What financial crisis? Supercars aplenty at Geneva

Walking the floor of the Geneva Motor Show this year you'd be hard-pressed to tell that there's a global financial crisis going on, as there was enough high-powered motoring metal to make an oil-rich sheikh happy for weeks.

Aston Martin One-77
The One-77 will be a very special Aston Martin model, a production being limited to just 77 cars. Naturally, the price is also very special, at over US$1.2 million. The design emphasises the long hood and has accentuated rear fenders. At this price, the interior will be trimmed however the buyer wants.

You call that a spoiler?
The One-77 features a powertrain commensurate with its exclusive status, with a 7.3-litre V12 producing at least 520kW and 407Nm of torque. The transmission will be a six-speed automated manual.

Carbon fibre everywhere, even there
Aston Martin also put on display chassis number one of the One-77 model, giving show-goers a chance to look under the skin at its carbon fibre monocoque structure, along with suspension elements. As this chassis shows, the One-77 uses finished carbon fibre even on hidden surfaces.

Ferrari 599XX
Based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, the 599XX is only designed for track use, but not official competition, letting Ferrari engineers improve performance without any restrictions. The engine has been reworked to raise the redline to 9,000rpm, with power jumping to at least crank 520kW. Meanwhile, the F1 gearbox has been tuned to change gears in just 60 milliseconds.

Frazer-Nash Namir by Giugiaro
For the Namir, Italian design house Giugiaro teamed up with hybrid systems maker Frazer-Nash to build a hybrid supercar. This concept uses a series hybrid system, like the one in the Chevy Volt. There are two motors, one for the front wheels and one for the rear, a lithium-polymer battery pack, and a 814cc rotary engine which acts as a generator.

Three monitors for sir
Giugiaro claims the Namir can hit 100km/h in 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 300km/h, all while producing less carbon dioxide than a Toyota Prius. This level of performance can be attained thanks to the lightweight carbon fibre body and the electric motors which can generate up to 275kW.

Infiniti Essence concept car
Nissan luxury arm has come up with a stunner. The company has been working on its own hybrid system, and chose the Infiniti Essence as the car in which to debut it. The powertrain starts off with a twin-turbo 3.7-litre V6, then adds an electric motor for extra oomph.

The essence of speed
Nissan developed a special electric motor for the Infiniti Essence's hybrid system. It not only produces twice the torque of comparably sized motors, but also works as a generator to keep a lithium-polymer battery pack charged. The petrol engine and electric motor combine to produce 447kW of power, making the Essence a true GT supercar.

Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce
For this limited edition model of just 350 cars, Lamborghini went through its existing Murcielago LP 640 and took every opportunity to shed weight, while the 6.5-litre V12 engine has been tuned for an extra 22kW. The result is the Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce, with 500kW of power and weighing about 100kg lighter than the Murcielago LP 640 on which it's based.

Mmm aero
Because of its performance orientation, the Murcielago LP 670-4 SuperVeloce comes with two rear aero kits, one with a small spoiler, the other with a bigger wing (pictured). With the small spoiler, the car can hit a top speed of around 342km/h, and the 0-100km/h sprint is dispatched in 3.2 seconds.

Lightning GT
British electric car company Lightning designed the GT as an electric supercar, and showed off a working prototype at the Geneva Motor Show. The body is made from aluminium and carbon fibre, while the battery pack features something Lightning calls NanoSafe technology, which can, according to the car's designer, be charged and discharged fully without damaging the power pack's longevity.

In-wheel motoring
The car uses four in-wheel motors to get power right to the ground. The horsepower from these four motors totes up to about 485kW. That should be good enough to take the Lightning GT to 100km/h in under five seconds. Its 36kW battery pack gives it a range of 300km, with a recharge time of 10 minutes from a special quick charger.