Revealing the future since 1905

Although it is generally acknowledged that the automobile was “officially” born with Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach’s “Benz Patent Motorwagen”, which was presented at the Paris World Fair in 1889, studies and first experiments with motor vehicles began much earlier. All over Europe, but also in Switzerland!

Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss citizen, tried to motorize a chariot in 1775 using steam and then gas. Swiss engineers can also be credited with several significant achievements in the automobile sector from the end of the 19th century: front-wheel drive and the gear-transforming flywheel, a kind of automatic gearbox before its time, by Henriod, the overhead camshaft by Popp, the progressive extension pulley gearbox by Weber, and the asphalting of roads developed by Dr Guglielminetti.

The Swiss car industry experienced a period of euphoria at the beginning of the 20th century: there were more than 70 Swiss car manufacturers and the first races and rallies were held.

It was in this context that the first Swiss National Automobile and Cycle Exhibition was organized in Geneva in 1905. Switzerland was then at the heart of the European automobile industry and its automobile production was renowned for its reliable and luxurious products.

In 1925, the number of visitors exceeded 100,000 for the first time. The “Bâtiment Electoral” from the early days of the Motor Show and the temporary annexes built on the adjacent on the “Plaine de Plainpalais” were too small. The construction of a new “Palais des Expositions”, approved in 1925, enabled the 1926 edition – exceptionally moved to June due to construction work – to increase the exhibition space from 6,200 to over 13,000 m2.

The A6 1500 Gran Turismo grand tourer was Maserati’s first production road car. Development began in 1941 by the Maserati Brothers but was interrupted when priorities were given to wartime production and was not completed until after the war.

The first chassis, bodied by Pinin Farina, debuted at GIMS 1947. This first prototype was a 2-door, 2-seat, 3-window Berlinetta with three square portholes on its fully integrated front wings, a tapered interior and futuristic hidden headlamps. The car was produced in small numbers and most were bodied by Pinin Farina.

The 250 MM Berlinetta was the very first Ferrari ever launched at the GIMS. It was based on the 1952 Mille Miglia-winning Ferrari 250 S prototype, resulting in the 1953 production model using the ‘MM’ name after the epic road race. Using the new Gioachino Colombo-designed 3.0-litre V12 engine, its performance was tested and proven at the Mille Miglia and many other events. Shining under the Geneva spotlights, its elegant Pinin Farina coupe bodywork broke new design ground.

“The most beautiful car ever made” according to Enzo Ferrari himself, the Jaguar E-Type made its debut at GIMS 1961. The presentation of the E-Type was made memorable by the iconic journey from Coventry to Geneva. Ahead of the GIMS 1961, Bob Berry – Jaguar’s PR Manager at the time – and Norman Dewis – Jaguar’s Test and Development engineer – drove two E-Type (coupé and a convertible) overnight for over 1200 km. Both cars were requested to meet the incredible demand for test drives on the opening day of the show. It was worth it, as Jaguar left Geneva with over 500 orders.

The Lamborghini Miura is the first supercar to feature a two-seater rear mid-engine layout, which has since become the standard for high-performance sports-, super- and hypercars. When it came out, the Miura was the fastest production road car. At GIMS 1966, the Miura received glowing reception from visitors and the motoring press alike, all impressed by Marcello Gandini’s styling and the car’s revolutionary mid-engine design. The Miura remained in production until 1973, when it was replaced by the Countach.

The Alfa Romeo Montreal was introduced as a concept car in 1967 at the Expo 67 held in Montreal. The body was designed by Marcello Gandini at Bertone and the mechanicals was borrowed from the Giulia. At GIMS 1970, Alfa Romeo unveiled the production car, technically quite different from the concept. It featured a 2,6-litre, dry-sump lubricated, cross-plane V8 engine of 200 PS, derived from the 2-litre V8 used in the 33 Stradale in Tipo 33 sports prototype racer. None of the Montreal were sold in… Montreal since Alfa Romeo didn’t develop a North American version to meet the emission control requirements applied in the USA and Canada.

The Lamborghini Countach was one of the most iconic supercar from the 70s to the 90’s. Designed by Marcello Gandini for Bertone, it was the first car to adopt the sharply angled “Italian Wedge” shape. It replaced the Miura, and took on its most successful aspects, such as the rear mid-engine, RWD layout along with many new engineering and styling innovations. The Countach was also the first production car to incorporate scissor doors. The Lamborghini Countach LP500 (first prototype) was unveiled at GIMS 1971, while production didn’t begin until 1974, after two further prototypes (presented at GIMS 1973 and GIMS 1974).

The Countach remained in production until 1990, when it was replaced by the Diablo.

The Maserati Boomerang is a concept car designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Based on Maserati Bora chassis, the Boomerang was revealed at GIMS 1972. The Boomerang’s design incorporates all the styling gimmicks that will be found on future models by Giugiaro: 1973 VW Passat Mk1, 1974 VW Golf Mk1, 1976 Lotus Esprit, 1979 Lancia Delta and Maserati Quattroporte and 1981 DeLorean.

