Also within this genre was the new company Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus, the latter name probably being
familiar to most car enthusiasts through his Pininfarina designed P4/5 based on a Ferrari Enzo a few years
ago. The company’s new offering, the Honda V6 powered SCG003C, was shown in both bare carbon “street”
form and in racing trim, which it is understood is planned to debut in the Nurburgring 24 Hour Race in the
middle of the year.
Of the tuning houses or personalisation houses, Mansory had a broad selection of their craft, ranging from a
wild Bentley Continental GT based offering in metallic green over white called the GT Race, to a
Mercedes-Benz G-Class in camouflage paint finish called the Sahara Edition. Ruf are traditionally a Porsche
based tuning specialist/manufacturer, and they showed a quartet of offerings, including a wild “psychedelic”
painted offering called the CTR3, and the wonderfully named Turbo Florio, a Targa roof variant, hence the play
on words with the name.
The major manufacturers also had their fare share of new sporting models and concepts on display, ranging
from the “pocket rocket” Honda Civic Type R, boasting a 2 litre turbocharged engine pushing out 306bhp, and
propelling the car to a claimed top speed of 167mph (267kph), to the McLaren P1 GTR, resplendent in yellow
and green, harking back to the “Harrods” livery on the F1 GTR model at Le Mans in 1995. Honda also debuted
the new NSX model and their FCV Concept, whilst McLaren also presented the 675LT. Along the way there
was the Aston Martin Vulcan, a track day car presented in a lurid metallic lime green, plus their crossover
concept, the DBX, and tucked away in its own showroom, the Lagonda luxury saloon. Over at Audi there was
the Q7 e-tron, and the new R8, in e-tron concept form, together with V10, V10 Plus and LMS (race) versions,
Lamborghini presented the Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce together with a special Pirelli Edition of the same
model. Koenigsegg had a trio of models on display, comprising of the new Regera, a CC8 S and an Agera
RS, the latter looking particularly aggressive in carbon fibre with orange accents. Bentley presented their EXP
10 concept coupe, along with new versions of their range, including the GT Speed, and the Mulsanne Speed.
Bugatti showed a pair of Veyrons, although no more orders are being taken, the production run having been
completed, with a new model slated for next year, which is rumoured to be even more outrageous, and
probably at the same time even more expensive! A car that seemed to “Wow” everybody was the new Ford
GT, a stunning example of what a mainstream manufacturer can produce, with hints of the last Ford GT, it
looked stunning in metallic blue, featuring a twin turbocharged V6 engine producing around 600bhp, it should
be a force to be reckoned with. As a nod to its heritage, there was also an original roadgoing GT40 on display,
together with an original Mexico as a nod to the heritage of the new Focus RS, which was another prominent
part of the Ford stand.
With the plethora of new high performance models, it was only natural that Ferrari would be in there with the
mix, and their 488 GTB was the star of their display. Although they had released images of the car prior to the
show, and there had been private client viewings, this was the first time that it had been shown to the masses
in the metal. Two examples sat under red shrouds until the official unveiling at 1.00pm on the first press day,
by which time the area surrounding the Ferrari stand was a seething mass of humanity, such is the allure of
the announcement of a new Ferrari model. It was worth the wait, as the new model looked as good in the
metal as it did in the pictures, a clear development of the 458 model which it replaces, with hints of the
LaFerrari in the sculpting of the sides, and a new 4 litre twin turbo engine to provide the motive power. When
the new model name was announced I was at a loss to understand where the “488” came from, but I was
advised to look at Ferrari history to understand it, but being an unusual number it still didn’t register, so it had
to be explained, it is the swept volume of a single cylinder!
It wasn’t all high performance cars for the few, as noted there was the Honda Civic Type R, then Alfa Romeo
presented the spider version of the 4C, whilst in the more everyday genre, Nissan showed the Sway Concept,
which could pave the way to a Micra replacement, Tata showed their Concept Connected, a novel take on the
town car, with the four seats suspended from a central spine. Then at the other extreme, there was the
ultimate in luxury, personified by the Mercedes-Benz S600 Maybach Limousine, and the Rolls Royce
Bespoke Division’s Phantom Serenity, featuring unique to this car embroidered floral silk trim, and white
mother of pearl paintwork. Truly there was something for virtually every taste and every pocket.
Keith Bluemel
03/2015
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