Geneva 2017 Proved That Shouty Supercars Still Have A Place In The World

Hybridisation and electrification aren’t just coming; they’re already here. They just aren’t that exciting yet, albeit with a few notable exceptions in the Holy Trinity and elsewhere.

The Geneva Motor Show is one of the most historic and important on the calendar for any brand that sells cars in Europe, the automobile’s spiritual home. It’s where the Jaguar E-Type, Lamborghini Countach and Bugatti Chiron were first shown to the media, among countless other legendary cars. It’s a big deal.

Why does this matter? It matters because this year there was barely anything electrified that was worth a second glance. The Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid and F1-derived Mercedes-AMG GT concept were just about the only interesting electrified cars on show. The real stars; the glittering jewels in the Swiss crown, were all old-school, high-power, multi-cylinder megalomaniacs.

The real speed and excitement at this year’s Geneva came from the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, the new Porsche 911 GT3, the Ferrari 812 Superfast, McLaren’s 720S and the slightly confusing but brilliantly mad Ruf CTR 2017. There’s not a battery pack or electric motor in sight, but between the four of them there’s over 2600bhp. Nice.

It’s so good to see the showstoppers wearing nothing more than spectacular styling and extremely sexy underwear. Whether it’s the 4.0-litre flat-six and manual gearbox of the GT3 or the heartbreakingly soulful V12 in the Superfast, these are proper supercars built to old-fashioned rules with the best technology and engineering that 2017 has to offer. Just get in and go fast. Really, really fast.

Don’t get me wrong. I quite like hybrids; even some of the boring ones just built to do a job and dodge taxes. The engineering is fascinating and the everyday usability is superb. Being able to switch the engine off and bimble around with no engine noise, vibration or fuel usage is awesome, in moderation. The only thing more relaxing than a car running on electricity is a quiet afternoon with a skilled masseuse.

But, sooner or later, you yearn for noise. You yearn for the silliness, the excess and the sensory assault through your fingers, ears and fiercely clenched butt cheeks. There’s nothing to match it. That’s why even when we talk about the Porsche 918 Spyder’s incredibly clever hybrid system we’re still most excited by the V8 behind the seats. The LaFerrari is really all about that heavenly V12 and a noise that could raise hairs on the back of a crab.

That’s why we love cars like the new Ruf CTR, which is built with cutting-edge technology to look like something from the 1980s.Because cars were so damn cool back then, they’ve become legends. Even if the new Ruf is a bit self-congratulatory, celebrating the CTR Yellow Bird it built itself in 1987, it’s a homage to an era where cars were all about theatre and speed.

The Huracan Performante is the same: pure drama and exhilaration. The GT3 brings back its manual gearbox, which in other supercars is now a technological curio confined to history, never to be thought about again, like the cassette tape. These automatic legends are built by people who remember what it’s like to drive cars that appeal to the heart and the senses with absolutely everything they have.

Praise the car gods for this year’s Geneva Motor Show, because it’s like the good ol’ days are back again. Sit back and bask in their glow.