EVENTS
Jaguar E -type and Porsche 901 re-united with famous historic launch venue in 40-car display
1966 AUSTIN MINI BMC’s baby was a big hit with continental buyers, too. A 1959 example would have fitted better with the Fifties People’s Cars theme but this later Swiss-market model was chosen on account of its condition.
1957 FIAT 500 The same family has owned this, one of the first 2500 Nuova-gen 500s made, for more than 60 years. It’s still in tip-top condition.
1951 CITROËN 2CV Originally sold in France, this early Tin Snail has squirmed across the border and is now the second-oldest example registered in Switzerland.
1947 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE This example was imported into Switzerland in 1948 – its owners since then have included the Swiss Army and a taxi driver in Bern.
T he very cars used to launch the Porsche 901 and Jaguar E-type at the Geneva Motor Show have been brought back to Switzerland for the event’s centenary display.
‘Quick Blue’, the oldest surviving prototype of what would become the 911 and the example displayed at the model’s launch 60 years ago, joined 9600 HP – the 3.8-litre E-type S1 used for the car’s launch three years earlier – in a 40-strong display marking 100 years since the Swiss city held its first international event.
The display was split into four main themed areas, focusing on pre-war cars, 1950s people’s cars, GTs of the 1950s and 1960s, and one looking at cars created in the wake of the 1973 energy crisis. They were joined by a display given over to five automotive innovators – including the Audi Ur-quattro and Renault 16 – and an ‘adrenalin zone’ dedicated to more modern performance classics, including a Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959.
The event also marked the first motor show in Geneva since 2018, although the area given over to new cars was noticeably smaller than in previous outings. There were also very few classics that had been brought along by manufacturers, with a 1972 Renault 5 supporting the launch of its new namesake one of the few examples.
The biggest coup for the event’s Classic Display area was bringing together both examples of Bugatti Royale chassis 41.111 for the first time, but the significan
