The Geneva Motor Show 2019 is here. In just a day, it will be open to the public to explore the latest and greatest from car manufacturers. The press, however, has been given a special sneak peek beforehand and from the looks of it, the future does seem bright.
Now the Geneva International Motor Show, as the name suggests, is an annual auto show held in March at Geneva, Switzerland. Organized by Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles (OICA), it is one of the largest and most important auto shows out there. Many iconic cars and concepts in automotive history have debuted here which surely does hype us up for its 85th iteration in 2019.
We have therefore compiled a list of some Hypercars that will be showcased there. These cars are here to set the bars on what is technologically possible and go to show what happens when manufacturers go all out.
1) McLaren Speedtail
We start with McLaren’s Speedtail, which was unveiled a few months ago to the press and now you can see it as a completed car at Geneva. It is the third car in McLaren’s Ultimate series following the P1 and Senna. The design and specs are interesting enough to make it stand out from the rest of the cars in this list.
It will come with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 borrowed from the Senna and 720S. That is coupled with an electric motor to create a hybrid system, similar to that on the P1. The combined power of the engine and the electric motor is an impressive 1035 bhp and 848 lb-ft torques. This not only makes this the most powerful McLaren but with a top speed of 250mph, it is also the fastest, finally dethroning the legendary F1.
As far as the design is concerned, it looks completely futuristic while retaining some elements from the past. My favorite one is the seating layout. It’s the first car after McLaren’s own F1 to adopt a 3-seat layout where the driver seat is in the center with passenger seats on either side. Inside, you get 5 screens that control all your infotainment and give you readouts regarding your speed. They also act as wing mirrors, which are replaced with cameras. I wish they reconsider the front wheel design though.
Production is expected at around 2020. It will be priced at $2.25 million new and only 106 lucky owners will be able to own this Hyper GT. Let’s just hope that they don’t keep them locked in garages.
2) Aston Martin Valkyrie
Aston Martin has been killing it recently and the Valkyrie has set the bars high for the competition. Named after a Norse mythological figure, this car is the most extreme road-going Aston ever made. Yes, you read that right. It is street legal.
Now you may be wondering what makes this car extreme. Let’s start with the engine. It has a mid-mounted 6.5-liter, naturally aspirated V12 that produces 1000bhp and 546lb-ft of torque. Oh, and it also revs up to a redline of 11,500 rpm. Now I’ve always praised naturally aspirated engines on their sound and this does prove my point wonderfully. In case you wanted to know what this sounds like, have a listen.
This car also has a hybrid assist system and the electric motor adds an extra 160bhp making the total power output to 1160bhp. Needless to say, the engine on the Valkyrie is the most powerful V12 ever to be put inside a road car. This is a massive achievement considering that we live in an age of downsizing and forced induction.
Styling-wise, the Valkyrie looks out of this world. It truly is a race car for the road. There are huge gaps in the bodywork for aerodynamics. The suspension is exposed. Even when you get in, the steering wheel is a rectangle, as if it’s taken straight out from an F1 racecar. This beast of a machine will set you back $3.3 million. Except that you can’t buy it as all the units are sold out!
3) Bugatti La Voiture Noire
The French automotive manufacturer has always given us great and iconic cars. This one is no different. With its name literally translating to “the black car”, this one-off hypercar is truly a sight to behold. What makes it special, let’s have a look.
Now there’s nothing particularly new in the powertrain and performance. The car is based on Buggati’s “ordinary” hypercar, the Chiron. Which means it gets the same 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine that’ll put out 1500 bhp and 1180 lb-ft torques. 0-60 mph will happen in 2.5 seconds and it will have a top speed of over 260 mph. This is all impressive, however, it isn’t exactly unique.
What makes this car special is its price tag. At around $19 million, this is currently, the most expensive new car money can buy. And guess what? Its one and only unit has been sold to an unknown buyer. So if you want to see this car in person, might as well do it now. There’s no knowing if we’ll ever get to see it again.
Coming to the looks of the La Voiture Noire, it is truly a stunning piece of design. It maintains the silhouette of the car it is based on, the Chiron. However, everything else is different. The color is, staying true to its name, an extremely shiny black. I personally like the design of the taillights. The 6 exhausts may look menacing but seem a bit overkill in my opinion.
4) Koenigsegg Jesko
The Swedes aren’t going to stay behind on this one either. Koenigsegg has given us, in the past, the Agera RS which is the current fastest car in the world. The Jesko is here to make that look dull. Named after Christian von Koenigsegg’s (the owner of Koenigsegg) father, this hypercar means business.
The Jesko uses Koenigsegg’s own 5.0-liter, twin-turbo V8 that we’re all familiar with since the Agera lineup. Except that now it’s heavily revised with a flat-plane crankshaft. It also now produces 1281 bhp and 1106 lb-ft torques, which might not seem that much higher from the Agera RS. Ah, but it is. Fill the Jesko up with E85 Flex-fuel and it then makes a massive 1600 bhp. If that wasn’t enough, the Jesko is also expected to be the first car to break the 300 mph barrier.
In comparison, the Agera RS maxed out at 284 mph. The Jesko is then supposed to be the new fastest car in the world. It definitely seems to have beaten Hennessey Venom F5 to the 300 mph race. However, that is yet to be tested. The Jesko also uses a first of its kind 9-speed multi-clutch gearbox which Koenigsegg calls Light Speed Gearbox (LST). Aptly named, it is also claimed to be the fastest shifting gearbox out there, making the DCT look slow.
The Jesko also adopts the Agera’s track-oriented looks. I’m personally not a big fan of big wings on road cars. However, the one on the Jesko seems right and is probably needed to keep the car in check at 300 mph. The car will be priced at $3 million and thankfully isn’t sold out yet.
5) Pininfarina Battista
The last entry on our list is from a name we haven’t heard before. It does not even have a gasoline engine. It’s all-electric and yet is the most extreme hypercar in this list. That seems like a bold statement. So here are some facts to back it up.
The Pininfarina Battista has 4 electric motors, one powering each wheel, that have a combined output of an unbelievable 1900 bhp and 1696 lb-ft of torque. It doesn’t end here, this is enough to launch the Battista to 60 mph in under 2 seconds and have a top speed of 217 mph. This not only makes the Battista the fastest EV to ever exist but its also the quickest road car to 60 mph. It will surely be dominating the drag strips if their owners ever take them there.
As far as looks are concerned, the Battista looks surprisingly conventional compared to other cars in this list. In fact, it’s so subtle that no one can guess that it produces 1900 bhp unless they know what it is. It looks just like a mid-engined supercar. The interior, however, is similar to the rest. Screens dominate the cockpit. It also surprisingly maintain conventional wing mirrors rather than using cameras.
There’s no final quote on the price, though it is expected to be around $2.2 million. The Battista is a perfect example of the possibilities manufacturers can have with renewable electric power. Sure all-electric cars lack the oomph that can only be achieved by internal combustion engines, however, they do perform that much better.