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2018 Geneva Motor Show

The 2018 Geneva Motor Show is in full swing. With the latest car launches, concepts, industry trends and media hubbub surrounding it, members of the Quaife team visited the Swiss expo to take in the cars featuring our driveline components.

Fiesta ST

The 2018 Geneva Motor Show is in full swing. With the latest car launches, concepts, industry trends and media hubbub surrounding it, members of the Quaife team visited the Swiss expo to take in the cars featuring our driveline components.

The Geneva Motor Show is a must for petrolheads, particularly for those keen on seeing the latest metal from the world’s motor manufacturers. This year, there are a number of cars under the show lights that featured Quaife driveline components; therefore, it wasn’t long before temptation set in and we decided to visit ourselves. After all, it’s only right to admire these star cars up close and personal.

The first thing to mention is how easy it is to get to the Geneva Motor Show. Based in Kent, we just hopped on a flight from Gatwick to Geneva Airport, and from there, it’s just a short walk through the terminal’s shopping precinct to the Palexpo Arena, the venue for the show.

Compared to Europe’s other main international motor shows, Paris and Frankfurt, the Geneva Show is slightly different in the fact that, as well as the household automotive names, it plays host to many of the world’s most exclusive hypercar manufacturers, design houses and bespoke production specialists.

Although there were many notable launches, concept cars and subjects for inspiration, it’s two manufacturers we’ll focus on here, Ford and Morgan. From one of the world’s largest motor manufacturers to one of the smallest, yet highly respected British sportscar brands, these two companies show the breadth of Quaife’s client base.

Focus RS

Along with the Blue Oval’s GT hypercar and Mustang Bullitt special, Ford Performance showed off their Focus RS Edition and all-new Fiesta ST, both of which feature our ATB Differential.

Although the Mk3 Focus RS is drawing towards the end of its production life, (to the sadness of mega-hatch fans), many existing owners of the standard car are snapping up the Quaife QDF59Z ATB that’s fitted to this model. Available through our friends at Mountune, this product is Ford approved when retrospectively fitted by Mountune or a Ford authorised dealership.

Although officially launched at last year’s Geneva Show, the Fiesta ST on display this year was causing quite a stir, despite being placed alongside the GT and Mustang. Now full specifications have been made public, hot hatch fans were evidently excited for the release of this highly anticipated pocket rocket. Motoring journalists are currently waxing lyrical about the Fiesta ST, having been treated to a passenger seat ride around Ford’s infamous ‘Track 7’ handling route at its Lommel proving ground in Belgium.  We’ll leave it to Top Gear to explain…

‘We’re in Track as we crest another rise and Koen lifts off allowing the tail to step out before burying the throttle and allowing the LSD and its torque vectoring assistants to work their magic, tuck the nose in and fire us onto the next long corner. The ST’s pace is impressive. I suspect it could keep a supercar honest on a tight B-road, while adjustability on the throttle is extraordinary for a front wheel drive car’.

Morgan

Over at Morgan, it was clear how showgoers appreciated the traditional, high quality British craftsmanship that is evident in all of the Worcestershire firm’s models. Morgan had both the classic and Aero series models on display, plus their soon-to-be released EV 3-Wheeler, (a car that clearly shows Morgan as forward thinking, despite their traditional designs).

Quaife supply steering racks and bevel boxes for the Three-Wheeler and steering racks for the rest of the classic range. With Morgan’s allocation of BMW’s N62 V8 engine soon to be depleted, the Aero GT and Plus 8 50th Anniversary launched at the show will be the final models to use this engine.

Morgan’s boss Steve Morris says, ‘The Morgan Plus 8 sits firmly as one of the most iconic and revered models of Morgan’s 109-year history. For many, the Plus 8 is the archetypal British sports car combining handcrafted, bespoke luxury with exhilarating performance – and that’s exactly why the Plus 8 has been a mainstay of the Morgan range for 50 years’.

Morgan

Meanwhile, the 3-Wheeler seemed to raise smiles from everyone who came into contact with this diminutive treat. Positioned pretty much opposite Peugeot, who launched their 2nd generation 508 at the show, Geneva highlights how diverse the new car industry continues to be. An EV propelled 3-Wheeler also shows how car companies, just like the component and driveline manufacturers who supply them, are continually adapting to face the challenges of tomorrow…

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