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Geneva Motor Show 1983 - Electronics boom, common sense and the variety of shapes and colors

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Created on March 10, 2013

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Archiv

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

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Impressions of the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - View of the Palexpo hall

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General plan / Hall plan Geneva Motor Show 1983

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Impressions of the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - The entrance area of the Palexpo halls

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Impressions of the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - the new Palexpo exhibition building in Geneva

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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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Alfa Romeo Delfino (1983) - unconventionally shaped coupé by Bertone based on the Alfa 6 saloon with a shortened wheelbase - 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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Alfa Romeo Spider (1983) - "modernized", the Alfa mouth gave way to a rubber bumper - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Alfa Romeo Sprint 1.5 (1983) - stylistically refreshed and with a new front - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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AMC Eagle (1983) - practically unchanged, improvements in rust protection - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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ATM F 16 (1983) - a new name, it caused a showroom surprise - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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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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Audi 100 Avant (1983) - the estate is also available with an additional bench seat in the trunk - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Audi 100 Avant (1983) - one can only marvel - 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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Austin Maestro (1983) - BL's latest product can be admired as an interesting cutaway model - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Impressions from the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - popular sunroofs

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Bitter SC (1983) - shows more individuality with a refined radiator face - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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BMW 320i (1983) - new edition of the three-door model, here the not yet available four-door version is shown - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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BMW 323i Cabriolet (1983) - the convertible with roll bar produced by Baur is 7,500 francs more expensive than the closed version - 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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Chevrolet Corvette (1983) - the traditional sports car with plastic bodywork as an Expert version - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Chevrolet Camaro Z 28 E (1983) - five-liter displacement, eight cylinders, tailgate - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Buick Riviera Convertible (1983) - only available in limited numbers in Europe - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Cadillac Eldorado (1983) - elegant and imposing appearance, drive via the front wheels - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Chevrolet Celebrity (1983) - almost 480 cm long, front-wheel drive model of the new compact US generation - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Citroën BX 16 TRS (1983) - the limousine designed by Bertone is now also available in Switzerland, prices between 13,950 and 16,000 francs - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Citroën BX (1983) - Steering wheel and dashboard of the new sedan, which slots between the GSA and CX - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Citroën Visa Décapotable (1983) - the convertible sedan is built by Heuliez - 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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Impressions from the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - the TRX tire from Michelin, all the rage at the time

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Ferrari 512 BBi (1983) - The top version, which is clean and quiet enough for Switzerland, costs 134,000 francs - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Ferrari 512 BBi (1983) - complete sales program at Ferrari, all vehicles - Mondial, 512 BBi, 400i - have passed the CH emissions tests - at the Geneva Motor Show of 1983

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Ferrari 512 BBi (1983) - mid-engine sports car customized with tuning parts from König - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Fiat Uno (1983) - the big Turin novelty is offered with engines of 0.9, 1.1 and 1.3 liters displacement - at the Geneva Motor Show of 1983

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Fiat Uno (1983) - starting at 9,990 francs, the small Uno, first seen in Switzerland, - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Ford Escort Cabriolet (1983) - (still) a special body, but close to the series, built by Karmann - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Ford Escort (1983) - heavily modified Ford with tuning parts from Kamei - 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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Ford Sierra XR4i (1983) - Steering wheel and dashboard of the sportiest Sierra variant - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Impressions from the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - a really young admirer

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Honda Prelude (1983) - with power steering as standard and with five-speed or automatic transmission - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Innocenti Mini (1983) - now presented with three-cylinder engines from Daihatsu - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Isdera Spyder 033i (1983) - makes motorcycle and car fans dream - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Jaguar XJS (1983) - the V12 engine returns, the Swiss are still allowed to drive the silky smooth Jaguar - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Lada 2107 (1983) - modernized, new with rectangular chrome-plated radiator grille - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Lancia Prisma (1983) - developed from the Delta, with a practical but not necessarily attractive rear end - 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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Lotus Excel (1983) - this plastic sports car was thoroughly modernized - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Impressions from the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - how fast, how strong - young admirer

