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Updated Daily: October 2008

 
Published in: April 2007
    Regulars > Reviews and Commentary > New Shining Stars: Geneva and Monaco 2007
 
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A round-up of the exotic and luxurious cars making their world premieres at the Geneva and Monaco auto shows.
Home to so many of the world's finest watch companies, Geneva is also the home to of one of the world's most important motor shows. Nestled within close proximity to the world's automotive superpowers, and yet home to none of its own, it is as neutral a location as any in Europe to showcase the best cars around, without being politically inclined to favor those of any one nation in particular.

This year's crop of automobiles fails to disappoint, with a large number of luxury and exotic cars sitting alongside fresh new mainstream offerings. A couple of hardcore performance cars grace this year's line-up, although our favorites were the luxurious coupes from traditional brands like Maserati and Bentley.

Our motoring correspondent Amir Ali takes you on a pictorial journey of this inspiring automotive event.
β€œIt has been a while since a Maserati has looked this immediately desirable.”

Styled by Pininfarina, the new Maserati GranTurismo has a 405 hp, 4.2 liter V8 motor mated to an adaptive automatic gearbox and a 49-51% front-rear weight distribution; all of which promises a rousing driving experience to match those arresting looks. And yet, despite these sportive credentials, this full four-seater should prove to be thoroughly practical day-to-day in the best Maserati tradition. It has been a while since a Maserati has looked this immediately desirable. Starting with the Quattroporte and now with the GranTurismo, it's good to see Maserati back in fine form.

 

 

Don't be fooled by the nomenclature; this is very likely what the production version will look like, almost exactly. Under the bulging bonnet is a new, high-revving 4.0 liter V8 engine with a very high specific power output, much like that of the rival RS4 sedan from Audi. In fact, projected power output will be very similar, at an estimated 420bhp, although the BMW will undoubtedly be the more focused driver's choice with rear-wheel drive.

 
 

After last year’s release of the ultimate road-going Zonda, the F Clubsport, Horacio Pagani set about honing his beloved Zonda project for the ultimate performance on the racetrack. Using the familiar M120 Mercedes-AMG V12 engine, it will sport 750 horses, an improvement of more than 100 horsepower over its road-biased brethren. But most importantly, the car will share just 10% of its components with the Zonda F. The wheelbase is longer, length is up and the track widened. The net result of this is sure to be a stunningly effective and emotive experience worth every penny of the million-plus euro asking price.

 
 
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