A first visit to the Geneva Motor Show gives rise to the same conclusion for all European car show rookies: Why can't drivers in North America have access to all the fantastic cars designed specifically for the tight, twisting roads of the continent? Yes, we have Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and the rest, but why not Fiat or Citroen or Peugeot or, more pointedly, Alfa Romeo?
Hidden far from the average North American consumer is a vast array of exciting small cars that look blindingly fast while standing still. At the 2007 show, these included the Renault Clio F1 Team R27 and Alfa Romeo Brera 2.2 JTS Selespeed. Fantastic. The Alfa Romeo display in particular, with its range of models (female and mechanical) all decked out in Italian racing red, was a genuine traffic-stopper.
Closer to home, we North Americans do have a few key models to look forward to later this year.
At Geneva, Audi kick-started the press day by unveiling the A5/S5 with great fanfare and no small amount of celebrity star power. As photographers snapped away, brand ambassador Jacky Ickx smiled alongside the man responsible for designing the sleek coupe, Walter de'Silva. Slated to compete with the Mercedes CLK and BMW 3 Series, the A5 has been hailed by de'Silva as "the most beautiful car I have ever designed".
Late in the afternoon, rival BMW pulled the wraps off their M3 concept, which, for all intents and purposes, will be the next production M3. We may not see the carbon fibre roof and a few other bits and pieces, but the concept looked like a more muscular version of the 3 Series Coupe - in other words, just like the M3 should look. Powered by a 420-horsepower V8, the next M3 promises to be another winner.
Finally, for sheer visual appeal combined with sheer power, the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera is tough to beat. Some 45 pounds lighter than the regular Gallardo, the Superleggera also boasts 10 additional horsepower. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h has, thus, been slashed by 0.2 seconds - an eternity in the supercar stakes.
All in all, the 2007 Geneva Motor Show featured many highly desirable cars - and even a few that we'll get to see some day.
 |
| Renault Clio F1 Team R27 |
Hidden far from the average North American consumer is a vast array of exciting small cars that look blindingly fast while standing still. At the 2007 show, these included the Renault Clio F1 Team R27 and Alfa Romeo Brera 2.2 JTS Selespeed. Fantastic. The Alfa Romeo display in particular, with its range of models (female and mechanical) all decked out in Italian racing red, was a genuine traffic-stopper.
Closer to home, we North Americans do have a few key models to look forward to later this year.
At Geneva, Audi kick-started the press day by unveiling the A5/S5 with great fanfare and no small amount of celebrity star power. As photographers snapped away, brand ambassador Jacky Ickx smiled alongside the man responsible for designing the sleek coupe, Walter de'Silva. Slated to compete with the Mercedes CLK and BMW 3 Series, the A5 has been hailed by de'Silva as "the most beautiful car I have ever designed".
Late in the afternoon, rival BMW pulled the wraps off their M3 concept, which, for all intents and purposes, will be the next production M3. We may not see the carbon fibre roof and a few other bits and pieces, but the concept looked like a more muscular version of the 3 Series Coupe - in other words, just like the M3 should look. Powered by a 420-horsepower V8, the next M3 promises to be another winner.
 |
| BMW M3 concept |
Finally, for sheer visual appeal combined with sheer power, the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera is tough to beat. Some 45 pounds lighter than the regular Gallardo, the Superleggera also boasts 10 additional horsepower. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h has, thus, been slashed by 0.2 seconds - an eternity in the supercar stakes.
All in all, the 2007 Geneva Motor Show featured many highly desirable cars - and even a few that we'll get to see some day.