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The Geneva Motor Show of 1953/63/73/83

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Created on March 11, 2013

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

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Archiv

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Archiv Reinhard / Max Pichler

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Archiv

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British Leyland (1973) - the exhibition stand benefits from a refined carpet landscape and beautiful girls - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1973

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Impressions of the 1963 Geneva Motor Show - Visitor with TCS bag

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Fiat 1100 (1953) - Cutaway model of the new compact saloon celebrating its world premiere in Geneva - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Ford Taunus 12M (1953) - in elegant dark color - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Morris Minor (1953) - cutaway model, note the overhead valve engine - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Garage accessories, here a lifting platform with a VW Beetle and a Morris Minor - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Fiat 8 V (1953) - at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show

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Siata 208 CS (1953) - the Siata Coupé next to a Spider at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show

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Buick Skylark (1953) - a 'sports car' in the American sense - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Hansa 2400 (1953) - high-performance touring car with comb rear - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Nash-Healey Coupé (1953) - the Coupé was one of the few genuine new models at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Cunningham (1953) - Vignale elegance on an American chassis - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Ferrari 212 Inter Vignale (1953) - Vignale body variant - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Ferrari 250 GT (1953) - elegant coupé - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Triumph TR 2 (1953) - hood, opened - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Dunlop tires - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Caravans and motorhomes are also on display - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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The Automobil-Revue stand - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1953

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Mercedes Benz 230 SL (1963) - World premiere of the youngest offspring from a good family

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Abarth 2000 (1963) - Surprise from Carlo Abarth, the two-liter version of the Abarth 1600

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Ford Mustang (1963) - as the centerpiece of the Ford stand

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Simca 1300 GL (1963) - "Grand Luxe" version of the mid-size sedan with staggered lines

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Opel Rekord (1963) - the new line of the mid-range Opel with enlarged glass surfaces

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Lancia Fulvia (1963) - the new front-wheel drive model replaces the Appia and is technically based on the Flavia

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Alfa Romeo Tubolare Zagato TZ 1 Zagato (1963) - first shown in Turin, only a dozen built at that time

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Aston Martin DB 4 Vantage (1963) - visually unchanged, but with some technical improvements

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Peugeot 404 Coupé (1963) - extremely elegant coupé version of the 404 saloon built by Pininfarina

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Alvis Super Coupé Graber (1963) - no concessions to short-term trends in coachbuilding

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Chevrolet Corvair Testudo (1963) - concept cars from Bertone with unusual design details

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VW 1500 (1963) - cutaway model shows the accommodation of the spare wheel in the front - at the Geneva Motor Show 1963

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Impressions of the 1963 Geneva Motor Show - Automobil Revue stand

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Renault 17 TL (1973) - on the Renault stand, the 5 TL, 12 TS and 17 TL models turn and open and close their doors - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Peugeot 104 (1973) - four doors for the compact car, a reasonable 8,975 francs - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Mercedes-Benz Type 450 SE (1973) - hardly distinguishable from its brothers, but perhaps that's the way it should be - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Audi 80 LS (1973) - four-door version, premiere in Geneva, from 10,920 francs - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Datsun 120 A (1973) - unconventional design of the rear of the car - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1973

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Fiat 126 (1973) - skillfully designed body of the only 3 meter long Italian - at the Geneva Motor Show of 1973

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Ford Capri RS 2600 (1973) - the most powerful version of the Cologne Capri - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Ford Granada 2300 (1973) - particularly spacious station wagon version - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Honda Civic (1973) - compact car from Japan with new styling features - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Maserati Indy 4900 (1973) - 320 hp (DIN) for the elegant 2+2 coupé designed by Vignale - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Opel Rekord L (1973) - the sales success is explained, among other things, by the pleasing styling - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Albar Sonic (1983) - another sophisticated sports car with a cheerful color pattern - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Puma 1600 GTE (1973) - sporty two-seater based on a VW with a plastic body for just 18,500 francs - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Lamborghini Countach (1973) - LP 500 with longitudinal five-liter V12 engine and 440 hp - exhibited at the Geneva Motor Show in 1973

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Sbarro SV 1 (1973) - powered by two NSU Ro80 engines connected together, production planned in small series - at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show

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Swiss Buggy (1973) - the variant with hardtop and plastic swing door shown for the first time - at the Geneva Motor Show in 1973

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Impressions from the 1973 Geneva Motor Show - Car radio - Motorola eight-track tape recorder

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Impressions of the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - View of the Palexpo hall - Toyota stand in the foreground

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Audi 100 Avant (1983) - shown for the first time, the new avant-garde, with a streamlined body (drag coefficient 0.34) - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Austin Maestro (1983) - highly acclaimed premiere of the new British Leyland model, available as both an Austin and an MG - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Peugeot 205 GT (1983) - the new compact five-seater is available at prices starting at 10,995 francs - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Chevrolet Corvette (1983) - export version with 5.7-liter V8 and four-speed automatic transmission - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Daihatsu Charade (1983) - with restyled bodywork, also available with the smallest production diesel engine with 993 cm3 and 37 hp - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Alfa Romeo Delfino (1983) - Coupé study by Bertone - aerodynamically balanced - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Ford Probe IV (1983) - ready-to-drive concept car with an almost sensational drag coefficient of 0.15, not least thanks to fully enclosed wheels and a smooth underbody - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Land Rover 110 (1983) - constantly modernized - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Sbarro Golf 300 S (1983) - underneath is a Porsche platform, next to it the Sbarro Gullwing - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Impressions from the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - the increasing use of electronics creates a need for explanation

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Summary

From the pontoon body to the aerodynamic wedge shape, from small cars to luxury saloons, from underpowered coupés to super sports cars, from estate cars to buggies, the four Geneva Motor Shows of 1953, 1963, 1973 and 1983 show the progress and changes in the automotive industry over 40 years, the technology trends and the buyers' priorities. This overview article combines a brief characterization of the four motor shows held 30, 40, 50 and 60 years ago, supplemented by 60 impressive photo documents of the individual events.

This article contains the following chapters

Sport and reason at the 1953 Geneva Motor Show
World premieres under a good star at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show
Hot prizes and unreasonable premieres at the 1973 Geneva Motor Show
Electronics boom at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

Estimated reading time: 10min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The Geneva Motor Show is one of the most important motor shows in Europe and attracts a large international participation and visitors from all over the world every year due to its early date, central location and the characteristics of the Swiss car market. Time and again, world premieres have been presented at the Geneva Motor Show, be it the Chrysler Airflow (1934), Fiat 8V (1952), Jaguar E-Type (1961), Mercedes 230 SL (1963) or Porsche 928 (1977). On the occasion of the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, we look back 30, 40, 50 and 60 years, examine the environment of the individual exhibitions and show some of the most beautiful exhibits again in the best picture quality.

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