Before we set off, Martin and I both insisted there were no mountains at all on the route between York and Geneva. These are the foothills of the Jura mountain range on the A40 between Bourg-en-Bresse and Geneva.
Made it. Tripometer mileage (T1) in the Genveva show car park.
At the show. I was happier than I look. The show had seemed surprisingly parochial up to this point compared to the NEC bike show, for instance, with parking in a cramped lot in a far-flung corner of Geneva and big queues.
However, the show halls themselves were breathtaking. The organisers reckoned 283000 visitors attended on the first four days of the show.
Vauxhall's GT concept previews the company's thinking for the next decade with innovations like opaque side windows and red tyres. On the plus side it's rear-wheel drive and powered by a one litre turbo capable of flinging the 1000 kg car to sixty in less than eight seconds.
The rather wonderful Alfa Romeo Giulia in 2.9 litre V-6 510 bhp Quadrofoglio form. I almost wept when I saw the first photographs as it seemed rather more Germanic than is healthy for an Alfa, but it looks much better in the metal. It's due in the UK later this year. The non-QV Giulia models were also revealed at the show. Engine choices are a 197 bhp 2.0-litre petrol turbo or a couple of 2.2-litre oil burners with 148 of 178 bhp. A six-speed manual gearbox is available with the diesels but the petrol is allegedly automatic only. Which seems very strange, given Alfa's spiel about returning to true drivers' cars.
The even more wonderful new Aston Martin DB11 on its Geneva launch. Bond's next company car sports a 600bhp 5.2 litre twin turbo V12 and is good for 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds and 200 mph with an automated eight-speed gearbox. Aston say that 1400 orders had already been placed for the £154,950 2+2 on the eve of the show, 3 March.
Meanwhile, 007's old company car still looks half-decent. The lovely DB5 somehow gets by with a four litre straight-six and manual gearbox. The script down the sides of the bonnet reads 'Superleggera'. The Italian coachbuilding firm Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera was responsible for designing the bodywork. This particular car started life in a dark Aegean Blue but was re-sprayed in Silver Birch a couple of years ago according to the Aston Martin Owners Club.
A bit of local colour from Coventry. The Jaguar F-Pace SUV.
Sven's grandson, the new Volvo S90, powered by Volvo's range of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. The company has made a big play about not chasing after BMW, Mercedes and Audi this time, instead emphasising traditional Volvo virtues of safety, comfort and classic style. And indeed it is rather posh and plush without being showy. The infotainment system with Apple CarPlay kept a young man in a baseball cap happy for a very long time. IS IT GOOD? DO TELL! NO-ONE ELSE COULD GET IN THE CAR TO TRY IT FOR THEMSELVES WITH YOU SAT THERE FIDDLING AROUND FOR HOURS ON END. And breathe.
The estate version, the V90, was launched at Geneva. Labradors across the UK are positively drooling in anticipation. All too literally.
The new Honda Civic concept caught my eye, achieving the intended futuristic style better than the current car which is slightly odd and awkward. It looks a bit bigger than its obvious rivals such as the Golf and Focus, though. Honda are also conscious of this, as the survey they asked us to complete included questions about the benefits of a bigger car. But it might result in a higher price bracket than its competitors, or style compromises if they downsize it. I felt I had made a meaningful contribution to the design of the next Civic with my responses to the survey, but Martin's suggestion of 'rocket launchers' was less helpful.
I refuse to include many photos of the six-figure supercars as mere mortals are kept off the stands with glass partitions, tasers and guard dogs. It's a form of class action otherwise known as sulking. The crush around the Bugatti and Pagani stands was also genuinely unsettling at one point, as you could barely move or breathe. However, as one concession to the exotica, I offer the Lamborghini Huracan. It is by no means new, but it is very red. The design is also spectacular through its simplicity, unlike the fussy detailing of some supercars.
We stayed until the end of the show, then drove to Lausanne for the night at the imaginatively named L'Hotel. Lausanne was slightly surreal in the dark. The town centre is at the head of a valley surrounded by hills on three sides. The overhead walkway connects two high-level streets on opposing valley sides across Place De l'Europe, which lies on the valley floor.
