Okay, 2017 at the Geneva Salon is much less alternative and green anyway than in some other years before. There are of course a few electric cars and plug-ins to be marveled at - but the real alternatives to the armada of three and four-cylinder engines are on completely different stands. For example, where you can still find 1.000 HP under just one bonnet. Also with electrical support.
For example at the Swedish manufacturer Koenigsegg, who offers with the Regera a vehicle that combines an eight-cylinder combustion engine with three electric machines. This form of alternative drive has a system output of 1.103 kW / 1.500 hp. Top speed: 411 km / h - but we couldn't try it out. Price: two million dollars. Contrary to the policies of other manufacturers in this price range, you don't have to own ten vehicles of the brand to win the contract. As is well known, the Swedes are fair. But three and a half years of delivery time must already be planned.
The Artega Scalo Superelletra is a dream car in the narrower sense. It is supposed to be produced in a run of 50 units, but whether it will happen is still a question of the stars. If he really came, his four electric motors would be able to produce around 750 kW / 1.020 hp and produce a torque of 1.600 Newton meters. The driver and his two passengers will make good progress, especially since the body made of aluminum and carbon fiber does not weigh too much. One does not talk about the weight, but at least about the maximum speed: there is a maximum of 300 km / h. And what will it cost? Probably a very high six-figure or a nearly seven-figure amount. Incidentally, Artega promises that the Scalo Superelletra batteries will reach 20 percent of their capacity again in less than 80 minutes via a DC network. Another beautiful dream.
The Zenvo GT TS1, on the other hand, is a dream car, but not a dream, because you can buy Zenvo vehicles - provided you have a corresponding account balance. For the equivalent of just over a million euros, the exotic Danish car manufacturer is offering a visually extroverted super sports car with a conventional 5,8-liter V8 on its tenth anniversary. The engine output of 867 kW / 1.180 hp is anything but conventional. The compressor-ventilated eight-cylinder has dry sump lubrication, so that the rear-wheel drive car can wipe around the bends as quickly as it looks and as expected, even without an oil film tear.
Before you can try it out in the Techrules study, there will probably be some time left - if it is even realized as a production car. For this, the Chinese have come up with an original technique to design the athlete as a serial hybrid. The electricity for the electrical units (768 kW / 1.044 hp) is generated by a turbine. And the turbine can be fired with almost any fossil fuel that is available on the market - it would be quite environmentally friendly with biogas. Diesel or kerosene went as well. At 350 km / h, the study is truly breathtaking in theory. It will be interesting to see whether such edge technologies find their way into series production due to the increasingly strict legal CO2 limitation. In any case, the Chinese start-up has set out to penetrate more affordable segments with its hybrid line.
The Bugatti Chiron, on the other hand, is not affordable at all, at 2,86 million euros even more expensive than the exactly the same (1.103 kW / 1.500 hp) Koenigsegg Regera. In contrast to the quirky Swedish manufactory, the Alsatians, with financial and technical support from Wolfsburg, had the predecessor Veyron immortalized the top speed of more than 400 km / h in the Guinness book. Bugatti boss Wolfgang Dürheimer naturally wants to break this record again with the Chiron. To be able to drive safely so quickly, you need tires that have been specially developed and produced for the superlative model. It is perfection that the Chiron radiates from every angle and that makes the Chiron so attractive for some. The rear of the all-wheel-drive eight-liter W16 turbo no longer looks as clean as that of the predecessor and brings a bit of excitement to the otherwise rather cool-looking engineering product. By the way, around half of the chirons limited to 500 pieces are said to still be available. Orders are gladly accepted here in Geneva, and beforehand you can even put together your dream car using a conventional configurator on the homepage. Almost a bit too profane for this league. (Patrick Broich / SP-X)