Filed under: Geneva Motor Show
This year's Geneva show was full to the brim of new, exciting metal. Some of it was utter fantasy but some is headed to showrooms as quickly as this year.
Rather than simply let you know when they turn up, we thought we'd share ten of the hottest chunks of metal headed our way this year. The yawn-spec Subaru Impreza isn't one of them.
Audi RS4
Audi is arguably the daddy of the uber-estate world. Since the RS2 (co-developed with Porsche) erupted onto the scene in the '90s Audi's been making souped-up family wagons on an almost yearly basis. Each one is madder than the last.
The newest RS4 comes with a 4.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 that pushes out 450bhp. 0-62mph is smashed in 4.7 seconds and it'll top out at a limited 155mph. Bear in mind the A4 isn't the biggest of cars and you've got yourself something of a cross-country weapon. It'll be here in the Autumn.
Jaguar XF Sportbrake
The XF is very pretty car and a decent competitor to the many German mid-exec saloons out there. Until Geneva it was missing one important variant, though: an estate.
The Jag boasts 1675-litres of space (with its seats down) and means well-to-do countryside dwellers can now ferry their kids around in a proper British estate. Why is it exciting? Because 1) it'll come (eventually) with a supercharged V8 and fast estates are awesome, and 2) Jag's taking on the big boys. That's a bold move. Jaguar says it'll be here in Q3 this year.
Aston Martin Zagato
It's got a double bubble roof, a handmade aluminium body, a roll cage, more carbon fibre than you can shake a light-weight stick at and a V12 engine tuned by the gods (the engineering gods, that is).
Only 150 of the £330,000 supercars will be hitting the streets and precious few of them will find their way to the UK. It's a truly exclusive, beautiful car and you can have one before the end of the year if you beg/bribe your Aston Martin dealer.
Maserati GranTurismo Sport
Maserati makes truly beautiful cars. Without wanting to go all cliché on you, they are at the forefront of Italian style and tend to create quite a stir wherever they go. It's a good thing, then, that the new GranTurismo Sport isn't a munter.
It's got 460bhp, will hit 62mph from rest in just 4.7 seconds and will finish accelerating at 186mph. Head down to your nearest Maserati dealer to grab one.
Vauxhall Astra VXR
Britain loves a hot hatch. We're the biggest market for them in the world. Maybe it's the power/practicality mix, maybe it's the price? Perhaps it's the fact they're tuned to sound like little racing cars? Who knows, but we love them dearly. Vauxhall's hoping to tap into the hot hatch consciousness with the new Astra VXR.
When it arrives in July it'll come with 280bhp, a 5.9-second 0-62mph time and a 155mph top speed. The Ford Focus ST best be good to beat it.
BMW M6
The next 6 Series has been out for nearly a year now. We like it, it's great car. But its M-Division tuned bigger brother appeals rather more. The new M6 has a staggering 552bhp (that's nearly 50bhp more than its predecessor) and will do the 0-62mph dash in 4.2 seconds.
So it's quick and (subjectively) good looking. It'll also cost you £100,000 - nearly £25,000 more than the more practical M5. It's gonna be good, though.
Porsche Boxster
The time has come for the Boxster to be refreshed in its entirety. The old model was mighty fine, but the new one looks even better. It's beefier to look at, faster than its predecessor and still reasonably priced.
It's also economical - you can get 36.7mpg on the combined cycle out of a 265bhp 'standard' Boxster. It'll be in showrooms in late April and will set you back at least £38,580.
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse
Ever fancied doing really high three-figure speeds with the roof off? Well, Bugatti has just the car for you - the 1,200bhp Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.
Bugatti combined the SuperSports' epic engine with the Grand Sport's open topped body to create the ultimate drop top. It'll be very expensive (knocking on £2million) but you can ask Bugatti to make you one now.
Ford Fiesta ST
Ford's popular hatch has been given a big hammer of an engine to go and take out the likes of the VW Polo GTI, Skoda Fabia vRS, SEAT Ibiza Cupra and Audi A1 1.4 TFSI. It's got 180bhp and should be able to hack the 0-62mph dash in less than seven seconds. Not bad for a car the size of a shoe.
We'll see it in showrooms before the end of the year and it'll cost you around £18,000. Not bad for a little pocket rocket.
Ferrari F12 Berlinetta
You thought we'd forgotten hadn't you? Have faith, young Ferrari fan, we'd never forget a new Fezza. Created to replace the 599, the F12 comes with a 730bhp V12 and will fling you form 0-62mph in 3.1 seconds.
It's also jaw-droppingly pretty. Just look at it. You can't not want one, can you? The order books are open now, but first deliveries will be very early in 2013. Technically we're cheating, but it's so pretty we just don't care.
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