Bufori Geneva

If you somehow overlooked the new Bufori limo's debut at the recent Geneva motor show, you're not alone.

Inevitably, gee-whiz concept cars and the big-name new models hogged the show. Which is hardly surprising, given that Bufori isn't exactly a household name. Not a magnet for the world media spotlight and headlines, either.

The Australian-born, Malaysia-based company is by any measure a very small player on the auto-industry stage. And to date its cars have tended to stir bemusement rather than serious interest.

That's largely because the mid-engine La Joya coupe and the aged but still active rear-engine Mark II roadster have distinctly retro-style appearance with long bonnet and swoopy mudguards. It's a point of difference that stands Bufori apart from every contemporary car design genre except Morgan's.

Bufori's new model continues the classically sculpted theme. Known as the Mark V1 throughout its gestation, the latest Bufori has taken the name Geneva as a dedication to the site of its official unveiling.

Sure, the La Joya connection is clear to see in the Geneva's sweepingly elegant lines, and the newcomer echoes the coupe's proven construction methods and materials.

Meaning the immensely strong, relatively light vacuum-formed four-door body shell combines vinylester resin with inter-woven carbon-fibre/Kevlar cloth is an integrated structural element atop a La Joya-like (albeit lengthened and widened) fabricated stainless steel chassis.

But where the La Joya has a 2.7-litre V6 engine immediately behind its two-seat cabin, the Geneva's thrusting bonnet accommodates Chrysler's SRT 6.1-litre Hemi V8 in tandem with a five-speed auto trans. Bufori cites the Geneva's top speed as 265km/h, with 0-100km/h acceleration in 5.4 seconds (yet to be verified by an independent road test).

So that sort of jumbo mumbo (316kW and 569Nm's worth) plainly doesn't go to waste in a car weighing just over a tonne in its basic specification. Not that there's anything remotely 'basic' about even the entry spec level.

It begins, mechanically, with 20-inch forged alloy wheels (tyres 245/55 front, 255/45 rear), backed by XL-size ventilated discs. The suspension sees front double wishbones and rear multi-links with self-levelling gas shockers and air springs all round.

Safety features include ABS, EBD, stability and traction controls, tyre pressure monitor, proximity sensors, rear parking camera, front airbags, front side-bags, and front and rear curtain-bags, anti-pinch power windows, integral roll cage, safety lockable rear doors and more such stuff. Much more.

Then there's the luxury aspect. All top shelf. Suicide rear doors of course, for decorum's sake. Also individually selected, hand crafted leather everything, electrically adjustable and climate-controlled seats front and rear, dual zone climate control, electrically-adjustable foot pedals and steering column (with memory), head-up windscreen display, night vision, bi-xenon headlights, heated/reverse-tilt mirrors, adaptive cruise control, seven-inch display screen, sat-nav and cabin mood lighting -- to name just some. Oh, and an analogue clock.

Needless to say, Bufori offers options. Among its many possibilities, the Geneva lists a cigar and humidor package, a lockable safe, video entertainment system, twin-screen multimedia system (includes karaoke facility), tea/coffee making facilities and a mini bar.

About the only thing Bufori hasn't made public is the price. Must be one of those "if you have to ask ..." clauses.

Since the La Joya is priced from A$180,000 (plus on-road charges), the Geneva would conceivably be a quarter-mill at least.

However, the number may remain pure speculation because Bufori is said to be primarily targeting only the Middle East, Southeast Asia, China and the sub-continent. Fair go.

But come what may in marketing and sales, the Bufori Geneva rates applause as an extraordinary achievement from one of the world's smallest car makers. Don't think we've heard the last of it.

Nor have we heard the last of the CS Coupe, otherwise known as the BMS R1 from a spectacularly rapid but inconclusively brief outing at last year's Macau race meet.

Entered by BMS (Bufori Motor Sport), run by Axle Racing and backed by Chinese squillionare Joe Lim Hun-beng, the virgin coupe was driven by Malaysian ace Alex Yoong. Completing four competitive laps, he parked it after clipping the scenery with "a sticking throttle".

Powered by a feisty twin turbo 2-litre Mitsubishi Evo engine, the BMS R1 has spent recent months undergoing fettling and testing, making ready to get serious in the forthcoming Asian GT Masters series.

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