Everyone loves supercars. The typical low-slung, wedge shaped profile of a high-performance supercar is a timeless design classic, and for good reason - not only does it look sexy, it is the optimal shape for reducing drag and lowering the centre of gravity to improve driving dynamics. It’s not a coincidence that vehicles such as the pioneering fifty year old Lamborghini Miura and the latest supercars unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, such as the Pininfarina Battista, share the same basic shape.

Perhaps this is also a reason why so many supercars were unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. From the aforementioned Battista, Bugatti’s La Voiture Noire, the Koenigsegg Jesko, near-production concepts from Aston Martin and the new Ferrari F8 Tributo, these supercars (and hypercars) all share some common themes. Namely, a shape that will be a sure-fire hit with customers, and the opportunity to sell these vehicles in limited numbers at exorbitant prices. The pricing, of course, also allows manufacturers to include breakthrough engineering and performance that would otherwise be unviable for affordable, mass produced vehicles, and garner the consequent media attention.

So it’s a very welcome surprise, then, that Honda’s e-Prototype overshadowed these supercars at this year’s show. And with good reason. This car proves that industry leading design doesn’t have to be industry leading in terms of expense as well. When Honda thinks outside the box, so to speak, they can create a box like no other.