Revhead Ramblings: The Brits Took Geneva by Storm Last Week

Between Aston Martin, Bentley, McLaren, and Morgan, Britain has confirmed it’s still a front runner when it comes to automotive design and innovation.

The Bugatti La Voiture Noire may have received masses of attention since its debut, but not all that attention was good. Does any car really command a £12 million asking price? I don’t believe so.

Bentley Covered Heritage

While the Bugatti offers incredible exclusivity, it doesn’t exactly push the boundaries anywhere else. Yes, it’s based on an incredibly limited car, the 1936 Type 57 Atlantic, but yet again it offers nothing other than rarity.

If you want heritage from your car, Bentley revealed the perfect answer last week. The continental GT Number 9 based on their 1930’s Le Mans race car. The Blower Bentley is iconic and while the Conti may not be as exclusive as the Bugatti, with just 100 set for production, I doubt you’ll be racing one at the lights anytime soon.

The Investments Keep Coming

Morgan are looking to the future, albeit in a very different way to everyone else. The manufacturer from Malvern is turning 110 this year, but don’t think the investment they’ve received is going to change the way they do things. The money is there to bring stability, rather than change their direction, so the new Morgan Plus Six will sit on an all-new extruded aluminium platform while still retaining an ash frame.

Although the Italian firm Investidustrial now own a majority stake, the Morris family have retained shares themselves before dividing the rest amongst staff and management. This ensures everyone in the company has an interest in the long-term success of the company.

McLaren’s Announcement

They’ve repeatedly refused the idea they’d make an SUV, they believe it would dilute the brand and doesn’t’ correspond with their image and heritage of making great drivers’ cars. If you’re still set on travelling continents in a McLaren though, you’ll be particularly excited about their announcement at Geneva. A driver-focused, luxury McLaren GT that will be ‘the best in its class’ is being developed.

It’ll have a similar V8 to the 720S and feature a carbon fibre tub. It’ll directly rival the Bentley Continental GT but drastically undercut it on weight. They’ll take a more relaxed focus on weight saving inside the cabin, offering some plush materials to save you from the usual expanses of carbon fibre.

The Vanquish is Back

Before you get too excited looking at it, remember this is a concept. Having said that, Aston would have to make some seriously drastic changes to ruin its looks. When it launches it will do battle with the likes of the Ferrari F8 Tributo and McLaren 720s, a pair of foes you’d hardly describe as boring.

Unfortunately, we won’t get the V12 from the old car, instead a V6 lump will take its place. The downsizing isn’t all doom and gloom however, it’s actually the same engine being used in the limited-edition mid-engined AM-RB 003.

The Future Looks Bright

It’s very easy to get down about the British automotive industry when you read the headlines about Honda, Nissan and Mini. They’re all huge losses but the only way to push forward is to innovate and build interesting and desirable products. Geneva did a great job to showcase some of the great British products on offer in the near future and there’s plenty more to come!

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