WT Awards: Geneva ‘12

So you’ve probably all heard about this Geneva thing that happened earlier this month. My ability to comment is somewhat limited by the fact that I was unable to make the journey, but having let others do all the looking around and reporting for me I shall now bestow my judgement on some of the cars that featured there.

Photo from NRMA

The Ugly Duckling Award: Bentley EXP 9F

Yes it’s the headline of many a motoring publication, and the talk of twitter, for all the wrong reasons. The bluff fronted Bentley with a name confusing enough to be a McLaren certainly made an impact, even though its coming was heavily rumoured. The Continental GT styling that most were predicting was not to be found. Instead the car looks somewhat like a Jeep Wagoneer, at 1.5x scale, with the body of a Mulsanne stretched over it. It’s a controversial look, and Bentley openly states it’s not final. Despite that, you can well imagine any number of wealthy oil baron types swanning around London in this car, even in its present form. However with Bentley’s illustrious history, it’s seems below them to be chasing the owners of Hamann Tycoons and the like.

Runner up: Chevrolet Code 130R

Photo from Jano2106

Most Unjustly Overlooked New Arrival: RUF RT-35

How many of you have seen pictures of the Ruf Turbo 3.3 (the green Porsche 930 turbo)? It certainly popped up in my twitter feed enough. However the car it was supposed to be drawing attention to didn’t appear once. That car is the RUF RT-35, homage to the first RUF it sat next to. It is based on the, new 991 Porsche 911 and, unlike any other new 911, the RUF utilises forced induction. That means a whopping 630hp at around 6,500 rpm, while that’s lower than the 997 based RT-12s 685bhp it’s still more than you’ll find in a 997 GT2. You won’t be lacking in torque either, with 608 lb/ft, good for a top speed of 205 apparently. Given the vague details (no 0-60 was available) it’s probable the car is a little off production, but as the first 991 turbo it surely deserves some recognition. Even if the original turbo 3.3 is that bit more exciting.

Photo from Jano2106

Most likely to be ubiquitous: Audi A3

Yes Mercedes’ new A-Class is chasing the popular premium hatchback market, but seeing as the current, nearly 9 year old, Audi often makes an appearance on the top 10 sales list, they’ve got their work cut out. Regardless of how it drives it’s likely the new A3 will sell in huge numbers, and Audi are clearly aware, having changed the styling as little as possible. Boring? Yes, but I have no doubt that this will be the most successful new release of the show.

Photo from TheChargingPoint.com

Car of the Year: Opel/Vauxhall Ampera

There’s always a lot of chatter about the European Car Of The Year, and this year was no exception, with many resenting the choice of the slow selling Ampera. You can’t even buy one yet in the UK yet after all. Regardless of this the Ampera/Volt is the first hybrid I really get. To me it seems logical to have electric motors driving the wheels, with a generator to back up the battery pack. The leaf by comparison is more of a luxury item, for those that can afford to have two cars; one for their short commute and another for the longer journeys that we all make. Then there’s the Prius, which simply seems to reliant on it’s Petrol Engine to me. Personally my bet would be on the Ampera / Volts style of propulsion being the prevalent one of the future, with steadily more efficient engines doing the electricity generation, and for that reason alone, it deserves the recognition of Car Of The Year.

Photo from felinebird

Oh and isn’t great that the British car industry had such good news to take from the event? With the Jaguar, Land Rover and Nissan showing some fine cars that should create jobs in the UK. Perhaps soon we shall see our own Motor Show return?