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Some shows are bigger from a sheer size perspective. Others sometimes feature more high-impact debuts. But in terms of total automaker participation, number of important product reveals, and wealth of delightfully eccentric dream machines, the annual\u00a0Salon International De L\u2019Auto in Geneva, Switzerland<\/a>, is the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me of the world\u2019s top auto shows.<\/p>\n Despite an industry that\u2019s growing greener faster than a lawn sprayed three times over with Scotts Turf Builder, there were a couple of major, traditionally powered surprises out on the floor of the 88th Geneva show\u2014chief among them from an enthusiast perspective was the debut of the\u00a0GR Toyota Supra Race Car Concept<\/a>.<\/p>\n Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is clear about his desire to develop more exciting, fun-to-drive offerings for Toyota and Lexus. That Toyota decided to preview the coming production version of the Supra in race trim was a megaphone shout to the world that the car will be a serious performer. I participated in a roundtable discussion with Supra chief engineer Tetsuya Tada, and he made a couple of emphatic points: The car will achieve a 50:50 balance over its 97.2-inch wheelbase, and its signature powerplant will be an inline-six, which is all but certain to be a version of BMW\u2019s turbocharged 3.0-liter thanks to Toyota\u2019s six-year relationship with the German automaker.<\/p>\n Tada-san spent some time talking about the tie-up with BMW, Toyota\u2019s partner on the joint Supra coupe\/Z4 roadster project. He said that despite some rocky patches at the start due to cultural and organizational differences, they have been able to develop an effective working relationship.<\/p>\n Speaking of BMW, it had a big, bad, and beautiful debut of its own in the form of the\u00a0Concept M8 Gran Coupe<\/a>. The crew from Munich has yet to launch the production version of its coming 8 Series, but that didn\u2019t stop it from previewing the four-door version of what will almost assuredly become an M8 variant. Indeed, according to our esteemed European correspondent Georg Kacher, an M version of the 8 Series will be available in either Coupe or Gran Coupe flavors and will be powered by a track-tested, 650-hp version of BMW\u2019s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8.<\/p>\n If you weren\u2019t aware, there are some seriously well-paid folks in the greater Geneva area, and for them, there were several variations of some already super cars strewn about the show\u2019s tiered halls in case they wanted to add one to their already crowded garages: an ultimate\u00a0Ferrari 488 called Pista<\/a>, a better-handling Bugatti Chiron Sport, a\u00a0two-door Range Rover dubbed the SV Coupe<\/a>, and the\u00a0Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe<\/a>\u00a0among them.<\/p>\n Want to launch a new brand? Geneva was the spot this year. Is it electrified? Even better. No less than three nascent nameplates had their official coming out parties at the Palexpo. Aston Martin is reviving its dormant Lagonda subbrand, which will be an all-EV proposition aimed at the super rich, so yeah, Geneva worked. Its\u00a0Lagonda Vision concept<\/a>\u00a0had some of the most comfortable-looking seats we\u2019ve seen, top-hinged rear doors that allow occupants to stand up and strut out, and a design that takes advantage of EV packaging to maximize space.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/st.automobilemag.com\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2018\/03\/Toyota-GR-Supra-Racing-Concept-side-view.jpg?resize=640%2C425\")
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