Transportation

Knobs Made of Meteorite and More Geneva Motor Show Insanity

The annual gathering is where high-end automakers show their stuff, and this year’s show included a Rolls-Royce offering that’s, well, (from) out of this world.
  • Ferrari engine
  • interior of a Maserati
  • Red Alfa Romeo
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Ferrari
A lot of features start off in luxury cars and gradually make their way downmarket. But the auto industry will have gone completely electric long before the powerplant in Ferrari’s F8 Tributo gets to your local dealership. The automaker’s most powerful V8 ever rides behind the two seats, producing more than 700 horsepower when you rev up to 8,000 rpm (which you should do as often as possible). And it’s 40 pounds lighter than its predecessor—which helps the F8 hit 62 mph in 2.9 seconds, and top out at 211 mph.

New kinds of rump-coddling leather. Insanely powerful V8 engines. Retro wheels. Something called a “rear shelf.” Such are the things you see at the Geneva Motor Show, the annual automotive gathering where high-end automakers struggle to stay ahead in the never ending luxury-feature arms race.

To track the latest news in this eternal battle, we’ve highlighted the swankiest features created to coddle the rich and famous. We’re way beyond massage seats here, people: Rolls-Royce used a freaking space rock to give its customers a taste of the otherworldly.