How This Year's Geneva Motor Show Proved Petrolheads Are Still Thriving

Car enthusiasts are dying out. At least, that’s what most commentators on the subject are saying; young people are buying cars in drastically smaller numbers, and autonomous technology is making the traditional motor vehicle redundant. The thing is, if you look close enough, you’ll see the car enthusiast scene is as bright as it has ever been.

Sure, Joe Bloggs is ditching the car at the first opportunity, but that’s because people who don’t like cars won’t buy one if they don’t have to. Young people can now keep in contact without having to travel across a gridlocked city to do so, and in most major towns public transport and other green alternatives are providing legitimate alternatives to driving.

For people like you and I, both young and old, for whom cars are more than just a mode of transport, the appetite for vehicles in which we can indulge our passion has never been higher. If you want proof, take one look at all the awesome enthusiast machinery unveiled at this year’s Geneva motor show. It was the most exciting show in years.

The most obvious place to start is with the Porsche 911 R. It takes the engine from the aero-heavy, lap time-focused GT3 RS, but goes without all of the exterior bits that aid downforce, fits skinnier tyres for less grip, and has a manual gearbox. It’s the ultimate enthusiast’s car, designed with nothing but enjoyment in mind. Porsche is limiting production to 991, but it could make twice as many and sell them within minutes.

Then there’s the Chevrolet Grand Sport, which works on a similar principle. Start with the serious performance-oriented Z06 in mind, remove the supercharger, and you have the GS. Why would anyone go for less horsepower? Well, some enthusiasts prefer their power to be delivered without forced induction dulling throttle response. Some people love cars but just can’t afford a 600bhp track monster. Enthusiasts come in all shapes and sizes, as do their budgets.

Let’s be serious for a moment: Cars are no doubt damaging the environment around us. Even the most ardent petrolhead must acknowledge that cars do a lot of harm, and therefore performance cars have become a bit of a dirty subject in the minds of the general public. Fortunately, that’s not meant the end of the high horsepower hypercar, it’s just meant we’ve ended up with new and interesting ways of achieving that power.

The Koenigsegg Regera popped up with more than 1500bhp thanks to its hybrid setup and fascinating Direct Drive ‘gearbox’, while the Techrules TREV makes in excess of 1000bhp thanks to a combination of electric motors and a turbine. The Rimac Concept S managed to be one of the most powerful cars at the show, and that’s pure electric.

But that’s not to say all of the extreme cars on display had some new-fangled technology. The Bugatti Chiron rocked up and stole everyone else’s thunder with an absurd 8.0-litre W12 engine - take that Greenpeace! Aston Martin also showed off how it’s resisting the downsizing trend by keeping its V12 engine in the new DB11, now with turbochargers and a slightly smaller displacement to keep emissions regulators happy.

Aside from what was on display, we were also excited to see that Ferrari and McLaren have both revealed that they will not be building SUVs. Now I’m a big fan of premium manufacturers building whatever it takes to keep them in business and make their enthusiast cars even more exciting - would the 911 be as capable as it is today without the Cayenne? - but when two of the world’s foremost supercar brands commit to building nothing but cars that excite, it can only be a good sign. If the enthusiast was dead, the likes of McLaren and Ferrari would be getting pretty desperate right about now.

So despite all the doom and gloom that’s reported in the mainstream media, one thing is for certain. The motor car as we know it might be in a transitional period, but enthusiast-focused cars will be around for a very long time indeed.