Auto For Speed

Koenigsegg, the Swedish maker of exotic sports cars will bring its newest creation, the Agera R hypercar, along with the final production version of the Agera to this week’s Geneva Salon. Building on the design of the 15-year-old CC, the Agera looks unmistakably “Koenigsegg”.

The paint scheme of the car that will be displayed in Geneva is inspired by the legendary Speed Racer theme, as specified by the owner of the car. But as impressive as it might be, the design pales in comparison with the technology present beneath the car’s carbon fiber skin.

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As if the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG wasn’t enough of a super car, tuning specialist Hamman finally decided to take a shot at it and present at the Geneva Auto Show this week one of the most extreme contraptions we recently laid our eyes on.

Called Hawk, the upgraded SLS AMG comes with a series of unique features, noticeable right from the moment the car falls into sight. The model has been wrapped in Everose Gold, with carbon fiber adorning some elements of the car, like the hood and trunk.

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This is the Durango that was never meant to be. A sporty SUV made no sense at all to the glorified accountants from Cerberus who ran Chrysler when the 2011 Durango was being developed, so it was never in the product plan. Ironically the bloodless moneymen were, on a purely rational level, correct: Attempting to turn a truck into a sports car is ultimately an exercise in futility. But the car business ain’t a rational business. If it were, there’d be no BMW X5, no Infiniti FX50, no Porsche Cayenne.

With its dubs, slammed suspension, and raucous exhaust, the 2011 Dodge Durango R/T may be every bit as pointless as a Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG, but we should all celebrate the fact it exists, because it means the car guys are back running the show in Auburn Hills. You can debate the Durango R/T’s relevance, but you can’t dispute the passion behind it.

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Among the many tuning firms making their way to the Geneva Motor Show is VW Group specialist MTM. The German company will display two heavily modified Audi models, based on the R8 V10 and the TT RS. The most impressive proposal is the one-off MTM R8 Biturbo that comes with a polished chrome body that took over 700 working hours to complete. A large fixed spoiler at the back along with 20-inch forged rims and carbon fiber parts round off the exterior changes.

However, the most striking aspect of the tune is hidden underneath the shiny body as MTM has modified the V10 engine to produce a whopping 777-horses and 888 Nm (655 lb-ft) of peak torque for a 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 3.0 seconds. The R8 BiTurbo also accelerates from naught to 200km/h (124mph) in 9.37 seconds and to 300 km/h (186mph) in 19.42 seconds, en route to a top speed 350km/h (218mph).

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Anyone in for some fine crafted, over-expensive car with a very complicated name? Head to Geneva then, where from next week the Xenatech Maybach 57S Cruiserio Coupe is to be found. Not the Auto Show which kicks off there at the same time, if that was what you were thinking, but at a special pavilion in the gardens of “La Reserve” Hotel on the banks of Lake Geneva.

The moment the model will be presented will mark the world premiere of the model, which comes nearly three months after German coachbuilder Xenatec delivered the first unit to a dealer in Saudi Arabia.

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