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News And Notes From The Geneva International Motor Show

A marque-by-marque look at the sportscar related news from the show

Toyota

Toyota presented the most immediately racing-relevant product of all the marques at Geneva this year, with its GR Super GT4 Concept.

The car though was shown as a concept and not yet as a formally launched customer racing product. The development programme in the VLN is set to continue with the less highly-developed Supra A90 with Toyota Gazoo Racing currently planning to feature the car in its Nürburgring 24 Hours line-up.

McLaren

McLaren did have a motorsport presence at Geneva. A 720S GT3 (Chassis #01, which raced at the Gulf 12 Hours) featured prominently on its stand ahead of multiple new team announcements in the coming days and weeks, the first of which came earlier today, the first car set to race in Australia.

There’s at least one more to come within the next week, adding the 720S GT3 to another as yet unannounced programme with a McLaren presence.

Whilst not on display at the show, McLaren has also teased what looks set to be the next major addition to its model line-up, a mid-engined grand touring car which was announced by Mike Flewitt at its press conference.

“The fourth McLaren to be introduced under the Track25 business plan will be our interpretation of the Grand Tourer,” said Flewitt. “It will be a car that combines competition levels of performance with continent-crossing capability, wrapped in a beautiful lightweight body. It’s a car that has been designed for distance and one that will also provide the comfort and space expected of a Grand Tourer.

“But with a level of agility never experienced before in this segment. In addition, it will be the lightest of Grand Tourers and by also having the best power-to-weight ratio, I promise it will be one of the quickest. In addition, it will be the only Grand Tourer to share its DNA with the 250mph McLaren Speedtail.”

Aston Martin

Aston Martin was one of pair of very different British manufacturers that unveiled new cars at the Geneva International Motor Show that might just might, provide an indication of future intentions in motorsport.

First up is Aston Martin with a stunning multiple ‘reveal’ of a four-car mid-engined line-up consisting of the verification prototype of the forthcoming Valkyrie together with the show car of the Valkyrie AMR Pro.

The new car of interest though was provided by the first sight in the metal of the third car in the new mid-engined line-up, the AM-RB 003. It’s the third of the cars jointly developed by Red Bull Racing and Aston Martin.

It is understood by DSC to be the car that would, should the project be approved, form either the visual basis for a 2020 rules WEC Hypercar or if other media reports are to be believed, is currently envisaged by Aston Martin as the actual basis of a more road-going hypercar-evolved LMP1 replacement.

Ginetta

The other in the pair was Ginetta, which had already taken the wraps off the visual look of its forthcoming supercar prior to the show. However, at Geneva it unveiled in all-over black to the public, giving it a very different look. Now formally dubbed, the Akula, which is Russian for shark, is also the name of one of the more menacing attack submarines in the Russian navy.

The newcomer attracted much favourable comment from the mainstream and performance motoring press. Ginetta’s PR narrative linked the brand’s road-going heritage to the G60-LT-P1 LMP1 car and chimed well with everyone from Autocar to Top Gear, the BBC’s monthly magazine featuring the Akula as one of its top five supercars from a Geneva Show packed full of fast cars with big price tickets.

The are no motorsport spin-offs for Akula as yet revealed, but with Ginetta’s current range of GT cars coming to the end of their life cycle, there’s sure to be more to come from the Garforth massive.

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