It was already apparent in 2014! The automotive industry is mainly looking ahead. There's not much room left for history and the creation of legends. Fuel cells and electric cars have very little to do with the cars of the 1950s or 1960s, at least at first glance.
Nevertheless, fans of classic cars were also able to catch sight of some historic vehicles at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
The goddess as namesake
Citroën has recently started selling entire product lines under the name "DS".
The 60th birthday of the goddess (la déesse = the goddess) is of course a welcome opportunity to look back a little. This was done with a blue DS saloon, which visitors had to look for at the back of the Citroën stand.
The gullwing takes center stage
At Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, the 300 SL Gullwing with its grey paintwork is enthroned in the middle of the stand and, despite its inconspicuous color, steals the show from many a new vehicle.
Mercedes-Benz is generally very well represented when it comes to classics. The Model G is basically already a classic car in its lifetime and is really pampered by the tuner community.
At Brabus, there are also restored vintage Mercedes cars on display, a Pagoda, a four-seater convertible from the 1960s and, of course, a 300 SL Roadster.
Spider advertises Spider
Alfa Romeo also shows the 4C Spider in Geneva and has the 1900 Sport Spider from Bertone from 1954 driven up for this purpose.
Here, too, the elegant one-off is sure to cause as much of a stir as its modern successor, which, however, also has a lot to offer.
The other Italian manufacturers (Ferrari, Maserati, Fiat) refrain from looking back, with the exception of occasional film clips in the background.
Borgward is back
A brand that actually passed away in the 1960s occupies an impressively large stand: Borgward.
Not much can be shown yet, so a refurbished brand logo and a Borgward Isabella coupé will have to suffice. Christian Borgward, a descendant of Carl F. W. Borgward, is one of the people behind the revival.
The aim of the new Borgward is to make premium technology accessible, just as Carl F. W. did when he installed fuel injection in the Goliath, the four-valve engine in the RS 1500 or built the P100 as a competitor to the luxury sedans of the time. Whether it will succeed, we will see. So far, there are only tentative plans for a modern SUV, which will probably be manufactured in China and is to be presented at the IAA 2015. Up to two new models are to be released each year.
And another name is celebrating a resurrection: Maybach. Not as a brand, but at least as a type designation at Mercedes-Benz.
Missed opportunity at TAG-Heuer
Visitors with an interest in history were somewhat disappointed by TAG-Heuer's much-heralded special show. After the Le Mans retrospective in 2014 generated a lot of positive feedback, TAG-Heuer only had one old car in the form of the 1988 McLaren-Honda MP4-4 driven by Senna.
It should have been possible to show a Carrera Panamericana car or a Formula 1 from the Siffert era instead of a Lotus Elise ...
Almost finished
And that's almost the end of the tour for visitors interested in old sheet metal, were it not for two older Porsche models at RUF and an original McLaren F1 with a long tail.
And, of course, there are cars from manufacturers that were built as new cars but are actually classic cars in spirit, such as Land Rover or Morgan.
Some exhibitors really missed an opportunity to use their tradition to their advantage, such as Ford, where a historic GT40 would certainly have fitted in well with the new GT, or Mazda, where there would certainly have been room for an early representative of the series alongside the current MX-5. Aston Martin, too, could certainly have presented a model from the sixties alongside the Lagonda saloon, but it seems that they prefer to show tradition at classic car shows, which is not a bad thing.
As a theme for a special show, Zwischengas would like to suggest putting together a selection of Salon premieres from past years, from the Mercedes-Benz 230 SL to the Lamborghini Miura and the Peugeot 604, why not?
And the modern era?
Of course, a motor show focuses primarily on the future, which is why it is primarily the new models and concept cars that attract interest. And there were quite a few of these in 2015.
Although they are not the primary topic of this publication, we have included a series of world premieres and pioneering studies in the image gallery for interested viewers, with a few exceptions consistently sorted by (original) year of release and brand. Enjoy.
Impressive exhibition technology
What stands out almost independently of the exhibitors is the exhibition technology, which has been developed to perfection. The huge picture walls show moving and stationary objects in impressive sharpness, with films running in the background that are almost worth a visit to the show alone. And yes, there are still cutaway models to be seen. And yes, the elegant ladies haven't disappeared either, even if some observers think that there may have been more investment in this area in the past.
The amount of light and stars in the halls is impressive. Whereas photographers used to have to expose for 10 and 15 seconds to capture a vehicle on film, thousands of spotlights produce practically daylight. Perfect illumination of the beautiful cars is the order of the day today.
If you are interested in exhibition technology , please refer to the updated report.
