The article was originally produced on March 8, 2019, some facts and prices may have changed since then.

Geneva 2019

The Geneva Motor Show opened its doors to the public on March 7th and was, as usual, filled with delicious pieces on four wheels. Cars Collection was of course on hand to report on the best. Here is a list of the ten that stood out the most from this year's fair. 

Lexus LC Convertible Concept – an extremely tasteful convertible. 

Perhaps not the very freshest news of the fair, but oh so beautiful. Personally, I have not been completely attached to the Lexus design, but when I saw the convertible version of the LFA, I was completely soft in the bones. The LC Convertible Concept was shown back in January at the Detroit Auto Show and looks a lot like the LFA Convertible. So far, Lexus has not said when we can see this beautiful creation in finished form. However, it doesn't feel that far off considering how production-ready the car looks. 

Mercedes GT R Roadster – roofless, limited and raw like few!

Some are for and others against convertible versions of performance cars. The biggest argument against is usually that the car's torsional stiffness is affected when you cut off the roof. Personally, I think few would actually be able to feel this difference. For my part, I love the possibility of being able to lower the roof and feel the warmth of the sun and hear the wonderful engine sound in full, something you will certainly not be disappointed with in the Mercedes cab version of the GT R. 585 horses and a fantastic soundtrack from the titanium exhaust system. If you want one, you have to hurry, as only 750 will be produced. 

Aston Martin AM-RB 003 and Vanquish Vision Concept – a whole new era for Aston Martin

It's about making a big impression at the Geneva motor show and one brand that really did that was definitely Aston Martin. In addition to the production-ready Valkyrie many had been looking forward to, two more mid-engine cars were shown. AM-RB 003 and Vanquish Vision Concept. Although the cars were so far only in concept versions, they clearly show where the brand wants to go without just producing GT cars. Both cars are incredibly delicious and are remarkably different from anything else you can compare them to in competing brands. Aston Martin has really succeeded with a design of its own for the new line of mid-engined cars. 

Bugatti La Voiture Noire, Diva and "110 ans Bugatti" - the fair's jewels.

 The fair's absolute most expensive cars were perhaps not so surprising from Bugatti. With only three cars in their stand, the combined value was probably more than the rest of all the brands they shared the hall with. The star of the fair was undoubtedly the model La Voiture Noire "The black car". Only one example will be built and rumor has it that former Volkswagen Group owner Ferdinand Piëch is the person who ordered the car. The price tag of this unique car inspired by the classic Bugatti model 57 SC Atlantic lands at 16.7 million euros before tax. However, it was not the only car in the stand worth mentioning, as the Divo and the Chiron Sport “110 ans Bugatti” were also displayed. The former with a production number of 40 examples and a price tag of 5 million euros and the second in only 20 copies and at a price of 2.65 million euros. 

Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster – Italian convertible with classic V12 engine. 

The most brutal bull to roll out of the Sant'Agata Bolognese factory right now is the Aventador SVJ model. Now they also offer this 770 horsepower beast without a roof and in a roadster version. 0-100 is completed in 2.9 seconds and you find the top barrel somewhere after the needle passes 350 km/h. The price tag starts at roughly 600,000 dollars and only 800 copies will be produced. 

Koenigsegg Jesko – the car that stole the show.  

If you have followed us on Enliven before, you probably saw our exclusive article about the Koenigsegg Jesko. (https://www.enliven.co/stories/automotive/koenigsegg-jesko-exclusive-preview) Few cars took the showroom with such emotional pull as the Jesko, not because it had the best performance, highest price or most extreme shape but for the history about the name and the presentation which meant a completely unaware father who had to see the skylight fall and find out that the car was named after him. A beautiful gesture from Christian to show his reverence and appreciation to his father. Without Jesko's contribution and help, we can be pretty sure that Koenigsegg would not have existed. 

Pininfarina Battista – electric and insanely fast.

The salon was of course filled with electric cars in all their forms. However, there was one that got a little more attention than all the others and that was Pininfarina and their Battista model. In addition to being the brand's first completely own car model since its inception in 1930, it is unique as it will have 1,900 horses and performance comparable to a Formula 1 car. 2300 newtons in torque and under two seconds to get to one hundred km/h. The technology behind the Battista is provided by Rimac as the sender.

Mansory Bugatti Chiron Centuria – when most is not enough

Are you the type of customer who doesn't feel that your wallet was drained enough when you bought your Bugatti Chiron, then maybe Mansory's Centuria version is something for you to spend the rest of your money on. More carbon fiber, air intakes and glitter than you can dream of and the brand's own designed rims are the recipe to make the car something really special. If it's nice and tasteful, I'll leave it unsaid, but if it's extreme, no one can say no.  

Volkswagen ID Buggy – a concept with an old recipe. 

A Beachbuggy may not be as extreme as you think, but the fun thing about Volkswagen's latest concept is that it is based on an old tradition. The tradition is that a base plate has been constructed that should be easy to build your own top to. Just like the original buggy was, namely built on Bubblan's platform. Now it's about the MEB platform from Volkswagen with electric drive that should be easy to use as a basis for new fun car models. The idea is that smaller manufacturers should be able to purchase the base plate and use it for their own models. 

Audi e-tron GT and e-tron Sportback – real electric drive in a stylish package. 

As usual, Audi took up a large stand and what they had to show was of course not disappointing. The electric car investment is going like the train and in addition to the incredibly delicious e-tron GT Concept that was on site, they also showed a Sportback version of the production-ready e-tron, which you will be able to read a test drive about here in a few weeks. The e-tron Sportback is almost ready to roll out of the factory later this year. The e-tron GT, together with the Q4 e-tron model that also premiered at the fair, will go into production next year.

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