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Frankfurt 2009: Live Photos of Mansory’s Barbie-Pink Bentley
Move over Corvette, Barbie has a new ride. German luxury tuner Mansory unveiled its latest and, quite possibly, most ludicrous vehicle to date at the Frankfurt Auto Show today. Called Vitesse Rosé, this completely reworked Bentley Continental GT Speed is most notable for it’s Barbie-pink paint. Or should we say matte-Barbie-pink. While the pink paint…
Frankfurt 2009: Brabus Builds An 800 Horsepower Widebody E-Class
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the latest Brabus E V12 might be typically Brabus in that, like almost all Brabus models, it is “fast, black and expensive.” It’s also very uncharacteristically Brabus-like due to the wider rear end with bizarre fenders that cover over most of the wheels. Add on matte black paint and…
Frankfurt 2009: Audi S5 Sportback Trades V8 for Supercharged V6
Audi has expanded its Sportback lineup, by adding an S5 model directly above the A5 Sportback. Unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the S5 Sportback is powered by the company’s new supercharged V6 engine rather than the S5 sedan’s 4.2-liter V8. The new model gets quattro all-wheel drive and makes 333-hp and 325 ft-lbs of…
Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen Launches 2010 Polo, Including 71-MPG BlueMotion Model
Volkswagen made a big splash at the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show with a total of nine new vehicles, including two new ultra fuel-efficient concepts that will one day see production. Included in the list of “normal” premieres was the 2010 Polo with a BlueMotion option that delivers futuristic fuel-economy right now. The ultra-efficient BlueMotion Polo…
Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen E-Up! Electric Concept Debut
Debuting alongside the 170mpg L1 concept car at the Frankfurt Auto Show was the zero-emissions E-Up! concept. As the name suggests, this is a pure electric vehicle and it is based on a chassis that will form the basis of a new line of VW city cars starting in 2013. As a 3+1 seater the…
Frankfurt 2009: Aston Martin Rapide is a Seriously Elegant World Premiere
After first debuting a concept version at the North American International Auto Show back in 2007, Aston Martin chose the Frankfurt Auto Show to debut what it calls “the most elegant four-door sorts car in the world.” The Rapide joins the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte in an emerging segment of performance-oriented sedans. The Rapide…
Frankfurt 2009: 2011 Saab 9-5 World Premiere
A company in turmoil with a less than certain future, Saab is hedging its bets on the all-new 2011 9-5 luxury sedan, which launched today at the Frankfurt Auto Show. In total, the 9-5 will be offered with five different engines, all of which will be turbocharged and relatively small, meaning fuel-economy should be quite…
Frankfurt 2009: Porsche 911 Sport Classic Debut
Looking more like something that might roll out of one of the many Porsche tuner shops in Germany, than off the production line, the new 911 Sport Classic marks Porsche’s return to building limited edition models. And while these ultra rare cars will make for excellent collectors items, as Porsches they are also incredible driving…
Frankfurt 2009: Chrome Audi R8 is a Dubai Dream
Looking more like something we might find parked in front of the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai than at the booth of a serious German automaker at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Audi had on display an R8 coated in chrome paint. This was no regular R8 either, but the 525-hp V10-powered model capable of…
Frankfurt 2009: BMW 7 Series Hybrid Faster and More Fuel-Efficient
The second of two production-destined hybrids unveiled by BMW at the Frankfurt Auto Show, the ActiveHybrid 7 Series joins the X6 ActiveHybrid to expand the German automaker’s focus on electric-assisted engines. The ActiveHybrid 7 uses the same twin-turbocharged V8 as found in the 750i, but pairs it with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery…
Frankfurt 2009: Bentley Mulsanne World Premiere… With Details This Time
AutoGuide was one of the few media outlets that posted live coverage of the Bentley Mulsanne’s unofficial debut at the Pebble Beach Concour d’Elegance, but the regal British automaker wasn’t willing to cough up any details. Now that the car has been officially unveiled, we have some info – but not all of it. Bentley…
Frankfurt 2009: BMW 5 Series GT Official World Premiere
While BMW had plenty of items on display at the Frankfurt Auto Show, just two were official new model premieres. The first was the X1 crossover and the second was the the 5 Series Gran Turismo (GT). BMW has shown a near-complete version of the car several times, but waited for Frankfurt to give full…
