Anything but neutral.(Geneva Automobile Show)(News)

Byline: JOHN D. STOLL

Geneva Salon demonstrates definite performance bias It's been awhile since Geneva looked so good. Take last year. We walked away from the annual Swiss auto shindig less than satisfied with a handful of glossy photos of the Porsche Cayenne but no actual truck. On top of that, we endured the not-quite unveiling of Maybach and then found ourselves lusting after a beautiful Alfa Romeo coupe that will see some degree of production, but not an American interstate (AW, March 18, 2002).

This year is a different story for two reasons: the Germans and Italians.

Porsche will ride into this year's Geneva International Motor Show with an actual car-and we mean car-its most powerful road machine to date. The carbon fiber- bodied Carrera GT, powered by a naturally aspirated 603-hp 5.7-liter V10, was first shown in concept form at Paris in 2000. One thousand GTs will be built during a three-year run with the price between $350,000 and $400,000 (AW, Feb. 10).

Even at 600-plus horsepower, Porsche will certainly be challenged for Best in Show honors. Chief competition should come from the all-wheel-drive Gallardo, because it's the first ``affordable'' Lamborghini (at least affordable by Lamborghini standards). Gallardo supposedly means a fighting bull breed; to us it means 500 Italian horses emanating from a 5.0-liter V10, on sale in May for $160,000 (AW, Feb. 17).

Bertone brings a 400-hp concept coupe, boasting Bertone-esque styling, but borrowing aluminum frame and V8 from the BMW engineering halls. Bertone is not alone in combining Italian design mastery and German powertrain precision. Walk over to Pagani and find a new Zonda Roadster with a 7.3-liter Mercedes engine capable of 555 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque (AW, Nov. 18, 2002).

But back to the majors.