Motoring Middle East: Car news, Reviews and Buying guides

Check out the new models launched/debuted/revealed at the 2013 Geneva Auto Salon

By Shahzad Sheikh

LaFerrari Enzo successor

Forget the Enzo, forget the F50, forget the… no don’t forget the F40, that’s the daddy. And here’s is it’s latest offspring. The odly named 2013 LaFerrari.

This is the 950bhp hypercar that is battling to take the title of ultimate supercar for this year’s Geneva Motor Show with the Lamborghini Veneno and McLaren P1 already revealed.

Only 499 will be made and each will have a 6.3-litre V12 producing 789bhp produced at a dizzying 9000rpm (redline is 9250rpm) with peak torque of 516lb ft at 6750rpm.

But there’s more power than ‘just’ 789bhp, because this is a hybrid – the first ever to wear a prancing horse on the bonnet. A 120kW motor adds 161bhp and 199lb ft giving a combined totdal of 950bhp and 664lb ft.

There’s two motors, one drives ancillaries whilst one sends power to the wheels. There’s a double-clutch transmission.

Performance is 0-100kph in under three seconds, 200kph arrives in under 7 seconds and you’ll see 300kph in 15seconds – top speed is 350kph.

It’s all made of carbon fibre of course and the seating position is fixed with only the steering wheel and pedal box being adjustable.

Corvette Stingray Convertible

We’ve already seen the stunning new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray – read our full story here – but now the convertible version has been revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.

The fully electronic top can be lowered remotely used the car’s key fob – and you can open or close it as speeds of up to 50kph.

Chevrolet says that no structural reinforcements were required for the convertible, so both the coupe and the drop-top share almost identical power-to-weight ratios from the 6.2-litre V8.

It features a thick three-ply fabric top, along with sound-absorbing padding and a glass rear window.

Toyota 86 Open

FT-86 Open concept is the soft-top version of the hugely successful 86 sports car. This concept keeps the 2+2 seating.

Officially this concept is to gauge reaction to producing an 86 convertible for real, but it’s a formality. A drop-top version of the 86 will go into production.

It’s the same size as the coupe and the roof is multi-layered fabric roof with a glass rear screen.

This car is in white with a navy blue colour scheme. There’s white leather upholstery with golden accent stitching and carpets.

Porshe 911 GT3

It’s the most extreme version of the new 991 Porsche 911 so far with 475bhp at 8250rpm from its 3.8-litre flat-six capable of revving upto 9000rpm.

It has a 0-100kph time of 3.5seconds and a stop speed of 315kph – it can do the Nurburgring-Nordschleife in under 7minutes 30seconds.

Power goes to the rear wheels through a seven-speed PDK double-clutch gearbox.

It has active rear-wheel steering for the first time which, relative to speed, counter-steers or parallel steers with the front wheels for better high-speed stablity.

There’s dynamic engine mounts previously seen on the 911 and a fully variable electronically-controlled rear differential lock.

The height, toe and camber of the newly-developed all-aluminium suspension are adjustable and it’s fitted with new, 20-inch forged alloy wheels.

It is 44mm wider than a 911 Carrera S across the rear axle and feature a large fixed rear wing.

The new 911 GT3 is available to order now and deliveries will start later in the year.

Lamborghini Veneno

Lamborghini is celebrating its 50th anniversary with this spectacular hypercar powered by a 6.5-litre V12 producing a sensational 750bhp driving all four wheels through a 7-speed transmission with five driving modes.

The Veneno weighs just 1450kg and that gives it a 0-100kph in just 2.8seconds and a top speed of 355kph.

Only three units will be built, each priced Euro 3m ($3.9m). And all three have already been sold.

The chassis and body and is made of carbon-fibre materials and there’s even forged composite and carbonskin on the inside.

This one’s also named after a Spanish fighting bull, and Veneno was one of the strongest and most aggressive ever, famed for being one of the fastest in the history of bullfighting. In 1914 it fatally wounded the famous torero, Jose Sanchez Rodriguez.

Rolls-Royce Wraith

Essentially this is the Ghost Coupe, but the new two-door Wraith is also the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever with 624bhp from the V12 engine and 590lb ft of torque from just 1500rpm, giving it a 0-100kph acceleration time of 4.6 seconds nearly half a second quicker than a regular Ghost saloon.

It delivers power to the rear wheels through an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission which has ‘Satellite Aided’ technology, which means that it uses GPS data to figure out where it is and what sort of gear it should be in, as well as monitoring the driving style – so for example it might hold onto lower gears on a twisty mountain road, but switch to more relaxed taller gears on the motorway.

The Wraith is lower than the Ghost and has a shorter wheelbase, but a wider rear track. Coupled with the sportier suspension and meatier steering, Rolls-Royce claims this car delivery better body control and feedback, but retains the legendary ride.

Better voice control, new touch-pad controls and ‘Canadel Panelling’ interior wood trim (named after the famous cove in the South of France where Sir Henry Royce and his design and engineering teams spent their winters) along with the dramatic new styling featuring a recessed grille and fastback style rear marks out this bold new Rolls.

Deliveries start towards the end of the year and prices start at around $320,000.

Toyota i-ROAD

This is an all-electric three-wheeled two-seater concept car from Toyota that seats two in tandem and is just 850mm wide – that’s less than a metre!

It’s also 2350mm long, 1445mm high and has a range of 50km on one-charge – which takes three hours for the lithium battery that powers two 2kW motors mounted in the front wheels.

Active Lean technology slants the body into the corner based on steering angle, speed and a gyro-sensor. It weighs just 300kg and can reach upto 45kph.