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A couple of days ago, we received an email from Lumeneo's PR rep Isabel giving us the business about the all-electric, leaning Lumeneo Smera we brought you. She claimed the car was not as our American eyes could clearly see, a single seater, but in fact a two seater! 'Impossible!' we said, 'Prove it with a picture.' And so she has. Seated inline, inside that tiny little car are father Daniel and son Thierry Moulène, President and Technical Director respectively. galleryPost('lumeneosmera', 18, 'The Apparently 2 Seat Lumeneo Smera '); We promise there are no tricks of photography, no tricks, this is a real picture and two grown men are in the Smera. You can look for pixels yourself with this full size image . Guess that explains the funny shape of the lower seat cushion. We thought the press release was in error when it said two passengers. So now we have a two seat, all electric, four wheeled, leaning micro car that will get to 62 MPH in 8 seconds, top...
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As we were exiting the incredibly trippy Schtroumpfs residential development, our eye caught something sleek and silver and slowly floating down the road on a flatbed. This Aston Martin V8 Vantage seems to be in the midst of a restoration and probably becoming a new man's Project Car Hell . We couldn't quite nail down the vintage, but it looks like early 70's for this lithe British beast. The fella with the Touareg seemed happy with the attention the car garnered, but we would have lost our minds driving that big trailer around the cramped streets of Geneva. galleryPost('genevav8hell', 6, 'Aston Martin V8 Vantage Project in Geneva');
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We have no idea what this is, but after the Peel Trident, this is probably the smallest four wheeled street legal vehicle we've ever seen. And despite our best deciphering and sleuthing efforts, it remains unidentified. F-gobble-de-gook Tech was the best we could get out of it. How can someone get into this thing and feel fine about it? We'd rather take our chances on a regular scoot, at least there you can jump away from a wreck. But hey, this is a convertible and has those fancy, new fangled canvas doors. galleryPost('tinytech', 6, 'Backpack or Car You Decide'); We're not modern European traffic law standards scholars, but we're assuming there is a 50 cc quadracycle kind of niche carved out below regular cars as kei cars work in Japan. This particular one has a 50 cc license plate which we assume means a 49 cc scooter motor and you can see the CVT poking out the bottom. I suppose if you don't want to put up with the wind and maybe have an inner ear...
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newVideoPlayer("AlfaSpiderGeneva_Jalopnik.flv", 463, 387,""); Ok, we can't get enough of the Alfa 8C Spider . It's just too beautiful. So why stop at the mere pictures from yesterday? Let's add us some official video of the unveil for you to sink your teeth into. No, the car doesn't move. No, you can't hear the sonorous V8. No, we don't understand what that guy is saying. But do we care? No. We just want to stare at it. Forever. We think we hear it in a dark expo center in Geneva as it cries out to us "I love you!" Or that may have just been us. galleryPost('alfa8cgenevavid', 3, 'On The Show Floor');galleryPost('alfa8cspiderproductionwhite', 3, 'In Our Dreams');
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Remember when only muscle cars had 390 horsepower? Of course you don't. Therefore, it shan't give thee pause the new 2009 Infiniti FX50 has the same. That by way of Nissan's 5.0 liter V8 -- that outpowers BMW's X5 4.8i -- over a seven-speed transmission. Other than a significant facelift, the longtime oddball SUV gets a four-wheel double-wishbone suspension with active Continuous Damping Control (CDC); four-wheel active steering and intelligent brake assist. The most notable interior feature, other than the 11-speaker Bose audio system and active safety gewgaws like intelligent cruise control and Distance Control Assist (DCA), is the new 360-degree Around View Monitor system, shared with its smaller EX counterpart. The FX50 will hit the US mid-year before a European ship date in the fall, followed by stoplight-to-stoplight guffaws involving errant X5s in Basel. galleryPost('infinitifx50geneva', 9, 'Infiniti FX50 in Geneva');galleryPost('infinitifx50press'...
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We haven't run the numbers, but there is an assumption the Citroen 2CV makes a decent showing when scored by our official guidelines . We caught this one parked alongside the Eglise Russa (Russian Church) and couldn't help but snap away like it was freshly unveiled. The French horse was tucked in tight and of course passers by assumed we were either French or insane while standing in the road admiring its underpowered glory. galleryPost('geneva2cv', 6, 'Citroen 2CV In Geneva Repose');
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Wandering around Geneva, a couple of things become readily apparent. First and foremost, this is a rich-ass city. Banks and ultra high end luxury stores are as common as faux hawks, and the Audi RS4 is a commoners' car. Another thing you notice quite quickly is how a city situated between two mountain ranges at the bottom of a giant lake gets kinda windy. I'm not going to step on Chicago's toes, but there may be a lost ear on the Rue De Mont Blanc Bridge. The brutal cold wasn't enough to keep us from finding this Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano parked street side. galleryPost('genevafiorano', 9, 'Street Side Parking Good Enough For Ferrari'); Look, the Ferrari is dirty! It's parked next to a curb. Its down there in the grit and dirt just like every other car. We never thought we'd see the day, but there it is.