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Maserati Biturbo (1983) - there is now talk of an upcoming 2.5-liter version - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Mazda 626 (1983) - available as a four-door or five-door model and with front-wheel drive - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Mercedes Benz 190 E (1983) - sporty look by Zehnder - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Mitsubishi Galant Station Turbo D (1983) - one of the few station wagons from Japan, now available with a turbocharged diesel engine - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Nissan Micra (1983) - individually folding rear seats create variability - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Opel Ascona CC Berlina (1983) - Opel customized by Irmscher for Vauxhall - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Opel Corsa (1983) - with the small car now also represented in the compact category, the car is produced in Zaragoza (Spain) - 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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Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 4x4 (1983) - the 320 hp mid-engine rally car is still in the prototype stage - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Peugeot 505 Turbo Injection (1983) - probably only available in Switzerland from 1984, the current version does not meet the Swiss emission standards, despite injection - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Porsche 928 Cabriolet BB (1983) - already shown in Frankfurt, elegant convertible version of the V8 Porsche from Buchmann (BB-Auto) - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Porsche F1 (1983) - the TAG-Porsche F1 engine with a displacement of 1.5 liters and around 600 hp is shown to the general public for the first time - 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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Renault 11 TSE (1983) - available as a compact three- or five-door model, four engines and five equipment variants on offer - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Renault 11 TSE (1983) - the successor to the Renault 14 built on the same platform as the R9 notchback saloon - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Rolls-Royce Camargue (1983) - with additional bodywork by Hooper - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Saab 900 Turbo (1983) - still with the previous engine, but a wide-scale test with the four-valve engine with two overhead camshafts is already underway - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Saab Turbo (1983) - upcoming four-valve engine with turbo - 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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Skoda 105 S (1983) - the cheapest Skoda is available from 6,666 francs, the Rapid Coupé costs 9,600 francs - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Subaru 700 (1983) - all-wheel drive small car with good market prospects - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Talbot Samba Cabriolet (1983) - 30 buyers a day are expected to buy the convertible in Switzerland, all waiting for spring - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Toyota Camry (1983) - two-liter model with front-wheel drive, 105 hp in Switzerland - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Volvo 760 GLE Turbo (1983) - new top-of-the-range model from Volvo, powered by a four-cylinder turbo engine - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Volvo 760 GLE Turbo (1983) - the four-cylinder turbo engine with a displacement of 2.3 liters produces a maximum of 173 hp - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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VW Golf Cabriolet (1983) - customized with pop-up headlights, Bubble Car, by Schwyn - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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VW Polo Coupé (1983) - additional body variant as an alternative to the hatchback Polo - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Impressions from the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - car phones are coming, even if only inside the car - here a model from Becker

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Impressions from the 1983 Geneva Motor Show - more operating convenience and digital displays for built-in radios

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Summary

Although the 53rd Geneva International Motor Show in 1983 did not set an absolute attendance record, it did bring a lot of news with eleven world premieres. Over 550,000 visitors flocked to Geneva to admire innovations such as the Audi 100 Avant and the Bertone Alfa Romeo Delfino. This report shows the exhibited cars in over 80 pictures and describes the innovations and trends of 1983. A floor plan is also available.

This article contains the following chapters

Optimism instead of doomsday mood
World premiere Audi 100 Avant
The new Fiat Uno small car
The French with their new models
Modern Austin Maestro
Daihatsu Charade as a world premiere
Chevrolet Corvette as a crowd puller
Bertone's Alfa Romeo Delfino
Practicality from Giugiaro and Pininfarina
Probe IV from Ghia
More and more electronics in cars
Saab and Volvo with turbo
Tuning trend and sunroof boom
Funfair at the Motor Show
Further information

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The attendance record of 585,000 visitors set in 1982 could not be beaten for the 53rd Geneva Motor Show in 1983, which took place relatively late from March 10 to 20, as the two-wheeler exhibition was missing in odd-numbered years, as was customary at the time. Compared to the same year in 1981, however, the number of visitors increased by 5% to 550,271, which was considered a success. Eleven world premieres were shown and the automobile brands present were generally satisfied with the flow of visitors and the sales results. Some people probably still longed for the old days when the show was held in the center of the city of Geneva, but with the second staging at the Palais d'Exposition near the airport, the new environment was finally established.

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