Outrageous Attention-Getters

Mainstream car companies use healthy amounts of glitz and glamour to unveil their new models at auto shows, often leaving the smaller manufacturers on the sidelines, struggling to be seen.

But it wasn't just the major players making a spectacle at the recent International Motor Show, held in Geneva. (See our full coverage of the show here.) The boutique firms worked extra hard to pull eyeballs toward their display booths, unleashing radical vehicles that were incredibly fast, expensive, and unique, to say the least.

Many of these bizarre machines will never make it to the U.S. Others won't even evolve past the concept stage. But that doesn't mean they won't impact the industry in a meaningful way. Fantastical technologies introduced in 2008 could become standard features in production cars by 2018.

With this in mind, we present some of the most outrageous cars to appear at this year's Geneva auto show.

A.D. Tramontana

Newcomer Tramontana (the name means “winter wind” in Italian, although the firm is Spanish) blew into the International Motor Show with a production version of the Formula One-inspired super car that made a big splash as a concept last year in Geneva. The car is meant to be driven on the street, but with a carbon-fiber hull, 12-cylinder 5.5-liter engine, and a top speed of 215 mph, it will likely be more at home on a race track.

Just don't crash it — repairs on a million-dollar car won't be cheap. We like it because it has the slickest cockpit around, and there’s a switch in the cabin that boosts the horsepower from 550 to 720. Because sometimes 550 horsepower is just not enough.

Brabus Bullit Black Arrow

Ultra-high-end Mercedes-Benz tuning shop Brabus unwrapped the striking Bullit Black Arrow in Geneva. It is the result of the time-tested formula of stuffing a huge engine into a small car.

The Black Arrow consists of a compact Mercedes C-Class body with 730 hp at its disposal, thanks to a 6.3-liter V12 engine. That’ll get you and three brave passengers to 185 mph in 24.5 seconds and hustle you on to 225 mph. The zero to 60 mph jaunt, perhaps more relevant to drivers who use public roads, takes just 3.9 seconds. And even though the performance numbers are positively evil, there's nothing more sinister than the Black Arrow's black-on-black-on-black paint job.

Brabus SLR McLaren Roadster and Smart 112

The other vehicles at the Brabus booth were offered in a two-for-one deal. First, Brabus customized the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster, the most exotic vehicle in the Mercedes portfolio. Then the company gave the SLR a tiny attendant in the form of a similarly customized Smart.

The Roadster sports a tuned engine that pumps out 650 hp and accelerates from zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds, even faster than the Bullit. The Smart 112 is based on the company's Fortwo model, but its engine is upgraded to produce 112 hp. Its bark matches its bite too, thanks to a loud performance exhaust.

The McLaren and Smart are decorated in a matching white-on-red color scheme and are available together for a package price of $1.05 million. Compared to the next vehicle on our list, this dynamic duo may seem like a bargain.

Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès

Just when you think the ultra-expensive, ultra-exclusive Bugatti Veyron can't get any more outrageous, another variation turns up. Last year saw the arrival of the Pur Sang edition, of which only a handful were made. Now comes a collaboration between Bugatti and Hermès, the luxury leather designer.

The Fbg par Hermès differs from a standard Veryon only aesthetically. The 1,001-hp, 16-cylinder engine is still there, as is the 2.5-second zero to 60 mph time, and the 250 mph top speed. What's special here are the decadent Hermès trimmings that swath the Veyron's interior. The standard brushed aluminum dash is now covered in calfskin, and even the trunk is lined in leather. Redesigned wheels differ only slightly from the Veyron's factory wheels, but fanatics will know the difference.

As befitting any product with a Bugatti or Hermès label, the price tag is exceptional: Expect to pay a cool $2.3 million for this luxury lovechild.

Fab Design Mercedes-Benzes

What's that old adage about money and taste? Ah yes, the first doesn't buy the second. Illustrating this old chestnut are the modified Mercedes-Benz SL-Class and CL-Class from Swiss tuning house Fab Design, priced at $300,000 and $334,000, respectively.

Both models feature garish polychromatic paint jobs, large aftermarket wheels (painted to match the car's color, naturally), wide-body kits, carbon-fiber aerodynamic add-ons, and doors that swing up as they open. The crowning (or is it damning?) touch for each model is an alligator skin interior.

Morgan LifeCar

Don't let the all-steel retro look of the Morgan LifeCar fool you. A concept car three years and $4 million in the making, it's actually a lightweight vehicle designed to run on a hydrogen fuel cell.

Based on the Morgan Aero 8, the LifeCar is meant to spur development of hydrogen fuel cells as a viable energy source, and show that a zero-emissions vehicle can be fun to drive. The design looks like a modern interpretation of a car from the 1930s, but it is more aerodynamic to minimize wind resistance. Embellishments include an oversized grille and rims that look like flying saucers.

Rinspeed sQuba

One of the wildest vehicles at the Geneva show was the Rinspeed sQuba. Its name is pronounced like "scuba," since the car doubles as a submarine. The inspiration for the sQuba was a similar vehicle featured in the 1977 James Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me."

The sQuba, which cost $1.5 million to develop, runs solely on electric power. It can reach depths of 30 feet. Using a 54-kilowatt electric motor, the sQuba's top speed is 80 mph on land. It will cruise at 3 mph when piloted along the water's surface.

How does it dive? Just crack the door open and let the water start pouring in. The sQuba is a convertible, so occupants breathe through a scuba apparatus that draws air from a tank in the car.

Solarinox Zest

Every auto show in recent memory has produced at least one wacky experimental electric car. In Geneva, it was the Solarinox Zest. It's a topless two-door with a friendly face that reminds us of the Volkswagen Beetle. There’s half of a convertible roof that can set up over the driver and a passenger, but its ineffectiveness in the face of any serious weather suggests the car is meant for full-time open-top cruising.

The Zest's body seems to be made of high-grade plastic, and the hood and trunk are covered in solar panels to recharge the battery. Solarinox is a Swiss design shop, and that’s about all we’re able to tell you — the firm’s flyers are in French, the woman at the booth referred us to the company's website, and the website is under construction.