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Now that we've got show coverage all but wrapped up for the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, we're thinking it's time to show you a bit of Geneva itself. The Swiss are famous for roughly two things: their unwavering neutrality and chocolate. What better cause célèbre for creating a chocolate car than the auto show? We found this stylized Audi TT and it's lesser automotive friends on display at a Chocolatier near the train station. Rumor has it the car is equipped with the exclusive new aero package and a candy coated dual clutch DSG system. BTW, the Swiss Franc trades roughly on par with the US dollar, so that's about a $120 confection. Yowch. galleryPost('chocolateaudi', 6, 'The Chocolate Car Sales Lot');
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Okay, so the Lumeneo Smera , unfortunate name and all, seems like it's a fairly well put together and well engineered piece of kit -- a little weird, but still okay. The Kyberz Classic on the other hand has us looking askance at its spindly MacPherson struts and thin little wagon wheel tires. If it was merely a conversation piece, we'd take amusement with the massively long windshield wiper arm, the cockpit which vaguely recalls an X-wing, and the rad motorcycle handlebars. Considering this may make it's way onto the occasional roadway makes the joke not so funny. galleryPost('classicsomething', 9, 'Classic is a Scooter from Hell');
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We were expecting some wacky stuff here at the Geneva Motor Show, but a VW pickup on hydros? What the what? Sure why not, the crazy part was the 8 switch Vee Dub was sitting next to a dropped Ferrari F40, which we thought was illegal to begin with, but what do we know. What does that say about us that both Spinelli and I walked right past the F40 like it was invisible? In any case, too bad this example wasn't seen at SEMA or some state fairground where we would have been no doubt treated to a couple of tasteful poses. galleryPost('vwhydros', 6, 'VW Rabbitamino in Geneva and Packing Hydros');
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Lord almighty these cars are bright in person. Ford went ahead and dropped the real deal Ford Fiesta on us and they went out of their way to slather then in colors the Joker would be very proud of. We're pretty excited by the idea of a compact Ford in the market again, though we don't have confirmation yet on the 5 door coming stateside yet. One thing the original (good) Focus was never faulted for was its handling, and it's something Ford has figured out which we're hoping transfers to a potentially more flickable car. galleryPost('fiesta3doorgeneva', 6, 'Ford Fiesta 3 Door At Geneva');galleryPost('fiesta5doorgeneva', 6, 'Ford Fiesta 5 Door At Geneva'); Hopefully the horrible decontenting fate that sank the C170 Focus for us doesn't beset the Fiesta, but we'll just have to wait and see. If you don't remember how the long winded press release felt when it first came out, go nuts soldiering through it down below. FIESTA FOREVER...
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Well, our little Swiss adventure at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show is now drawing to a close. Spinelli and Ben have already hopped in bed for a good night's sleep that's been a long few days in the coming. We're excited to finally be able to wake up tomorrow at our normal un-godly hour for the first time this week. But, if you weren't able to catch today's wild weirdness, here's the entire day for you -- all wrapped up in a shiny chocolate wrapper-like package. Enjoy. Booth Professionals Of The 2008 Geneva Motor Show galleryPost('boothgirlsgeneva08', 12, ''); Mercedes AMG SL63 Debuts in Geneva galleryPost('benzsl63geneva', 6, ''); Fiat 500 Abarth Revealed: Still Small, Now With Added "Wicked" galleryPost('abarth500geneva', 6, ''); Webasto LigHT Concept Has Light Top, Accurate Name galleryPost('webastolightgeneva', 6, ''); 2009 Infiniti FX50 Revealed At Poorly-Lit Function galleryPost('2009InfinitiFX50'...
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It's not often that I quickly look past blonde and presumably Italian (or maybe Swiss) "booth professionals," but the Alfa Romeo 8C Spider has that affect on a man. Yes, friends, the highly anticipated Geneva debut of the Spider is finally here. This car has the same 450 HP 4.7-liter V8 as its brother, the 8C Competizione , which earned its own Very Special Jalopnik Day and still makes Ray twitch nervously. If you haven't already noticed, the Spider features a fully automatic electro-hydraulic convertible top that has been engineered with the same aerodynamic and performance precision as the rest of the ride. Much to the dismay of anyone with eyes and a pulse, only 500 of these will be manufactured. Pretty much ensures that you won't be getting one (Fiat scion, exec and world-class playboy/recovering 12-stepper Lapo Elkann, on the other hand...) It matters not. The live pictures of this Chariot of the Gods are here to be drooled over. galleryPost('8cspidercompetizione'...
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newVideoPlayer("fiataria_jalopnik.flv", 463, 387,""); When one thinks of great Italian directors, artists like Rosselini, de Sica and Fellini immediately come to mind. To this list we must add the cinematic genius behind this subtle yet humorous take on the auto show. It combines the camera work of the neorealists with the carefully constructed mise en scene of the magical realists. At the surface, it's just an unnecessary closeup of someone from Fiat explaining the new Fiat Panda Aria . Delve deeper and you'll see the models unable to stay still, representing the ennui and discomfort of the public, shielded by the talking head. The best moment, though, is reserved for the end. The director chooses to pan away, for no discernible reason, in the middle of this guy talking. Benissimo! galleryPost('fiatpandaaria', 4, 'How Existential'); [Source: FIAT]
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Compromises. Some see them as the rational decisions that are necessary to live a safe, comfortable, Western life. Others see them as the root of all evil. So what does that make a vehicle like the Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK Bluetec Hybrid? It's neither SUV or car, it's powered by diesel and/or electricity, and it sits somewhere between outright luxury and downright affordability. And this being a "Vision" model, it's also a compromise between flight of fancy show concept and down to earth production model. Though it's probably only a matter of time before the mall parking lots everywhere are lined with these. So if you want both a diesel-sipper and an off-roader, maybe you should just buy an old VW Rabbit and a Suzuki Samurai. Press release after the jump. galleryPost('MercGLKhybridgeneva', 6, 'Mercedes-Benz Vision GLK Bluetec Hybrid'); Vision GLK BLUETEC HYBRID: Compact off-roader study with ultra-clean drive technology The grand rehearsal at the...
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