Originally developed to cater for an evolving automotive market, the Porsche 928 was ultimately intended to replace the Porsche 911 as flagship model. It combined the handling and performance aspects of a sports car with the ride, load space, and comfort of a luxury car. Presented at GIMS 1977, the 928 was the company’s first production V8-powered model and its only coupé powered by a front-mounted V8 engine. On its commercial launch in 1978, the 928 also won the European Car of the Year award, remaining to date the only sportscar to do so.

The 1980s were marked in the history of the GIMS by the event’s move to the new Palexpo halls, totalling 58,000 m2 exhibition surface. Inaugurated in December 1981, Palexpo hosted the 52nd edition of GIMS in March 1982. It was a huge popular success, with more than 580,000 visitors. The Palexpo was then expanded three times: in 1987 with Hall 5, in 1995 with Hall 7, and in 2003 with Hall 6 built above the A1 motorway. The seven halls total 102,000 square meters of exhibition space.

The Biturbo was the founding member of a family of executive grand tourer produced by Maserati between 1982 and 1994. The original Biturbo presented at GIMS 1982 was a two-door, four-seater coupé featuring, as the name implies, a twin-turbocharged 2-litre V6 engine. To fit with Maserati brand class, the interior was luxurious. All Maserati models then introduced until 1997 were based on the original Biturbo architecture including the later Shamal and Quattroporte with V8 biturbo engines.

Built between 1989 and 1991 by a partnership between the design studios of Alfa Romeo and Fiat and Zagato for the manufacturing, the Alfa Romeo SZ (also named ES-30) was presented at GIMS 1989. Its unusual design can be attributed to the use of early computer-aided design and manufacturing. Mechanically, the SZ was based on the Alfa Romeo 75. From 1992 to 1994, a convertible version of the SZ, the RZ was produced.

It took no less than 10 years to develop the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W140), unveiled at GIMS 1991. Considered an “engineer’s car”, it housed 6-cylinder, V8 and V12 engines under its enormous bonnet. It featured also a number of innovations that have since become industry standards, such as ESP. The S-Class was the choice of many royalty and heads of state as their ceremonial car.

Since the early 1980s, Ferdinand Piëch had wanted to make extensive use of aluminium in car manufacturing to compensate for the extra weight caused by the Quattro all-wheel drive system. In the early 90s, when development began on the replacement for the Audi V8, the decision was taken to design the first car with a full aluminium structure. The ‘Audi Space Frame’ concept was born. The first-generation A8, unveiled at the GIMS 1994, was the first production car to be equipped with it. Competing with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series, the A8 had an unladen weight of between 1,540 and 1,980 kg, depending on the version and engine, while its rivals weighed in at around 2 tonnes minimum.

The “GT3” nameplate was introduced in 1999 as part of the first generation of the Porsche 911 (996) model range as a homologation model for the cars entered in the FIA GT3 Cup. As with Porsche’s previous 911 RS models, the 996 GT3 was focused on racing, and so was devoid of items that added unnecessary weight to the car. Its engine, the so-called “Mezger” is naturally aspirated and based on the unit used in the 962 and 911 GT1 race cars.

Unveiled as a concept car at GIMS 2010, the Porsche 918 Spyder was the first interpretation of the performance offered by hybrid technolgy. With over 2,000 expressions of interest from customers, the Porsche Board decided to go ahead with production as a limited series. From 2013 to 2015, only 918 units were produced. Its powertrain consists of a ICE V8 derived from the RS Spyder Le Mans Prototype (608 PS), combined with two electric blocks of 129 PS at the front and 156 PS at the rear. Together, they produce no less than 887 PS.

At GIMS 2013, McLaren unveiled the production version of its P1. Strictly limited to 375 units, the P1 is considered the heir to the McLaren F1. The P1 features a twin-turbocharged V8 engine that delivers 737 PS, combined with an electric motor producing 179 PS. Together, they produce a combined power of 916 PS/900 Nm. Together, the McLaren P1, the Porsche 918 Spyder and the Ferrari LaFerrari are considered like the Trinity of hypercars.

Successor to the F12berlinetta, the Ferrari 812 Superfast made its debut at the GIMS 2017. Its 6,5 litre naturally aspirated V12 was, at the time, the most powerful n/a car engine ever made: 800 PS for the 812 Superfast and GTS, up to 830 PS for the Competizione and Competizione A derivatives launched in 2019. The car includes a mix of active and passive aerodynamics to improve drag coefficient values and downforce.

The Voiture Noire is a one-off special introduced at the GIMS 2019. Based on the Bugatti Chiron, the design of the car harkens back to the Type 57 SC Atlantic and is a celebration of the company’s distinctive design history. The Voiture Noire is powered by the same 8 litre quad-turbocharged W16 engine from the Chiron having the same power output figures (1500 PS). At the time, the Bugatti La Voiture Noire was one of the most expansive cars built.