2010 BUFORI Geneva (MKIV) 6.4 V8 (477 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The Malaysian car manufacturer Bufori unveiled the Geneva four-door luxury sedan at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in Europe, trying to compete against prestigious luxury carmakers.

A name and a heritage cannot be bought, which many people couldn’t understand. Still, they tried to push carefully handcrafted products on the market. Sometimes, their strategy worked, while other times, it didn’t. But that didn’t stop the small carmaker Bufori from trying and working hard to offer a vehicle that aimed at the same customers as Rolls-Royce or Bentley. Each of the Geneva, or the Mark VI as it was also known, needed 9,000 man-hours to build, and the attention to detail was incredible.

The Malaysian car manufacturer created a neoclassic design inspired by the 1930’s cars, fitted with arched front fenders that flanked a narrower and taller engine compartment. Moreover, Bufori didn’t use regular steel for creating the bodywork but woven fabric reinforced with Kevlar and carbon fiber. That gave the vehicle an unusual strength and a lighter weight when compared with regular steel panels. The car’s profile revealed tall side sills that opened together with the doors. Like the ’30s cars, the rear doors were rear-hinged to allow easier ingress and egress. At the back, the sloped-down trunk also included a drawer for smaller items.

Thanks to its huge wheelbase, the interior was very roomy. Bufori used only the highest quality materials when it created it, with hand-stitched leather upholstery and even 24-carat gold-plated dials. Yet, the high-tech amenities were not left aside, and the car featured three touchscreens: on the center stack and two others on the back of the front seats’ headrests. In addition, the carmaker even offered an option for a coffee machine or instant boiling water for tea.

Under the hood, Bufori opted for a Chrysler-sourced 6.1-liter Hemi engine paired with a five-speed automatic gearbox. Later on, the powerplant was replaced by a newer 6.4-liter unit.