10 Wild Cars from the 2013 Geneva Auto Show – Feature

Europe’s exotic-car tuners and smaller automakers use the high-profile Geneva auto show to show off their wares, many of which are as subtle as a branding iron to the face. These cars could reflect Switzerland’s neutrality or its lack of a domestic auto industry, but it’s more likely that there are a lot of people out there with more money than taste. We love it. To each his own, we say—even if the results are twisted, the enthusiasm is pure. Here we present 10 of the wildest rides from this year’s show, recognizing that one person’s heartthrob is another person’s headache.

This Brabus is based on Mercedes-Benz’s sultriest sledgehammer of a wagon, the CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake, and the post-hyphen number in its name represents the horsepower it packs under the hood. (In metric ponies, anyway; we’d call it 720 in the U.S. Either way, it’s a hugely powerful way to grab groceries.) Torque? How about 786 lb-ft, claimed to be available between 1750 and 5000 rpm? It’s enough to hit 62 mph in a claimed 3.8 seconds. Brabus fits the Merc’s 5.5-liter V-8 with bigger turbos, the better to achieve the governed top speed of 186 mph. Unrestricted, it’s said this hauler would pull all the way to 217 mph. (More Brabus Shooting Brake insanity here.)

France’s Exagon Furtive-eGT has been around for a while, but we love the humor intrinsic in giving a car like this a name that means “attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble.” So, yeah, paint it orange. The specs include a pair of electric motors from Siemens that produce an estimated 395 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque. Exagon pegs the 0-to-62-mph time at 3.5 seconds and the top speed at 155 mph. Range from the lithium-ion battery pack is said to be around 225 miles. Pretty impressive, but, then again, it costs almost $500,000. When you consider that a Tesla Model S we tested last year delivered 416 hp, a 0-to-60 run of 4.6 seconds, and a range of 211 miles for about $110,000, the eGT probably will end up little more than a collectible.

There must be a fan of natural disasters at Gemballa, as the Tornado joins the Avalanche in the tuner’s stable. Both of those models are Porsche-based, and the Tornado started as a Cayenne Turbo. Porsche’s 500-hp SUV has been pumped up here to 709 horsepower, and Gemballa says its twister can hit 60 in 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 199 mph. So that’s plenty. There are, in fact, several rather tasteful Gemballas, such as its new McLaren 12C–based GT Spider, but that designer must have been out to lunch when his colleagues penned the carbon-fiber “aerodynamic” components for the Tornado. Look hard at the grille long enough and you’ll yawn simply through the power of suggestion.

We already know about the Koenigsegg Agera and give it high marks for its aggressive design and 1040-hp twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8 (1115 hp in Agera R form), but what’s special about the Hundra? Actually it’s a one-off example of the Agera built to signify its status as the 100th car built by the tiny Swedish automaker. Huzzah! It’s taken a decade for Koenigsegg to make as many cars as GM will assemble by the time you finish reading this paragraph, which explains the $1.6 million price paid by an unknown collector to own the Hundra. The car’s carbon-fiber bodywork is left unpainted—a Koenigsegg first—and the gold trim is, well, actual gold in the form of 24-karat leaf. (Hope nobody ever keys this one.) As for the engine compartment, when the rear clamshell was lifted, one onlooker said, “Wow, look at that monkey!” Whatever that means, we wholeheartedly agree.

The Mansory stand had our choice of several cars, one SUV, and a golf cart for this feature. But we honed in on the Ferrari F12berlinetta Stallone. We did so not because we like the Stallone, but because it left us as speechless as a roundhouse kick to the gut. The front fascia has been redone in carbon fiber and the hood made a mess of. But at least the rear diffuser is totally overwrought. Mansory slightly boosted the donor F12berlinetta’s 6.3-liter V-12 from 730 horsepower and 509 lb-ft to 764 and 535. As we understand it, the car isn’t named for Sly—no word on Frank, though—and we suspect this machine must make them nuts in Maranello.

And now, back from the practical side of extremity—or maybe not. Normally, we delight in the wacky stuff that Rinspeed drops at Geneva. But this year’s offering, the rectilinear microMAX, kind of makes sense. It looks like a cross between a tall minivan and a telephone booth, and can quickly carry three people around town. It uses software to communicate with other microMAXes and serve as essentially a crowdsourced taxi service. As long as a Mini and as tall as Shaquille O’Neal, the microMAX is meant for short-haul trips, and is equipped with a coffee maker and a “refrigerator for the passengers’ happy-hour drinks.” The microMAX is more about apps and entertainment than performance, and its electric-drive system is based on one from a forklift. For pedestrian safety, it can generate engine sounds to reflect vehicle speed.

Franco Sbarro’s projects are all over the map. The next Sbarro vehicle on our list speaks to modern ecological problems, but let’s first deal with this one, the Jaclyn, which creates other modern problems, like double vision. It’s almost as if it were styled by leaving a plastic model of some vehicle (a Jaguar XK maybe?) in the sun on a very hot day, and then pulling the ends in opposite directions. And then it has scissor doors. Sorry, but this isn’t the sort of extreme we like.

This, however, we dig. Designed by students at Franco Sbarro’s Espera School, the rear-drive React’E.V. is powered by a 210-hp V-6 that operates through a five-speed manual. Despite its name, EV in this case stands for “Ecologic Vehicle.” Similar to Audi’s R18 e-tron Quattro race car, the front wheels are turned by a pair of electric motors. A runner, the React’E.V. is expected to compete in the Monte Carlo New Energy Rally for low-emissions and electric vehicles.

Looking a bit militaristic, this Panamera is covered in carbon fiber and polyurethane. The low front spoiler is meant to improve airflow to the brakes and intercoolers and likely make it difficult to pull into most any inclined drive without damaging the nose. The black hood vents hot air from the 4.8-liter twin-turbo V-8, which makes 621 horsepower and 649 lb-ft. (The Turbo S, the acme of factory Panamera performance, makes 550 horsepower and 590 lb-ft.) The fender flares and low sills protect a front track extended by 1.6 inches and a rear track extended by 3.3. TechArt claims a 0-to-62-mph run of 3.7 seconds, but something’s fishy: We sprinted to 60 in 3.3 in the Turbo S. Whatever—it’s quick, so be sure to secure the lid on your latte.

Yes, alongside the $1.6 million Hundra and Mansory’s over-the-top prancing horse, we offer a vehicle from the planet’s most conservative volume automaker. But the i-ROAD is sweet, begging the question: When is a scooter a car, or vice versa? The i-ROAD offers completely enclosed seating for two, making helmets unnecessary and climate control possible. The front wheels lean in corners—and put the power down, too, as the rear wheel is just a roller. (More on how it works here.) Motivation comes from a pair of electric motors, which propel the i-ROAD to a top speed of 28 mph and a maximum range of about 30 miles.