Frankfurt 2009: BMW ActiveHybrid X6

Your dilemma: you have a burning desire for a 5,000 pound, four-passenger truck that accelerates as fast as your Dodge Challenger, but you want to use as little gasoline as possible while doing so. BMW feels your pain, and they have a solution for you. Ladies and germs, meet the ActiveHybrid X6, BMW's first full-hybrid. Here's the great part: engine-wise you get both the 4.4-liter twin-turbo humdinger of a V8 and two electric motors for a total combined...

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Frankfurt 2009: Lotus Evora Type 124

Few automakers are as deeply rooted in motorsport as Lotus. So it comes as no surprise that, so soon after its release, the British sportscar-maker and engineering firm has already come out with a racing version of its new Evora.Tagged with the Type 124 label, the new sportscar is converted from four seats to one, but the stripped-out, competition-spec interior is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg for the GT3-spec racer. The Toyota-sourced V6,...

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Frankfurt 2009: Lamborghini Reventon Roadster

Here's all you need to know about the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster. You have a one in five-hundred million chance of being killed by a meteor, and a one in seven-hundred million chance of owning a Reventon Roadster. Any questions? And yeah, it costs around $1.6 million dollars and Lambo's making "less than 20," though we imagine if a couple more gazillionaires pony up €1.1 -- especially in cash and/or gold doubloons -- they'd spit out a few more.The...

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Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Maserati GranCabrio

There are a few things Maserati could do to make the GranTurismo look better than it does, but not many. One option is to surround it with unspeakably beautiful women. Another is to remove the roof. Thankfully, they opted for both here in Frankfurt, where the Trident marque took the wraps off the new GranCabrio.The girls are a regular fixture for Maserati. But the convertible version of the GranTurismo coupe has been a long time coming. Details and...

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Frankfurt 2009: 2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Perhaps with conspicuous consumption falling out of favor, you're looking to downsize from your Phantom. Perhaps you're Kanye West and you feel the need to lower your public profile, but you don't want to give up your Roller's famously coddling ride. Well, B-list celebrities and hangers-on, Rolls-Royce has your number, and it's called the Ghost.Looking quite a bit like Geneva's 200EX showcar, the Ghost made its public debut here in Frankfurt, and...

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Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Audi R8 Spyder 5.2 V10

While everybody and their brother likes the R8, there is a small, but vocal minority that's always thought coupe looked a little funny. Not "fugly" mind you, just a tad... off. We've heard the term "porpoise skull" bandied about. Well, that group of naysayers can now put a sock in it, as the R8 Spyder is simply gorgeous. Gone are the carbon fiber side blades, in are sensible but somehow better looking slab sides. Regardless, it's simply hot.This...

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Frankfurt 2009: World Premiere of the Volkswagen E-Up! Concept

While today might be the middle of September, 2009, Volkswagen is looking to the future. 2013 to be exact. That's when Chairman Martin Winterkorn says they'll be launching the E-Up!, an all-electric city specialist. The E-Up!'s killer app is the lightweight lithium-ion battery that kinda tips the scales at five hundred pounds. That might sound like a lot, but keep in mind that the Panasonic Metal Case Prismatic pack in the Prius weighs over 100 pounds...

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