Geneva Motor Show 2012. Opening Day. C Through P

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The doors to the Geneva Motor Show finally swung open today, much to the relief of impatient petrol heads. Naturally the automotive media world has descended en-mass. Though crankandpiston was unable to attend, it would be remiss of us not to outline some of the highlights from day one.

In our own inimitable C R A N K AN D P I S T O N way, of course:

C – Concepts: Honda EV-Ster; Giugiaro Brivido

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Eighty-one previous Motor Shows have demonstrated that it wouldn’t be Geneva without concept designs, and Honda set the ball rolling with the Ev-Ster it debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show. Like any good concept, its sharp angles and dynamic presence suggest both ‘futuristic’ and ‘massive aesthetic changes to come’. Also, like many of this year’s cars, the Ev-ster is electric and, due to its small ‘Kei-car’ stature, can be fully recharged in just three hours. Just try to ignore the 160kph top speed.

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Though largely in the shadows of Italian compatriots Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo, Giugiaro caused a stir with its new Brivido. Described as a Gran Turismo with the performance of a supercar, designer Giorgetto Giugiaro’s latest creation will allegedly go from 0-100kph in 5.8s onto a top speed of 275kph. Another neat little touch are the two streamlined cameras that replace the wing mirrors, though don’t expect see much of that if production is confirmed.

R – Russia’s own B2

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Marussia’s had a rough time of it ahead of its debut Formula One season, failing to make an appearance at pre-season testing in Barcelona. Still, the company did at least have their new B2 supercar in Geneva on time. Performance details are sketchy –rather appropriate – but the previous B1, whose base its successor had adopted, topped nearly 250kph, so don’t expect figures to be far out. Also, try moving your head and looking at the B2’s demonic front end: the headlights will stare back.

A – AC 378 GT Zagato

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If this car looks familiar, that’s because it’s previously made its debut in Geneva. Granted though this was back in 2009 and it was called the Perana. We like a Zagato, and the Aston Martin variety debuted before last year’s Dubai Motor Show had us all going weak at the knees. A 6.2l V8 is sure to give the 378 GT some grunt too. Some of you may be saying, ‘very nice, but then it’s not the first time these two companies have crossed paths.’ Good general knowledge. AC’s Ace Bristol and Frua were both penned by Zagato in the ‘50s and ‘60s respectively.

N – NSX, from Honda

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Finally. Revealed back in Detroit, Honda have finally got round to putting the company badge on this piece of automotive art. Still, one can understand the delay, since this is a car Honda will want to get right. The orginal NSX was one of Honda’s best handling sportscars ever, largely because it was developed by Ayrton Senna. Shoes don’t come much bigger to fill than that.

K – Koenigsegg Agera R

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One could argue that, aesthetically, there’s not much to tell between the ‘standard’ Agera, or indeed most of this loveably quirky supercar family. That would be skipping over that all important ‘R’ moniker though. For example, 0-300kph (that’s right!) takes 14.53s courtesy of the 960 rampaging Swedish horses under the bonnet. Part of the reason for this monstrous speed are the Agera R’s hollow, carbon fibre wheels, the first ever used on a production car.

A – Aventador J, from Lamborghini

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Lamborghini’s latest offering was always going to be a show stealer. Yes, the price will be eye-watering, but the rampaging bull will hurtle from 0-100kph in the blink of an eye and not stop until it hits 300kph. And then there’s the looks. One thing the Aventador didn’t need was a facelift, and yet the topless J looks even better. For sure it’s page will get a lot of likes on facebook.

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