#Daily Round-Up - Day 5
Welcome back to Geneva! It’s been another day of automotive stuff for myself and the team at S.A.M., although I’ve been dealing with some, uh, ‘complications’ with regards to Friday note. I would like to confirm that it was Come On Eileen that made me take my shirt off, NOT Man! I Feel Like A Woman…
Anyhow, on to today’s happenings.
Today’s musical accompniament is Roadhouse Blues by The Doors
EADC gave us the full release of the Corsair CRX along with some very sexy photos of the smart road-racer. The sleek, finely detailed body looks gorgeous in profile form, contrasting the very brutish power from its V12 heart. Some clever aerowork has been integrated into its design, and even makes room for a plush interior too.
On the road, the CRX is rewarding and composed, never afraid of hiding its huge amount of power and egging you on to unleash it, but very happy to maintain its dignity. It feels like a typical supercar through the corners, sharp but with an added heaviness the requires you to man-handle it a bit, but that’s far from a bad thing. Turn those assists off and you really do have borderline race-car material here. We’d love to see a lightweight, stripped back version in the future.
IMP unveiled a new GT coupe concept today called the Autobahn Concept, a diesel powered long distance cruiser. Smart looks meet sleek lines in what could be a smart move for the company - the mid-range coupe market has been hotting up this year, and some refined calmness in the form of this concept could certainly find a strong niche for the company.
Meanwhile, a new trim of the Opera limousine was unveiled; called the 340D Econom, it breaks all previous records for efficiency in this market with a claimed average of 58 mpg (UK), a stunning achievement for this market. It could make this sort of car just about affordable to run. Better still, they claim its been achieved without losing any of the comfort expected with the Opera.
Cornaldie revealed the new 2017 Solatia V12 Biturbo today, and oh how we love that word Biturbo. Apparently this is an ‘Eco Boost’ variant, however we aren’t sure about how eco 27 mpg is. That said, this all-aluminum GT coupe is marvelous comfortable and handles very nicely, by no means sharp, but with just enough precision to keep things exciting. For cruising, the Solatia was very impressive, and felt right at home on the streets of Geneva. Its very well specced to, and the interior is packed to the brim with great technology, which should certainly keep you entertained.
The looks left us a little disappointed though. The bottom rear is too complicated for its own good, and at the front, we feel they haven’t quite got the grill proportions right. That said, the tallight design is very nice, drawing the design lines into a very nice finish. Plus, with 635hp under the bonnet, it’s a bargain for V12 power at $93k. Not quite the looker that it probably should be, but a fantastic luxury cruiser.
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However, the day ended with some saddening news: Audie Whittingmore, one of the founders of OAM, passed away last night following a stroke last week. He was one of the most respected people in the industry and helped to cement OAM’s position as a cornerstone in the American car making sector. Current CEO and grandson Jonathan Whittingmore gave a moving statement this afternoon, and we send our condolences to him and his family.
Such a shame to end on a low note, but we’re sure that Audie would have been very proud of what the company has achieved, especially of the new Chevalier II which we really liked. His achievements and legacy are undeniable and will no doubt inspire future generations to join this great industry. Thank you for everything.
That does it for today’s rather somber round-up. We’ll be back again tomorrow, when hopefully the damage control I’m currently doing for Friday night’s escapades will actually bear some fruit. Good bye for now!
- Gavin Anderson