Frankfurt 2009: BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Debuts With 480hp
Alongside several other “Efficient Dynamics” models that were officially unveiled at today’s Frankfurt Auto Show was the X6 ActiveHybrid with no less that 480hp. Using a 400hp twin-turbocharged V8 engine from the X6 and combining it with two electric motors the X6 hybrid achieves a massive 480hp and 575 ft-lbs of torque, enabling it to…
Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen L1 Concept Gets 170 MPG, Production Planned for 2013
As Germany’s largest automaker, Volkswagen had big news at the Frankfurt Auto Show today with numerous new models that boast impressive fuel-economy. But even the BlueMotion Polo has nothing on the fuel-economy of the L1 Concept, a tiny two seater that uses just 1.38 liters of diesel per 100 km – that’s 170 mpg. And…
Frankfurt 2009: Toyota Auris Hybrid Concept Revealed
Toyota is planning to offer hybrid versions of all of its vehicles by 2020 and the next step in that process is a Hybrid Synergy Drive version of the Corolla-based Auris hatchback sold in the U.K. Toyota unveiled a prototype of that vehicle, the Auris HSD Concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show today. The Auris…
Frankfurt 2009: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept Recharges in Just 90 Minutes
Until now we weren’t overly impressed with Toyota’s idea for a plug-in Prius hybrid, along the lines of the Chevy Volt. There’s still a lot we don’t know (including, hopefully, a lower price point), but today at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Toyota announced that the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept would be able to recharge fully…
Frankfurt 2009: Lexus LF-Ch Hybrid Hatchback Debut
Despite a strong presence on this side of the Atlantic, Lexus has yet to penetrate the European market. But they folks at Toyota’s luxury arm are hoping that a premium level hatchback in the compact segment – that also just so happens to be a hybrid – will help them win over a new (younger)…
Frankfurt 2009: Audi R8 Spyder World Premiere
At long last, its here; Audi’s R8 Spyder. With rumors of the car emerging almost simultaneously with the launch of the original V8-powered R8, it’s been a long time coming. Powered by the Lamborghini sourced 5.2-liter V10, the Spyder makes 525hp, allowing it to hit 62 mph in 4.1 seconds and blast on to a…
Frankfurt 2009: First Live Shots of 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo
For 2010 the Porsche 911 Turbo gets a long list of improvements including an all-new, larger 3.8-liter engine. Possibly more important, however, is the fact that the clumsy bush-buttons have been replaced with paddle shifters with the addition of Porsche’s impressive 7-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission. As for that engine, it’s the first entirely new one…
Frankfurt 2009: Lamborghini Reventón Roadster World Premiere
Unveiled in a stunning light-matte-gray color called Reventón Grey, Lamborghini drew back the covers on Reventón Roadster at the Frankfurt Auto Show today. With just 15 models scheduled to be built Lamborghini’s pre-unveiling video reminded those in attendance that while your chances of climbing Mount Everest at 2,000,000 to 1 and your chance of having…
Frankfurt 2009: Audi E-Tron Electric R8 is For Real
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After plenty of rumors, denials and leaked images that looked like a photoshop hack job, Audi has officially taken the wraps off the E-Tron Concept, an electric R8… of sorts. And if you still find it all hard to believe, it might take some convincing to accept that the car’s power output numbers are for…
Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen Golf R World Premiere
Sure Volkswagen’s main stage was reserved for environmentally friendly BlueMotion diesels, but is there was no car on the German automakers stand that deserves the spotlight like the 265hp Golf R. We have to admit being a little disappointed that the car won’t get the same turbo five-cylinder as found in the TT-RS, but sharing…
Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Porsche GT3 RS, First Live Photos
Porsche has just unveiled the 2010 GT3 RS model at the Frankfurt Auto Show, with more power, a wider front track, a reduced curb weight and increased downforce. When combined the GT3 RS gets even better and continues to be a motorsports-derived masterpiece. Thanks to an increased displacement from 3.6 to 3.8-liters, the new engine…
Frankfurt 2009: BMW Officially Unveils X1 Crossover
BMW has just unveiled its smallest SUV, the X1, and now for the first time we know what model North America will get. AutoGuide was invited to test drive an X1 prototype several months back and while we were impressed, the 23d diesel model was not headed for our shores. What we will get will…
