About a month and a half ago, I wrote an article for Kettle Mag looking at some of the biggest rumours ahead of the motor show. Fast forward to the week of the show and the first shots of what will actually be presented have been leaked out of the show hall. Here is a look at what has came good from all that internet speculation!
Bugatti Chiron
I suppose it was a little hard to call this one a rumour really as the car was pretty much confirmed by Bugatti themselves in November, along with the name. This widely anticipated son of the Veyron did however have rumours flying around all over the place surrounding the final specification for the car. Expected to have a top speed of something near 290mph, it looks like those claims were somewhat exaggerated! According to Italian magazine Quattroruote who have tweeted a picture of the Chiron spec sheet, the Chiron is limited… to 261mph. Although still outrageously fast, this is six miles an hour slower than the Super Sport version of the Veyron it replaces. What we have learnt however is that the car has 1,500 horsepower (around the same as an intercity train), 1,600 Nm of torque and a quad-turbocharged W16 engine. There is absolutely no doubting this car will be an absolute animal.
#Bugatti #Chiron: confermato il motore da 1500 CV e 1600 Nm di coppia massima! Domani il reveal ufficiale @Bugatti pic.twitter.com/eyRdAyVfTd
— Quattroruote (@QuattroruoteIT) February 29, 2016
Porsche 911 R
This was one of the least substantiated rumours a few weeks ago. However, some rather grainy images have emerged from Switzerland showing what seems to be the R – a GT3 RS with toned down bodywork and a manual ‘box! It’s said to be sold out and continues to follow the GT3’s philosophy of less is more. Not much else is known beyond that currently, but seeing as it was such a long shot a few months ago, the fact it has come to fruition is exciting news for many!
Image: ilikewaffles11
Aston Martin DB11
Oh my god just look at it! That is the first thing my friend said to me when they first saw the images of the brand new DB11. Like the Chiron, it was pretty much certain that Geneva would see the launch of the car. However, where the Bugatti was all about pure performance, image is arguably more important when it comes to Aston Martin – the company at one point was even voted ‘coolest brand’. As a result of this, Aston do their very best to prevent the leaking of designs before their launch. It seems that their attempts were ill fated on this occasion as pictures have leaked online of the shockingly beautiful design. Incorporating a slightly more angular design than the legendary DB9 it replaces, the car still follows the typical Aston Martin design language with considerable influences from the ultra-rare One-77 hypercar. Power is still from a V12 all be it smaller and turbo-charged but it packs 600 horsepower – more than enough some would say!
Ford Fiesta ST200
Something that seemed to slip under the radar in all the ongoing hype at Ford at the moment was the transformation of a pocket rocket into a mini monster. The already exceptional Fiesta ST has been given the best part of 200bhp meaning a top speed of 146mph and a 0-62mph time of only 6.7 seconds. Expected to be a limited edition run, it’s a nice present to itself as the Fiesta name celebrates its 40th birthday this year.
Image: Ford Europe
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
