With a lot of melancholy we think back to when we just went to Geneva around this time of the year to physically welcome the most important new cars. 30 years ago, the Salon was also the place where it all happened. We found these important newcomers there, among other things.
We are short of fingers these weeks to cover all the news that the car manufacturers are firing at us. In that respect, the Geneva Salon is also a shortcoming: in just a few days, the brands at the fair provided a flood of news, instead of the gradual release of information as we see it now. In any case, in 1991 we already had our eyes on the Swiss trade fair floor. There were some brand new models, some of which would hit the roads in large numbers in the years that followed.
Perhaps the biggest news back then came from Renault. That unveiled the second generation of the Espace. The layout was still the same as that of its predecessor built at Matra, but now with more rounded shapes. Especially in the interior of the Espace it was clear to see that a new era had dawned for the MPV. It was all a bit higher than before and as icing on the cake we also got a V6 on the order list. Renault did not do any harm, because the second Espace surpassed the success of the first.
More French news came in the form of the Citroën ZX. A model that needed some explanation in the beginning, because wasn’t the BX already the car with which Citroën served the middle class? Well, the ZX happily came next for the more conventional customer and it was of course also a bit more modern than its bigger brother. You noticed that well as a driver, because the ZX felt solid and contemporary. Despite the lack of the hydropneumatic suspension system, the ZX was certainly comfortable enough to rightly wear the double chevron. He also steered very nicely. The latter was due to a part that unfortunately also turned out to be a bit of an Achilles heel in terms of reliability: the co-steering rear axle.
Opel caused a sensation in Geneva with the Frontera. Such a large and off-road model from Rüsselsheim took some getting used to and the external adjustments could not completely hide the fact that Opel had not developed the car itself. After all, the basis came from Isuzu, which had marketed the car in the late 1980s. Opel and Isuzu had parent company General Motors as a common denominator, so it was relatively easy to prepare the Isuzu with some Opel parts for the European market. However, it was not a sales hit.
That a European fair really does not only bring big news for European brands, Honda showed with the new Legend. To be fair, that was a car that partly had European blood because of its previous relationship with Rover, but this second generation was a lot more Japanese. Not only because it no longer shared its base with the Rover 800, but also because this Legend was only put together in Japan. In addition to the sedan shown here, Honda also had a two-door coupé in the barrel that we were also able to admire in Geneva.
The stunner of the show came from Mercedes-Benz. Das Haus lifted its latest S-class onto the Swiss podium. Undoubtedly quite a job, because the W140 was a rather colossal-looking creation. It earned it the nickname ‘Cathedral’, which was mainly used jokingly. Whether it was your taste or not, of course the S-Class made another huge leap forward in terms of technology and in 1991 it was the absolute cream of the crop in Geneva. In the end he attracted fewer customers to the showroom here in the Netherlands than his predecessor, but whoever conjured up the checkbook for it was delighted.
In Techzle Classics 3, we will also elaborate on the introduction and further history of the W140 in honor of its 30th anniversary. You can now find that edition of Techzle Classics in the shop, or you can order it separately here.