tecnologia d'avanguardia. Sinistra. F12 Berlinetta di Ferrari, auto estrema ma a motore anteriore, 740 cavalli che, a oggi, fissano la quota più alta mai raggiunta da una vettura stradale prodotta a Maranello. Destra. La nuova Range Rover Evoque, compatta, leggera ed efficiente.

the highest ever reached by a street car produced in Maranello. If Ferrari did all they could to make the most powerful car in history, Lamborghini succeeded in presenting the most incredible car in the show. Looking like something from a film or videogame, Aventador J is an “open” supercar but not just a cabriolet: it has no windshield to speak of and therefore, if driven at high speeds, needs the appropriate clothing - like one of Batman’s cars or for racing in Le Mans. In a similar vein, the Range Rover Evoque Cabriolet, a medium-sized suv and already a success, offers opentop driving. The Jaguar XF Sportbrake closes our review of British cars. This car is the first from the company after the change in ownership to go down the road of the station wagon. Many of those mentioned, however, belong to that race of car that are generally more looked at than bought: the Germans, though, think differently and, with a view to stun, have focussed on preserving their more popular A6 Allroad by Audi, improving again the Avant with more space and performance, guaranteeing an extremely dynamic vehicle that will be appreciated by families and travellers from every corner of the world. Versatile thanks to powers from 204 to 313 bhp, the most luxurious version offers exclusive details such as interiors in Milano leather and an auto dimming rear view mirror. BMW, in the same way has rejuvenated the X6 with a face lift that is as important and unique as it is stunning, introducing the 381 bhp M50d: this is not a minor improvement but an engine equipped with some three turbines that work well throughout the whole rev range of the engine. BMW also debuted the 6 Series Gran Coupé, a new concept of four-door vehicle with lines that are sleek but not overly opulent like an executive car designed to be such. Geneva was the occasion for Mercedes to present high performance models such as the timeless SL63 AMG and other two-seater coupes, and also more compact models such as the thriving and more striking A Class, while in the medium band, the C Class 250 Sport was particularly interesting. Among all the cars, this was the smallest to be characterised by innovation: lower, longer and completely new in the front and above all in the rear, in the bonnet and headlights. Finally finding prestige on the banks of the Lake Geneva, the new Porsche Boxster has been radically transformed in terms of both aesthetics and content, while still remaining faithful to its values and purposes.